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November 17, 2011

AT&T Platform as Service Makes It Easy to Build Cloud-Based Apps

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor

There’s a new service from AT&T (News - Alert) that makes it much easier for novices to build their own cloud-based business apps without coding knowledge.



Called “AT&T Platform as a Service” (PaaS), it also offers a “robust platform for true developers,” the company said in a press release.  

The platform provides 50 pre-built apps which can be used without modification or can be customized to meet users’ needs. The platform also has an infrastructure for applications and databases. There are tools for developers, too. Customers of the service will be charged a monthly, per-user fee.

In a review of the new product, TMCnet said it lets businesses “make their own app in the cloud, no code writing required, and have it accessible from anywhere.”

“Once an application is developed, it will be available through AT&T’s cloud platform,” adds a report from Connected Planet.

“AT&T Platform as a Service is like rocket fuel for developing cloud apps,” Steve Caniano, vice president, Hosting and Cloud Services, AT&T Business Solutions, explained in the company statement. “This is another step in our commitment to helping businesses deliver cloud-based solutions, and we are unique in our ability to surround the ease of use of Platform as a Service with the flexibility, reliability and security of the AT&T global network.”

One use for the product is moving spreadsheet-based apps to the cloud, according to Connected Planet (News - Alert). In addition, in the press release AT&T explains that the product can help line of business managers “create new enterprise-grade applications, distribute, and manage them across an entire user base without causing application slow-down or downtime.” Also, independent software vendors can use the product to speed up the “time-to-market of their apps.” And enterprise developers can use the product to “consolidate many back-office applications onto a single, fully-managed, secure environment that allows them to be accessible by PCs or mobile devices.”

“Platforms for application development and deployment are usually either highly productive and narrow in scope, or challenging to use but able to address complex activities,” Stephen D. Hendrick, group vice president for application development and deployment research at IDC (News - Alert), said in the press release. “Vendors that can provide the best of both worlds, by combining comprehensive enterprise class application development capabilities, simplified management & lifecycle support, and a secure reliable network will find success in the market. AT&T appears well positioned to address these emerging Platform as a Service needs.”

AT&T also claims to be the sole provider to offer “enterprise-grade” Platform as a Service in the United States. In addition, the sector is projected to increase from $0.8 billion in 2011 to $12.15 billion by 2018, according to a study from Forrester (News - Alert) Research.

One company that has found the new product particularly useful is ekeepo, an independent software company that delivers cloud apps for businesses. “We’ve been able to radically accelerate our app development and delivery using AT&T Platform as a Service,” Juan Perez, CEO of ekeepo.


Ed Silverstein is a TMCnet contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves
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