Telecommunications company, Telstra (ASX: TLS), has unveiled the next stage in its $800 million Cloud computing strategy, a services portal aimed at the small and medium business (SMB) market.
According to Telstra business group managing director, Will Irving, the portal was aimed at driving Cloud uptake in the Australian market and would also make the purchase of virtual servers more affordable.
In-depth: Cloud computing strategy guide.
Irving said in a statement that because it provided computing resources on demand, businesses no longer needed to own a physical server and could rent space as they required it.
“Independent modelling undertaken for Telstra show that an SMB using the new service could save up to $7000 a year over three years compared to what they would normally spend setting up on-premises servers,” Irving said.
Telstra Cloud services are available in five packages ranging from $200 to $4000 a month, on a pay-as-you-go basis with minimal up-front costs and no fixed term contract.
Customers can use either Windows or Linux-based virtual servers, which are hosted in Telstra’s Australian data centres and managed online. The portal also integrates with the company’s Next IP and Next G networks.
“Moving to Telstra’s Cloud means companies can use virtual servers to safely and securely store crucial data off their premises without the need to pay for a team of IT experts,” Irving said.
He added that ordering Cloud services online would appeal to both large and small business customers, especially those who wanted to deploy virtual environments for a variety of uses including testing, development or short-term projects.
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