NSW government leverages network-as-a-service for Silverwater data centre

High-speed fast-access to data centres

The NSW government is boosting bandwidth access and scalability for its Silverwater data centre under a network-as-a-service agreement with Pacnet.

Pacnet, a key provider of integrated technology solutions in the Asia-Pacific region, said it is now one of the first providers of network services for the NSW government’s new data centre at Silverwater.

This latest service enables agencies to provision and scale network bandwidth on demand through a Pacnet-enabled network service. This access is supported by a proprietary network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform that leverages software-defined networking (SDN) technology.

Using the Pacnet service, departments and agencies will be able to build a hybrid IT environment. This enables users to migrate heavy workloads between the government facilities and other compatible locations.

Under the agreement, Pacnet will activate a Point of Presence (PoP) at the Silverwater facility, and also host an Internet gateway. This enables agencies to connect more readily to Pacnet’s Sydney CloudSpace Data Centre and other third-party data centres.

Nigel Stitt, CEO Australia and New Zealand, Pacnet, said that offering PoP connectivity with the Silverwater data centre will enable agencies to access a full suite of managed services and bandwidth-on-demand for networks.

“Departments can now rapidly deploy to hybrid cloud services and adopt full ICT solutions ‘as a service’ in a cost-effective manner. This access utilises a range of offerings within the government marketplace,” he said.

Pacnet is also a member of the GovDC Marketplace. Providing consolidated services through GovDC is a key plank of the NSW government’s goal to consolidate the data centre services of departments and agencies. These are being migrated to two core facilities at Silverwater and Unanderra.

This Pacnet membership will enable agencies to purchase connectivity solutions. This includes dedicated Internet access, IP transitioning, as well as on-demand managed services. Additional services incorporate hardware-as-a-service, unified communications and IP VPN services.

The focus is on a “consumption based approach” to network access, telco costs and future procurement.

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