Verizon Business Launches Cloud Computing Service

Verizon Business is touting the security and availability of its new cloud-based Computing as a Service (CaaS) solution.Tapping its extensive IP infrastructure and data centers, Verizon Business has joined the cloud-computing race with the launch of its so-called Computing as a Service (CaaS) solution. Large enterprises and government institutions are the big targets for the new offering, but Patrick Sullivan, the director of product marketing with Verizon Business' small and medium business segment, made a point of noting the value for the mid-market, which Verizon defines as companies of 20-1,000 employees.

"Computing as a Service allows them [SMBs] to leverage computing capability previously beyond their reach," said Sullivan. "Server space, co-location, SMBs tend to struggle with affording it. This [Verizon's offering] allows them to access to the same infrastructure as enterprises without the capital outlay."

What may appeal most to strapped business owners is the no-commitment pricing structure that allows pay as you go usage. Tiered pricing plans allows businesses with predictable needs to enjoy some savings while still allowing them to scale up and down according to demand. Sullivan noted that this could be particularly useful to retail customers that have a surge in demand for the holiday season, accounting firms during tax season, and cited other examples of fluctuating use from law firms and companies in the midst of mergers and acquisitions to summer camps that, for computing intents and purposes, close up in the winter.

Verizon is pushing the security angle and touting its Cybertrust Security Management Program in an obvious response to survey results that point to security as the number one concern about cloud computing. As to another top-of-mind concern, availability, Sullivan batted that away by pointing to the Verizon Business SLA that guarantees 100% network availability.

Another key feature is the option to select physical or virtual servers for different needs. For business with regulatory compliance requirements (and that's most businesses these days), that is a huge appeal and is also valuable for mission critical applications that demand customization.

And Verizon is hoping to make all this computing power easy to manage via a browser-based portal where users can change pricing plans and "employ computing resources in the quantities and duration dictated by their business needs."

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