Page 49 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

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on a secure and trusted cloud platform for We believe that with innovation in software NFV, and got into the game before NFV
operators. “With Affirmed Networks, we and by making use of broadly available was an industry buzzword. Its customers
will be able to offer new and innovative cloud computing platforms like Microsoft include AT&T, Vodafone and SoftBank.
solutions tailored to the unique needs Azure, operators can deploy and maintain Last year, Affirmed Networks and Turkcell
of operators, including managing their 5G networks and services more efficiently, announced they had deployed one of the
network workloads in the cloud,” wrote more cost effectively, more rapidly and largest virtualized mobile networks in the
Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president of more securely,” he added. Affirmed EMEA region, supporting more than 35
Azure Networking, in a blog post. “Previous Networks, which was named one of million mobile broadband subscribers
generations of wireless networks have FierceTelecom’s top disruptors of 2018, and carrying over a terabit per second of
been based on purpose-built hardware. has been one of the leading vendors for customer traffic across the region.

Microsoft to Open New Datacenter Region in Spain and Expand Strategic

Partnership with Telefónica

Microsoft Corp. and Telefónica have with Microsoft will certainly help to achieve security and assured bandwidth,
announced plans to further expand their that objective.” opening up new scenarios around 5G,
global strategic partnership to accelerate Microsoft and Telefónica Partnership edge computing and Industry 4.0.
digital transformation for public and Momentum • A new strategic collaboration framework
private entities of all sizes. Together, the The announcement builds on the between Telefónica and Microsoft will
two companies will help their mutual partnership between both companies with also provide joint go-to-market plans in
customers leverage the cloud to more new initiatives and joint plans across three Telefónica’s footprint.
quickly, securely and easily innovate key areas: • As part of Telefónica’s digital
and scale their operations to create new • With the expanded relationship, the transformation, the company will
business opportunities and improve two companies have identified the use the Microsoft cloud for its own
competitiveness. Microsoft will deliver opportunity to collaborate to better internal operations, pursuing efficiency,
intelligent Microsoft cloud services – serve the needs of organizations flexibility and scalability improvements,
including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, of all sizes, in critical sectors such optimization of operations and cost
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft as government, health, education, reductions. Telefónica has also
Power Platform – from new datacenter travel, manufacturing, retail, finance, deployed Microsoft 365 to its global
regions in Spain. Additionally, Telefónica insurance and more, all with significant employee base to enable more seamless
will accelerate its own internal digital social and economic impact. Joint communication and collaboration
transformation by choosing Microsoft capabilities, delivered from a Microsoft across the 14 countries in which it
as its strategic cloud partner. “Telefonica Azure datacenter region in Spain and operates. As a strategic partner for its
and Microsoft share a commitment to leveraging Telefónica’s infrastructure, multi-cloud strategy, Microsoft will train
helping Spanish organizations of all sizes, will also allow Telefónica and hundreds of Telefónica employees on
in every industry, thrive in a world of rapid Microsoft’s joint customers to deliver Microsoft Cloud services.
technologic change,” said Satya Nadella, new services that require low latency,
CEO, Microsoft. “Together, we will deliver
comprehensive, intelligent, secure and
trusted cloud services – spanning Azure,
Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 – from
datacenters in Spain, helping our customers
accelerate their digital transformations.”
“The opening of a Microsoft datacenter
region in Spain is a game changer, a key
milestone in our strategic partnership that
will boost Spain’s industrial fabric and
digital economy”, said José María Álvarez-
Pallete, chairman and CEO of Telefónica.
“Cloud is one of the key priorities in
Telefónica, as we announced in November,
with the launch of Telefónica Tech, the new
unit to boost the solid growth of digital
services. This global strategic partnership

49 MARCH 2020