No matter where you go today, you will, for the most part, encounter the term, “Cloud.” Pretty much everything these days is in the Cloud. The Cloud is just another convenient way to store and download software applications, and best of all provides for greater cost efficiency. Probably one of the best examples of this is the iCloud, from Apple.
There are other examples related to this. They include Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, etc. But, there is also another term that is used synonymously with the Cloud—“Virtualization.”
However, in technical terms, the two are quite different. Virtualization simply refers to the act of taking something that is physical (such as a computer network, storage device, or even a computer itself) and literally making it virtual. In other words, it is the act of taking something physical and making it non- physical.
With this background in mind, AT&T recently announced that it is planning to virtualize a major part of its hardware infrastructure. In fact, this plan was already into motion late in 2015 and, at that time, five percent of its hardware infrastructure was virtualized. Now, the company has aggressive goals to make thirty percent of its hardware infrastructure completely virtualized.
The primary goal driving this move towards complete virtualization at AT&T is to not only have a better and cheaper cost structure for itself but also to have the ability to pass this down to new and existing customers, as well. According to Scott Mair, a Senior Vice President at AT&T, “. . . the more we get on commodity hardware, the more the cost structure is better for us.”
Not only is a cheaper price a tangible benefit but, also, new services, such as the Network on Demand Ethernet and NetBond. For example, “With NetBond, a business can establish a secure connection right into the cloud all the way to the actual server . . . It gives them security and peace of mind that they can interact with their software without a problem.”
GeoTel Communications, LLC, is the leading provider of telecommunications infrastructure data in a geographic information system (GIS) and internet-based spatial technologies for over 15 years. GeoTel takes telecom infrastructure data and makes it tangible. By layering this data in GIS software or by viewing it in one of our web-based platforms, we make it possible to analyze detailed fiber optic maps and other telecom data sets throughout America. These integrated datasets are digitized onto the highest quality street data and aerial imagery available, providing companies and government entities with the leverage and insight necessary to make informed location-based and fiscally sound decisions.
