Adding to its line of cloud based services, Verizon Business today announced SAP AG certification of the Verizon cloud-based platform for on-demand delivery of SAP business applications, as well as a new cloud-based storage solution that’s available with data retention consulting services if desired.
Verizon Business will offer enterprises the new SAP delivery model, dubbed Computing-as-a-Service or CaaS, for the entire SAP solution portfolio, including applications such as CRM, ERP, product lifecycle management, supply chain management and corporate services.
While avoiding specific claims concerning cost reduction, Verizon states that cloud-based delivery of SAP applications should help contain the hardware and management costs associated with traditional application-support models. The company has been an SAP-certified provider of conventional hosting services with dedicated resources since January, 2010.
According to SAP spokesperson Kevin W. Irland, security was a foundational element in the development of the new platform. “We knew we were going to be selling to enterprise-scale customers,” said Ireland, “and we built in elements designed to meet many third-party security requirements.”
In addition to general operational testing, the SAP certification included a technical review of the physical and logical security processes supporting Verizon CaaS running SAP applications in the cloud.
Secure Storage in the Cloud
Security also plays a crucial role in Verizon’s cloud-based pay-as-you-go storage solution, Verizon Cloud Storage. The offering, which can be used to augment traditional storage options or function as a stand-alone solution, features what Verizon characterizes as “strong physical and logical security” such as a secure multi-tenant file system, as well as encrypted data transfers.
According to Amy Larsen DeCarlo of Current Analysis, “Embedding security in the service will inspire customer confidence by ensuring their data is protected in transit and at rest.”
Storage Consulting Services
Verizon’s cloud storage solution is augmented by a new consulting group, Verizon Data Retention Services, whose mission is to help enterprises fully understand where their data is currently stored and how it is used and accessed. For example, one of the services, provides discovery of the customer’s data and an assessment of existing policies for the flow, storage and handling of that data. Another helps enterprises develop a formal data storage and backup policy, as well as a roadmap for implementation.
Verizon Cloud Storage will be available in the U.S. and 16 countries around the globe beginning in July.
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