Verizon Offers Cloud Computing Service for SMBs

Verizon Communications Inc.’s Verizon Business unit recently added a new pay-as-you-go cloud computing service aimed at small- to medium-sized business customers beset by limited IT resources and not interested in managing an IT infrastructure.

The new offering, called Computing-as-a-Service, SMB, is part of the vendor’s Computing-as-a-Service and further underscores Verizon’s strategy to deliver IT services in an “as-a-service” model. In July, Verizon tacked on a scalable, on demand Storage-as-a-Service to its lineup.

Verizon said that the SMB edition of its Computing-as-a-Service portfolio is suitable for smaller businesses such as retailers, manufacturers, professional services firms and independent departments within larger organizations.

Verizon also said that it expects the SMB cloud computing services to appeal to online businesses and application developers who want to code, test and stage in a reliable and scalable cloud environment.

"We are bringing the power of a high-performance, secure cloud environment to our small-business customers to meet their specific need for on-demand computing resources," said Carrie Gray, Verizon Business executive director of medium business.

"This new offering will help SMBs tap cloud technology to be more agile, productive and cost effective so they can better compete in today's global economy without having to build and maintain a high-capital, high-maintenance infrastructure to meet their IT needs," she said.

“Verizon Business is evolving to an 'Everything-as-a-Service' (EaaS) model in which cloud-based, converged solutions are delivered with built-in security via managed and professional services over our global IP network," Gray said.

"The launch of Computing-as-a-Service, SMB is another step in that evolution,” she said.

Verizon said that SMBs can tailor server, storage and network resources under its cloud service based on their technology requirements.

"The EaaS platform with Verizon's global IP network and data centers as its foundation will enable enterprises to do business better by getting what they need, when they need it, where they need it," Gray said.

Verizon also said that its SMB offering features built-in security including virtual private networks, allows companies to add more security features and retain previous computing configurations of their data and servers.

An industry analyst praised the features and benefits of Verizon’s SMB cloud service.

"On-demand, pay-as-you-go cloud computing solutions offer SMBs much-needed flexibility, cost-effectiveness and control for their IT operations," said Melanie Posey, International Data Corp. research vice president.

"Services such as Verizon's CaaS SMB deliver these benefits from a business-grade platform that features embedded security, redundancy and compatibility with existing systems,” she said.