AT&T, Microsoft enable private cloud networks for business customers

AT&T (NYSE: T) is helping business customers ease their transition to the cloud by enabling them to extend their private networks to Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) cloud platform.

This new solution combines AT&T's NetBond integration technology and virtual private networking with Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform. Because the new service does not leverage the public Internet, AT&T said that customers will be able to access cloud resources from any wired or wireless device with up to 50 percent lower latency.

Already available with its other cloud offers, AT&T's NetBond technology can bond networking and computing resources together and automates functions that are often performed manually. The technology also allows the network and compute resources to flex in tandem to support the fluctuating demands on systems that enterprise cloud users often experience throughout the year.

Two of the major concerns that have prevented enterprises from adopting cloud computing have been security and performance. Through this partnership, AT&T and Microsoft will be able to help address these issues by connecting applications and service from their own private data centers to the Windows Azure cloud service using a VPN connection.

While this solution is new, the cloud solution leverages the same MPLS technology that AT&T uses for its existing VPN solution.

As other legacy service revenues continue to decline, MPLS-based VPNs continue to be a bright spot in the telco's business revenues. In the second quarter, strategic business services--including VPN, Ethernet and hosting services--grew 15 percent year-over-year.

For more:
- see the release

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