General26.02.2013

Jasco launches Data Centre as a Service offering

Jasco Networks has announced the addition of Data Centre as a Service (DCaaS) offerings to its last mile communication portfolio, augmenting the end-to-end networking solution with virtual data centre and other virtualisation services. This move takes Jasco ICT Solutions one step closer to offering Everything as a Service (XaaS), making the group a true one-stop solution provider for the entire hosted connectivity and communications value chain. Customers can now take advantage of the benefits of virtualised services along with better access speeds and superior customer service through a full turnkey converged communications solution.

“Data centres are a critical element of the modern business. However, they also require significant infrastructure and physical servers to run, which is capital intensive, takes up space and is often energy inefficient as well. Our virtual data centre and DCaaS offering will enable organisations to take advantage of the very latest in server and storage technology without the need for a large capital investment. We tailor the amount of space required, ensuring that the resources allocated precisely meet the needs of each customer, so that they only pay for what they use and nothing more. Our data centre itself incorporates best of breed equipment, delivering high speeds and efficient energy usage to help organisations leverage true cloud computing while benefiting from reduced energy consumption and a lower carbon footprint,” says Eckart Zollner, General Manager: Business Development at Jasco ICT Solutions.

Jasco’s virtual data centre offers a premium service, using only the latest equipment to deliver advanced speeds and functionality. All storage uses Solid State Drives (SSDs) and the data centre offers 75 000 Inputs/Outputs per Second (IOPS) to ensure the highest possible performance. Utilising economies of scale, Jasco is also able to offer highly competitive pricing. The DCaaS offering delivers the data centre environment and infrastructure, along with all of the necessary software licensing on a pay per-use model to further improve cost effectiveness.

“Part of the business value of our DCaaS offering is due to the fact that the cost of the solution is linked to the user’s requirements. Customers only pay for what they use.  If this requirement changes, whether the customer requires less capacity or more, billing is flexibly adjusted in accordance with the actual resources used. Another key benefit is the ease and simplicity of resource allocation from the data centre. Resources such as processor capacity, processing memory or data storage can be dynamically allocated with just a few clicks of the mouse, by the customer themselves,” says Jason Watt, Business Development Manager, Jasco Networks.

As a turnkey solution provider, Jasco Networks is also able to offer optimised communication architecture and faster access to data, allowing a variety of other services such as voice, data, Exchange, ERP and more to be migrated into the cloud.

“Our virtual data centre and DCaaS offering is ideal for high end users, customers that require a premium virtualised solution and organisations that require a partner whose infrastructure their business can run off. Previously, if these companies wanted to deliver services to their customers, it was necessary to build their own infrastructure first, which is costly both in terms of capital and maintenance. Retail is one such example, with companies offering hosted point of sale solutions. These services can now be offered more quickly and cost effectively by using our virtual data centre and hosting solutions,” Zollner says.

Jasco’s virtual data centre offers high levels of flexibility and scalability through an elastic network infrastructure that enables the offering to shift and change according to customer requirements. The service is fully managed, supported by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that provides guaranteed uptime. The technology used and the design of the solution offer full redundancy. Virtual services are offered on a no-contract basis with forward billing, so customers can switch the service on and off as necessary.

“For resellers, our DCaaS offering and virtual data centre present a number of opportunities. Because of the nature of the data centre, its cost effectiveness and ease of use, smaller IT and desktop support companies are able to access the very best equipment, which may not have been cost effective before. They can in turn easily offer virtual servers and virtualised services to their customers. This opens up new revenue streams with minimal risk to the companies themselves, as they do not have to build and maintain their own infrastructure,” Watt adds.

Jasco Networks is offering a free two-week demo license to customers as a risk-free proof of concept, with reporting to ensure that a customer’s true requirements can be accurately ascertained following the trial period. This ensures that the end solution accurately meets the needs of the customer. The offering can be moved from testing into production without the need to rebuild the environment for seamless transition.

“The decision to offer these services was driven by customer need and market requirements. A large retail customer approached us with a requirement, and we were unable to find a suitable existing solution in the market. In order to cater to their requirements, we purpose-built the solution for them and are now leveraging this solution to add value for new and existing customers. The DCaaS offering augments the services of our Networks business as a provider of access and Internet solutions. This is a strategic extension of our existing offering and will help us to grow our product and services portfolio in line with market needs,” Zollner concludes.

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