It’s telco cloud, Jim, but not as we know it. Telefónica has announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to support organisations in their move to the cloud.
Customers are asking for help with their cloud adoption processes, and Telefónica believes teaming with a hyperscaler offers a stronger path forward than going it alone, which has often yielded mixed results across the market.
The collaboration covers several initiatives. Telefónica will incorporate AWS into its cloud services portfolio and deploy trained, certified specialists in AWS technologies. AWS, in turn, will allocate resources to assist Telefónica and its customers, reinforcing joint support for migration and cloud operations.
In Spain, Telefónica and AWS have established a Cloud Center of Excellence that applies the AWS Well-Architected Framework and AWS recommended best practices to build secure, scalable infrastructure and help customers realise the full benefits of cloud-based services.
This move invites comparison with Verizon’s recent announcement selecting AWS as its preferred cloud provider, a decision that involves migrating more than 1,000 business-critical applications and backend systems. That development follows a complex cloud journey for Verizon, which acquired Terremark in 2011 to accelerate its managed IT and cloud ambitions, later shutting down part of its public cloud offering in 2016 and divesting assets to IBM in 2017.
Telefónica’s emphasis is on guiding customers through end-to-end digital transformation projects. “AWS, with its depth and breadth of services as well as global presence, is a piece that fits perfectly in our cloud portfolio,” said Hugo de los Santos, Telefónica director of global B2B products and services. “Telefónica’s cloud offering thus empowers our customers to run their infrastructure, applications and workloads on the most suitable cloud service possible.”
“Service providers play an important role in driving innovation and creating value for organisations,” said Niko Mykkanen, AWS head of EMEA partners and alliances. “We are excited to work with Telefónica to enable the digital transformation of enterprise customers and help them leverage the scalability and breadth of services that AWS offers.”
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