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How CenturyLink is Setting the Standard for the Next Generation of Cloud ServicesLONDON, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Scope - AT&T introduced homegrown and partner-based cloud platforms, including Synaptic Cloud Compute and Cloud Architect, before shifting its focus in favor of becoming the network partner to other cloud service providers. - Dell introduced, and then dropped, its public cloud offer, to pursue a partnership strategy. Of course, change is to be expected in a rapidly shifting market, and each of these service providers is to be commended for continued efforts to get it right. Nonetheless, Stratecast believes that the dizzying swings in direction reflect industry-wide uncertainty among providers about how the cloud market will evolve. And so, providers are chasing, rather than anticipating, enterprise needs—and thus, are doomed to fall short. However, one service provider has quietly built a cloud infrastructure service that appears to meet not only the criteria that enterprises are calling for today, but also those that we anticipate to become drivers in the future. Like many other providers, CenturyLink has built its cloud strategy around strategic acquisitions. The difference is how CenturyLink is leveraging, positioning, and building on its acquired assets to create a versatile and enterprise-centric cloud portfolio, backed by one of the most highly functional and comprehensive technology platforms in the industry. In this SPIE, Stratecast looks at the shift in the cloud winds, and how most cloud services today are at risk of falling short of rising expectations. We examine the CenturyLink cloud strategy, particularly the underlying technology—the CenturyLink platform—in an effort to understand how CenturyLink is positioning itself for the next generation of cloud users. A New Cloud Dynamic In the early days of cloud—say, 3 or 4 years ago—the new business model was hailed as a way for resource-strapped IT departments to keep pace with the rush of technology advances demanded by the business. On-demand access to hosted compute and storage capacity provided a budget-friendly, speedy alternative to procuring, installing, and provisioning on-premises infrastructure to support new and expanded workloads. While such tactical benefits are still important to users, IT leaders are realizing that their responsibility to the business extends well beyond finding a cheap place to host the next application. If CIOs are to lead their businesses into a technology-enabled future, they need to broaden their purview from components, locations, and point solutions to delivery of cohesive, integrated, end-to-end services. As the role of IT evolves, so do cloud expectations. In a 2011 Frost & Sullivan survey, % of US-based IT decision-makers cited "defer server purchases" among their top-three reasons to move to the cloud, followed by "defer/avoid data center expansion" ( %) and "achieve high Return on Investment" ( %). In 2014, the top drivers included "achieve IT flexibility and agility" (cited by %); "deliver services and applications faster" ( %); and better support business needs ( %). Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/2911201/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-centurylink-is-setting-the-standard-for-the-next-generation-of-cloud-services-300082035.html SOURCE ReportBuyer 
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