Telstra to launch global cloud

Telstra plans to roll out servers and storage across Asia and as far away as the United Kingdom as part of a global cloud strategy.

Telstra CEO David Thodey.

Sources suggest Telstra will soon announce an IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) offering from data centres in Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

This would include provision of virtual servers, storage, disaster recovery and security services, presumably bundled on the same bill as Telstra’s IP connectivity.

Several key executives behind the original build-out of Telstra's Australian cloud services are now stationed in Hong Kong and London.

Australia’s largest telco has struggled to compete on cloud computing with the global networks of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Rackspace.

A global network of cloud services could give the telco a big leg-up in retaining the hosting business of large Australian corporates with multinational operations or ambitions.

It would also explain the large capital investment ($800 million) Telstra CEO David Thodey promised to throw at cloud computing services in 2011.

Telstra’s cloud journey:

• APR 2010 - Telstra attempts to rebrand managed hosting services as “cloud”
• JUNE 2010 - Telstra consolidates Australian DCs down to two modern facilities
• OCT 2010 - Telstra announces partnership with Accenture to build cloud services
• FEB 2011 - Competitor Ninefold launches public cloud in Australia
• FEB 2011 - Telstra announces a free hosting trial for Government customers
• JUNE 2011 - Telstra pours $800 million into cloud computing
• NOV 2011 - Telstra’s Aussie cloud services launched at slight premium to rivals
• NOV 2012 - Amazon opens Australian availability zones
• JAN 2013 - Telstra joins Open Data Center Alliance, promises workload portability
• FEB 2013 - Telstra CEO David Thodey pins future profits on cloud success
• MAR 2013 - Software partner VMware announces it will launch cloud service
• JUNE 2013 - Rackspace opens Australian availability zone