Ian Brown, Senior Analyst, IT Services
Like many of its peers in the telecoms industry, European network provider Colt is building up its IT services portfolio, of which cloud is an integral part. Network operators such as Colt own two key assets for the delivery of cloud computing: networks and data centers. They also have a key motivation for turning to the cloud: declining revenues in their legacy communications businesses.
Colt’s differentiator as a cloud provider is its expertise in cloud orchestration – more specifically, the automation behind its infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) cloud and portal. However, this will not be enough to convince enterprises to integrate Colt’s cloud into their hybrid IT environments. Colt needs to partner with SIs and ISVs and develop a solutions focus if it is to deliver real business value to its target enterprise customers and provide more than just another standalone cloud.