Verizon Business Introduces Cloud-based 'Storage-as-a-Service'

Corporate data continues to grow exponentially, and companies are looking for a better way to store and retrieve it.  Verizon Business is addressing this pressing IT issue by introducing a new cloud-based offering, Verizon Cloud Storage, and a complementary suite of data-retention IT consulting services.  

Designed to address the unique complexities of secure data storage, Verizon Cloud Storage delivers a flexible solution for managing and retrieving data over the Internet.  This pay-as-you-go service scales on demand to meet changing business requirements and can either augment traditional storage options, such as storage area networking and network-attached storage, or be used as a stand-alone solution. 

Verizon's new offerings can help IT departments make the most of their budgets by leveraging Verizon's storage infrastructure, as well as help organizations address data retention requirements mandated by increasing regulatory and compliance requirements.

(Note - Listen to an audio podcast on Verizon Cloud Storage.)

"The current methods of storing huge and growing volumes of enterprise data are simply not sustainable from either a cost or management perspective," said Joseph S. Crawford, executive director - IT solutions product management, Verizon Business.  "Verizon Cloud Storage is a game-changer for enterprises, offering IT departments a cost-effective and simpler way to store data.  Our new cloud storage service is yet another example of our vision to deliver IT services via an 'as-a-service' model."

According to a Feb. 2010 independent research report from Forrester Research, titled "Controlling Storage Cost Amid High Growth," storage capacity requirements are growing 20 percent to 40 percent each year.  "This means that if an enterprise has 100 terabytes (TB) of production storage capacity today, its capacity will balloon to almost 372 TB in the next five years," the report said.

Verizon Cloud Storage Provides Strong Security

Verizon Cloud Storage, available in the U.S. and 16 countries around the globe beginning in July, offers an enterprise-class experience.  Key features include strong physical and logical security such as secure multitenant file system and encrypted data transfers.  The new service supports multiple methods for accessing stored data, including software, application programming interfaces and third-party applications, and offers enterprises the option to select where data is stored.

Verizon Business will initially leverage the Storage Delivery Network™ from Nirvanix® , a premier enterprise cloud storage service provider.  Later this year, Verizon is targeting deployment of additional Nirvanix managed storage nodes in its U.S. and European data centers, with additional nodes planned for deployment in the Asia-Pacific region in 2011.  This will enable better integration with other Verizon cloud-based services and further enhance performance.

"Verizon Cloud Storage is available globally at launch, which makes this a very compelling offer for distributed enterprises looking for a flexible way to store growing volumes of data," said Amy Larsen DeCarlo, principal analyst - security and data center services, Current Analysis. "Embedding security in the service will inspire customer confidence by ensuring their data is protected in transit and at rest."

Understanding Where Data is Currently Stored

Enterprises struggling to classify growing volumes of data and identify a flexible storage strategy will benefit from Verizon Data Retention Services, a new suite of IT consulting services.  The services will help enterprises fully understand where their data is currently stored and how it is used and accessed, helping to align storage policies and practices with business objectives. 

One of the consulting services in the new suite - Data Discovery and Retention Policy Assessment - provides discovery of the customer's data and an assessment of existing policies for the flow, storage and handling of data.  Another service, Data Retention Policy Development, helps enterprises develop a formal data storage and backup policy, as well as a roadmap for implementation of the recommendations.

Converged IP and IT Services Via a Cloud-Based Model

Verizon is leading the industry toward an "everything-as-a-service" (EaaS) model where cloud-based converged solutions are securely delivered through managed and professional services over the company's global IP network.  Verizon is assembling the key components of that unique and powerful approach to serving enterprises, and its new storage service is another step in that evolution.  The EaaS platform - with Verizon's global IP network and data centers as its foundation - will enable enterprises to do business better by getting what they need, when they need it, where they need it.  Visit the Verizon IT Solutions & Hosting website for more information.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions.  We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment.  Many of the world's largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

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