Swisscom Uses Private HP Cloud for UC Services

By David Delony, Contributing Writer

Switzerland telecom provider Swisscom (News - Alert) has announced it will use HP private cloud technology to deploy its unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) service.

"Integrated communications solutions are becoming increasingly complex for businesses to operate," Frank Fitzaff, head of User Experience Design for the operator’s Corporate Business division said. “Swisscom's managed services help customers focus on their own businesses while we take care of their communications and collaboration infrastructures. HP's mature, flexible solution is driving business growth for Swisscom by enabling us to roll out new services rapidly. HP CloudSystem Matrix has fundamentally changed the way we deliver business services."

The carrier says using the private cloud will allow it to deploy the service in as little as four weeks. Swisscom already handles 5.8 million customers and 1.6 million broadband connections. The company said that the new service allows it to meet customer needs while minimizing the cost of its infrastructure. The service is centrally managed and Swisscom offers it at a fixed price per user per month.

HP Technology Services handled the installation of all the components.

The service is based on an HP CloudSystem running VMware ESX. The system runs on HP Proliant BL460 G7 server blades to allow for maximum throughput.

For connectivity, 10 Gb HP 5820 networking switches are used. The switches offload VoIP traffic to VLANs while giving priority to broadband communication.

HP 3PAR V-Class Storage Systems implement data storage as a service with flexibility. An HP StoreOnce Backup Systems handles backups with data deduplication, and HP’s Data Protector software allows users to manage backups from a central console.

In addition, the data center uses an HP P4300 SAN running Microsoft (News - Alert) HyperV to protect important information.

Customers can choose to use Swisscom’s data center or as a dedicated service inside a customer’s own data center. Around 60 percent of their customers already use HP hardware in their data centers.

HP Technology Services offers 24/7 support for four years for each installation.