Didata and IS cloud portfolio

DIMENSION Data and its subsidiary, Internet Solutions, this week introduced a portfolio of cloud computing services pitched as offering companies a flexible and cost-efficient way of procuring computing resources.

Didata said it was accelerating its cloud computing services, one of the new areas of growth that has seen many innovation firms positioning themselves for a slice of the revenue.

Cloud computing refers to the use of the internet to provide research services including infrastructure and software, either from a remote location, mainly data centres, or at a client's premises.

Dimension Data's latest announcement follows its acquisition of US-based OpSource, a cloud computing provider, and the formation of its Cloud Solutions business unit.

The benefits of the cloud computing offering to corporate information research users, according to Dimension Data, include lower capital expenditure, reduced IT infrastructure management costs, and the ability to roll out new applications and services faster.

One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing for organisations is that it allows them to launch to market quicker with new applications and services, when all is said and done to respond faster to market needs, the company said.

Ettienne Reinecke, Dimension Data's chief innovation officer, said the adoption of cloud computing had increased nevertheless companies were raising concerns about skills and security risks.

Dimension Data and Internet Solutions' cloud services allow companies to easily and securely access on-demand computer processing power, memory and storage, the company said.

Dimension Data and Internet Solutions are as well making private and public cloud services available to service providers wanting to resell these offerings pursuant to this agreement their own brand. The billing and administration tools are designed to make it easy for providers to bill customers for cloud services.

Dimension Data has branded its service CloudControl, describing it as a cloud management system whereby customers can manage public and private cloud services through a web-based self-service application programming interface. This makes it simple for them to control and configure their computing resources, the company said.