Dimension Data and Hutchison Global Communications join forces in offering cloud services

The pact aims to help Hong Kong enterprises accelerate transition to cloud computing under “onecloud”.

Dimension Data Asia Pacific, a leading ICT services and solutions provider, and Hutchison Global Communications Limited (HGC), the fixed-line operation of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a partnership to jointly take cloud and hosted managed services to Hong Kong under the onecloudTM portfolio of services.

Dilip Kumar, Dimension Data Asia Pacific Chief Operating Officer, made the announcement on Friday at the Dimension Data Solutions Day seminar held in Hong Kong. Kumar said: “We are very pleased to partner with HGC to offer onecloudTM services. Enterprises today are rapidly moving to cloud computing, driven by virtualisation. To embark on the cloud journey, they need a strategic ICT partner that can offer end-to-end cloud competencies – from data centre operations to integration to managing their IT assets. The strong synergy between both our companies will enable us to help these enterprises accelerate their transition to cloud computing.

“Whether they are looking at virtualisation, outsourcing their data centre needs, or hosting and managing their IT assets, enterprises can now leverage Dimension Data’s proven expertise in complex systems integration and its portfolio of onecloudTM services, as well as HGC’s extensive data centre capabilities and robust fibre backbone across Hong Kong, in their journey towards cloud computing,” added Kumar.

Peter Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HTHKH, said: “We are glad to establish a strategic collaboration with Dimension Data to present the onecloudTM services to the corporate and business market. HGC today owns the largest fibre-to-the-building network and world-class data centres in Hong Kong. Leveraging these sound network infrastructure and facilities, coupled with our strong penetration in the fixed-line market, we have been successfully addressing the ever-increasing market demand for world-class connectivity, co-location and facilities management service, innovative business telecom solutions as well as cloud computing service. The partnership with Dimension Data builds on the service portfolio we already provide and has well positioned both HGC and Dimension Data to further facilitate the use of cloud computing service in the commercial market.”

Dimension Data first launched its onecloudTM services in October 2010 in a strategic alliance with BSNL, India’s largest telecom service provider, to build and operate six data centres across India. The onecloudTM was extended to the Philippines in 2011 when Dimension Data joined forces with PLDT, the country’s largest telecommunications provider, and Microsoft Philippines to provide a series of cloud services to enterprises.

Dimension Data’s competencies and capabilities in cloud management and operation is further reinforced by the recent acquisition of OpSource, a Silicon Valley based company offering enterprise class cloud and managed services since 2002. OpSource brings a rich set of services, a secure cloud architecture, and extensive experience in cloud services that will meet immediate client needs - in addition to a cloud infrastructure which supports development and growth in this space.

HGC’s fibre-to-the-building network consists of over 1 million kilometres of optical-fibre cable cores and around 6,000 kilometres of linear ducting. Its data centres offer collocation and facilities management services, plus cloud computing-enabled capability that enriches its portfolio of managed services and operational outsourcing offerings, serving the premium data centre needs of various sectors, in particular, bluechip enterprises and multinational corporations in the banking and finance sectorm according to a Dimension Data report.

As part of the collaboration, Dimension Data and HGC will initially launch secure enterprise cloud hosting services, business continuity and disaster recovery services, enterprise class email and collaboration services based on Microsoft technologies. They will also provide technology, operations and management capabilities for dedicated hosting of private cloud environments. The portfolio of services will be extended to various other software-as-a-service (SaaS) to cater to the enterprise and Small Medium Business (SMB) markets, as well as for specific vertical industries.