Cloud computing technology gives individuals and organizations an elasticity that provides resources as needed without large capital investments. This technology has introduced a level of efficiency by breaking down borders and developing a seamless flow of information and resources by taking advantage of network computing. While harnessing the power of cloud computing can resolve many IT-related issues for organizations, it is important to implement the right management platform in order to harness the power of cloud. CenturyLink, a cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions provider for enterprise customers, is now part of the Dell Cloud Partner Program. With this partnership, Dell will be able to give its customers around the world a more robust public cloud solution with access to Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) with deployment across CenturyLink's global network of data centers. CenturyLink Cloud will give Dell customers its compute, storage and networking services that can be easily accessed through web services API and in a unified management interface. Dell customers will have a centralized solution integration, control and direct support from a single supplier through this partnership. Now organizations will not have to deal with the complexity of maintaining and deploying cloud infrastructures, and they will be able to run workloads with varying degrees of complexity, achieving measurable business results. By integrating the Dell Cloud Manager solution, customers will have more options for creating a custom-made cloud environment designed to achieve their goals without being locked into one vendor or technology. The Dell Cloud Partner Program also provides the following solutions on top of CenturyLinks’ added features: • Dell Cloud Consulting and Application Services with expert guidance in helping assess, build, operate and run cloud environments; • Managing single or multiple public, private and hybrid clouds through one pane of glass; • Dell support and advice to customers through the best purchasing, deployment and maintenance options; • Unified user interface for control of any public cloud resource; • Full management of security, access controls, logging and financial budgets across multiple public clouds. "Customers continuously tell us they need choice, flexibility and support in planning, deploying and managing cloud environments,” said Jeremy Ford, executive director and general manager, Dell Cloud Services. “Those three elements are critical to Dell's cloud strategy and our continued expansion of the Dell Cloud Partner Program. CenturyLink's best-in-class public cloud offerings combined with Dell's leading end-to-end, scalable solutions and services enable customers to build, control and use cloud-based solutions to drive a competitive business advantage."
