Building an Intelligent Cloud

The promise of the cloud to transform the mobile user experience was part of an on-stage discussion I had this morning with VentureBeat Editor-in-Chief Matt Marshall at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit.

The impact of a recent public cloud infrastructure failure has some questioning that promise, and we talked about AT&T’s program to build an intelligent cloud with characteristics of a managed enterprise network.

There are four key ways AT&T is differentiating our cloud from current platforms.

The first is that AT&T’s cloud is embedded in the AT&T managed network, it’s not an end point on a public network. That allows us to utilize the AT&T intellectual property and infrastructure capabilities that are the foundation for our network and use them to build a smarter, more adaptable cloud.

Second, our cloud will be localized and distributed – a collection of tiny droplets, just like a real cloud. We’re augmenting regional data centers with local central offices – micro pods in the hardened CO environments we already have tied into our network in local communities. By moving data capacity closer to the demand, we’ll reduce latency.

Third, AT&T's cloud is interoperable and global. Our global customers need a reliable, global cloud solution. Interoperability is a key enabler. We work with trusted service providers to deliver in the corners of the globe where we don’t have a facility footprint. Other interoperability agreements aren’t designed around footprint, but rather to deliver imbedded infrastructure.

Finally, we're working to make cloud easy to use. For enterprises, that means it must be easy to provision, easy to dial up and turn down capabilities on-demand and easy to manage alongside their enterprise network. For consumers, it simply means getting a range of rich data services and applications that are accessible and secure – on any device.

We’re working to deliver the promise of cloud by building a more intelligent cloud. Our work is part vision, but a significant portion of it is reality today. Our cloud is currently used by external customers and for development projects.