CLOUD AND DATA CENTRES SPECIAL REPORT: Deutsche Telekom claims a European advantage
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CLOUD AND DATA CENTRES SPECIAL REPORT: Deutsche Telekom claims a European advantage

Deutsche Telekom has launched its public cloud platform. Capacity's Agnes Stubbs asks Anette Bronder, MD of the digital division, why the offering stands out from US rivals

How will Open Telekom Cloud transform the way enterprises work?

Entrepreneurs need fast, scalable and accessible cloud solutions. They should preferably be easy to set up, easy to manage, low in price. That’s exactly what we offer with Open Telekom Cloud. It is a public cloud solution for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) based on Open Stack, an open source cloud platform that makes integration of existing applications and development of innovations much easier. 

We are not only making the cloud easy to use but also secure. All our solutions are in compliance with the strict German data protection regulations and the highest security standards.

How will this product better support DT’s overall cloud strategy?

This industry is in the middle of a transition to digital. We can provide them with everything they need. We offer public, private and hybrid cloud services under one roof, delivered from our modern high-tech data centre in Biere, close to Berlin. Customers can book  the IT services they need from one single source, available in a matter of minutes.

Open Telekom Cloud is our latest public cloud service, helping companies of all sizes, major corporations or small- and medium-sized businesses, to accelerate the digitisation of their business processes for a very competitive price. There is no need to buy, install or manage a physical infrastructure.

Our new public cloud offer builds a secure basis for a variety of other cloud services and new digital business models.

This is important because the answer to a growing number of applications are hybrid- and multi-cloud environments that are able to connect several different cloud services simultaneously. 

Who are the customers and partners of this platform?

The first partner will be SAP. Also, CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, has already awarded a contract to Telekom for physics data processing. 

How does Deutsche Telekom aim to compete in a cloud market that has been largely dominated by the likes of Google, Amazon Web Services and other US cloud providers?

Digitisation is a huge driver for economic growth. If you don’t go digital, you go nowhere. Businesses realise that and are digitising at full speed. As a result, cloud offers are increasing and the cloud market is becoming highly competitive.

Pricing is one of the main factors to compete successfully. The other critical aspect is security. Open Telekom Cloud is a role model, as it makes the cloud affordable for everyone while providing a maximum of security and data protection.

Open Telekom Cloud is a European answer to the dominance of US providers and we are stepping into this competition with confidence. We have 10 years of experience in cloud integration, state-of-the-art and secure solutions, an excellent customer service – and attractive prices.

Last but not least, we have the customer trust in Europe. Nowadays, IT business is not only about selling a solution, it’s about building trustworthy relationships and Deutsche Telekom is the most trusted IT brand in Germany.

Furthermore, at CeBIT [the exhibition in Hanover] we launched our cloudifier programme, a service for transformation and migration of customer applications to the cloud at fixed prices. The service package includes consulting, the transformation itself and cloud operation in German data centres.

What are some of the key trends you’re observing in the cloud space and how does Deutsche Telekom plan to capitalise on them?

At the moment, public cloud is the fastest growing cloud sector. It is making the cloud affordable for everyone and provides the flexibility, scalability and accessibility new digital business models need. Deutsche Telekom is now stepping into this market with a public cloud offensive in 2016.

One other major trend that will affect us all is the internet of things. Everything that can be connected will be connected to the internet using the cloud. We will soon launch standardised and scalable IoT packages – with predictive maintenance, track and trace solutions or condition monitoring – that enable customers to optimise their business processes in order to save money and resources.

Volume of data is growing rapidly as more machines and things become connected to the internet. The first thing new digital business models need are fast networks.

In order to enable IoT-optimised connectivity, Deutsche Telekom is pushing 5G and building a global machine-to-machine platform. With our capabilities in cloud, security and data analytics, as well as system integration know-how and front-end consulting expertise, we see ourselves as trustworthy partners in every aspect of digitisation.

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