Verizon Adds HP, Salesforce to Secure Cloud Interconnect Service

Cloud platforms from HP and Salesforce are now connected to Verizon’s Secure Cloud Interconnect (SCI) service, which allows enterprises to use Verizon’s private IP network to securely connect to multi-cloud environments around the world.

With HP and Salesforce on board, Verizon now connects to six major cloud providers. Its SCI service launched in April with access to Verizon Cloud and Microsoft Azure. It has since added not only HP and Salesforce, but also Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google.

“Companies are transforming the way they connect with customers, partners and employees to thrive in today’s connected world,” said Denzil Samuels, senior vice president, alliances, Salesforce. “Verizon is accelerating this shift for its customers with the addition of Salesforce to the SCI service.”

SCI allows enterprises to scale and use multiple cloud services through a pay-as-you-go model. It features dynamic bandwidth allocation, encryption, application-performance throughput and quality-of-service operations. Verizon says rapid, on-demand provisioning is designed to reduce deployment time and maintenance requirements. SCI customers also have secure access to their applications in the cloud via either their mobile devices – running on Verizon’s LTE network – or from their office laptops – connected to Verizon’s global private IP network – offering what the carrier says is an integrated experience that differentiates it from much of its competition.

“Verizon SCI spins up unlimited bandwidth where and when the user needs it,” Shawn Hakl, vice president of product and new business innovation at Verizon, told eWeek. “ … This also gives you a couple of things you didn’t have before; earlier, you were at the mercy of your Internet connect, which previously you had very little visibility on. Now you have complete visibility on your usage. Also, your data never touches the public Internet — it goes completely private …”

Verizon’s chief rival, AT&T, has a similar service. AT&T promises better performance and security with NetBond, the carrier’s network-enabled cloud service that allows its customers to extend their MPLS virtual private network to cloud providers. Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce and IBM are among the big cloud players that are connected to NetBond.

A recent Verizon report on the state of the enterprise cloud found that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of enterprises are using cloud technology and are continuing to move more workloads to the cloud. The report also found that large organizations want to use a variety of cloud providers, picking and choosing the services they want and to avoid putting all of their eggs in one basket.

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