Managed services revenue
Managed services is one of the fastest growing segments in the IT industry, and service providers are uniquely positioned to capitalize on it. Cloud computing offers carriers an ideal model for developing managed services because they already have the size and depth to build scalable services.
By assuming an end-to-end position (application to end user) in the cloud computing value chain, the service provider can improve and add significant quality of service to user-to-application experiences. This network-based approach to service assurance can position service providers to capitalize on the software revenue market related to the use of the applications -- a market that network providers have yet to fully explore and utilize.
Data center efficiency
With typical data center costs running to approximately 25% of total IT budgets, service providers are under pressure to find cost-efficient business solutions and models to operate their data centers. A cloud computing data center model enables rapid innovation, scalability and support of core enterprise functions, resulting in significant economies of scale.
Opex and capex savings are realized through the standardization of systems and software components. A cloud computing data center reduces the need for additional hardware, software and facilities, as well as automation of server, network, storage, operating systems and middleware provisioning, and security issues, all of which are costly and time-consuming functions.
A cloud computing platform also increases the utilization of servers, which can range from 20% to 70%, resulting in a decrease in required infrastructure. This hardware reduction translates to a dramatic drop in some associated operations expenditures: rack space, real estate, power and cooling. And let's not forget the cost savings associated with continuity and data center longevity. The average life expectancy of a large data center is 12 years. With the cost of developing a data center at approximately $500 million, cloud computing becomes both a business and operational value.