On-Demand, Pay-as-you-Go Option Added to Verizon’s Public Sector Cloud Offering

U.S. federal government departments and agencies that want to use the cloud to support variable demand workloads — applications with usage that ebbs and flows over time — now have a new option from Verizon Enterprise Solutions.

Instance-based virtual machines, a new way to pay for Enterprise Cloud: Federal Edition, provides IT administrators greater flexibility and control by offering the ability to utilize cloud-computing resources on-demand and pay for only the capacity used.

Instance-based virtual machines meet FedRAMP cloud risk management requirements and offer value-added capabilities, including basic monitoring, dedicated firewalls and load balancers, virtual machine cloning and template management. The option is ideal for workloads and applications with variable or seasonal demand, such as benefit enrollment periods  or providing temporary capacity to support short-term IT projects.

“Public sector demand for our cloud offerings continues to gain momentum,” said Michael Maiorana, senior vice president of public sector markets, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “By introducing new options such as instance-based virtual machines and removing potential barriers to cloud adoption, we are meeting the IT requirements of our public sector clients and providing them with the flexibility and choice they need to meet their operational objectives.”

Enterprise Cloud: Federal Edition, which in Nov. 2014 received Authority to Operate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, is an infrastructure-as-a-service cloud offering as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Available in multitenant and dedicated configurations, the service addresses the security, reliability and flexibility requirements of government agencies and their mission-critical workloads.

The instance-based virtual machine feature is also available to state and local governments, K-12 schools, colleges and universities and public safety agencies. These organizations, which do not typically require FedRAMP certification, can obtain the service via Verizon’s commercial cloud platform.

Verizon is the leading provider of communications services to the U.S. federal government. For more information, visit the Verizon Public Sector Markets website.