AT&T has taken another step forward with its microservices concept, signing a multiyear agreement with Accenture that the telco says will help any size business transform older business applications into more flexible applications.
Targeting large and small businesses, customers can use these software-based applications to order all AT&T’s fiber, security, Ethernet and other business-related products.
Through this collaboration, the Accenture and AT&T teams will not only accelerate speed through the development of microservices using scaled agile and DevOps processes, but also push out application upgrades. The duo said that this will improve customer experiences, reduce support costs, and get services to market faster.
RELATED: AT&T debuts microservices supplier program, advancing SDN, cybersecurity vision
Microservices, a concept that AT&T introduced last October, is an architectural style in which enterprise apps are made up of independent services working together. These apps are divided into small "blocks" or microservices, with each "block" supporting a specific business function, such as streamlined workflows or mobile payments.
Pam Parisian, president of technology development for AT&T, said in a release that business customers "will be able to access a whole new level of scalability and functionality as we shift legacy business functions into flexible, software-centric capabilities."
By establishing this pact with Accenture, the service provider now has a second partner participating in the AT&T Microservices Supplier Program. In October, AT&T kicked off its collaboration with IBM to design, develop and deploy microservices that will transform AT&T's business backend processes.
Microservices are a key element of AT&T’s next-gen network platform vision and it is already applying microservices in its network. In 2017, AT&T itself deployed more than 300 microservices, surpassing its goal by 22%. Throughout the year, AT&T plans to deploy hundreds of additional microservices in 2018.