Intelsat has unveiled a new capability as part of the company’s global, managed, networking service: Intelsat Cloud Connect, which helps enterprises realize the full value of their cloud investments by ensuring their end users can access their cloud applications anywhere, anytime—even where traditional terrestrial connectivity infrastructure is unavailable.
Initially available to Intelsat FlexEnterprise customers, Cloud Connect currently supports Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute connectivity via the FlexEnterprise managed service, providing network service operators, and the businesses they serve, with a new level of flexibility in adopting a growth-oriented cloud strategy.
Secure and reliable cloud access has become critically important as more enterprises turn to the cloud for mission-critical computing applications. Enterprises with geographically dispersed teams often face challenges in accessing their cloud services, preventing them from fully realizing the benefits and the value of their cloud investments.
For example, enterprise end users in remote or underserved locations may have limited or unsecured access to connectivity infrastructure, making it difficult—if not impossible—for them to access documents or connect to important supply chain or operations information, data analytics and even email on their enterprise networks.
Intelsat’s Cloud Connect solves these access limitations for enterprises by providing a private gateway between a cloud service provider and cloud users, utilizing Intelsat’s global integrated space-and-terrestrial network. This private gateway helps enterprises quickly extend cloud-based applications to virtually all of their locations, and to their remote workers—without having to build costly new terrestrial network facilities or rely on less secure, less reliable public internet connections.
Last year, Intelsat became an Azure ExpressRoute partner, enabling enterprises to private access Microsoft cloud services from anywhere with a more secure and consistent experience than the public internet offers.
Executive Comment
“With Cloud Connect, there are really two customers who benefit: our network service provider customers who can add a highly demanded feature to their enterprise networking offerings, and their enterprise customers, who can use it to quickly, cost-effectively and securely extend cloud-based applications where and when they need them—regardless of the condition of the local connectivity infrastructure,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, GM of Intelsat’s networks business.