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A Conversation with … Cloud Computing: Implications for Carriers: What is cloud computing from carrier perspective? It is about leveraging economies of scale, consolidating, delivering on as needed basis. More cost effective, efficient. From end user perspective: don’t need software on your PC, you can access data from your browser. From carrier: enabler (drives demand for bandwidth, some providers offer services). Infrastructure as a service (computing power), platform as a service (enabling custom development), software as a service (web-based email, photo sharing, enterprise resource planning, etc.).
Advantages of moving to cloud? Benefits (generalized), capital efficient, pay-as-you-go basis (scalable), upgrades (keeping things up to date, automatic). As an enterprise, you don’t need to spend as much on service delivery as focusing on core business. Opportunities; be an enabler. Virtuous cycle: bandwidth – resources. Offering cloud-based services as a carrier, especially infrastructure as a service. International: out of region considerations (how to deliver end to end connectivity, reliability) to support customer base.
Bandwidth and network planning: it’s a key component (public and private cloud). Started as bottoms up, photosharing and the like. As you move into small and medium size enterprises, application performance, reliability and security becomes important. Some transition to private clouds (VPN, dedicated transport for certain apps). What are underlying requirements – it’s about a more cost effective way of delivering what’s needed. Bandwidth is 25-75% of costs, scale with appropriate considerations. Customers don’t know that they’ve already adopted this. On enterprise level, definitions still being worked out, economics being developed. Cloud computing becoming mainstream over next few years.
Dark side: low awareness in Enterprise. As an industry we haven’t done a great job of defining, no shared umbrella other than “cloud computing” term. However, they’re using it in web-based email, specific applications.
Level 3’s cloud strategy: VoIP (voice as an app), content delivery network (CDN) – leverages shared computing and storage on as needed basis. We’re an enabler of services in emerging marketplace, very exciting to see what’s developing and overall trends.
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