Infonetics Research: Operators Embracing Cloud Services in Earnest, Significantly Expanding Cloud Offerings

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A recent cloud services study published by market research firm Infonetics Research details operator plans for cloud services, including their strategies and approaches to offering cloud services, cloud services offered now and in the future, and top applications of each type of service: software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS, or cloud infrastructure), and platform as a service (PaaS).

For the report, Cloud Service Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, Infonetics analysts interviewed 20 incumbent, competitive, data center operators, and cable operators that offer cloud services now or plan to by 2013. All survey respondents are knowledgeable purchase decision-makers at service providers in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Asia Pacific, and North America that together represent 20% of the world’s telecom carrier revenue and 21% of the world’s telecom capex.

ANALYST NOTE

“Service providers around the world have embraced the cloud concept in earnest and are heavily investing in new services and service delivery platforms based on their particular areas of expertise. Internet content providers are leading with SaaS, data center and co-location operators are adding IaaS to their product portfolios and investing in additional infrastructure facilities, and traditional telcos are building on their existing networks and adding a range of services,” notes Sam Barnett, Infonetics Research’s directing analyst for data center and cloud.

CLOUD SERVICE SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

• 70% of respondent operators are investing in cloud services in anticipation of demand
• The top operator strategies for offering cloud services are bundling cloud services with network connectivity services and offering cloud services over Ethernet or IP VPN services
• Many of the smaller data center providers participating in Infonetics’ survey plan to keep their business uncomplicated by moving from simple collocation support offerings to IaaS via the addition of computer and storage hardware, rather than getting into the complexities of offering OS software platforms
• 95% of respondent operators offer IaaS now
• More sophisticated offerings like platform as a service, or PaaS (formed by the addition of server operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and Unix) and software as a service, or SaaS (such as e-mail and security services offered by telcos and ICPs like Google) are currently offered by fewer operators, but will grow significantly by 2013

RELATED / UPCOMING RESEARCH

Log in to Infonetics’ online portal (http://www.infonetics.com/login) to download report highlights, prospectuses, tables of contents, etc. (see DATA CENTER AND CLOUD).

• Latest Infonetics Data Center and Cloud research newsletter: http://bit.ly/ywLDDH
• Data center equipment market up 12%, F5 jumps past HP into the #2 spot behind Cisco
• Cisco closing gap with Brocade in SAN equipment segment; market up 2% in Q3
• Service providers expanding data center offerings on quest for new revenue
• 4Q11 Data Center Network Equipment Market Share / Forecast (Mar. 5)
• 4Q11 SAN Equipment Market Share / Forecast (Mar. 12)
• 4Q11 Total Data Center and SAN Equipment Pivot (March 2012)
• Data Center Deployment Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey (2012)
• Data Center Deployment Strategies: North American Enterprise Survey (2012)
• Cloud Service Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey (2012)
• Cloud Service Strategies: North American Enterprise Survey (2012)

SALES

• Larry Howard, VP, Western NA, Asia, CALA: larry@infonetics.com, +1-408-583-3335
• Scott Coyne, Eastern NA, Texas, Midwest: scott@infonetics.com, +1-408-583-3395
• George Stojsavljevic, EMEA: george@infonetics.com, +44-755-488-1623
• Japan, Taiwan, Korea: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp

Infonetics Research is an international market research and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients plan, strategize, and compete more effectively.

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