CenturyLink announces significantly enhanced managed private cloud service

Improved service combines large-scale, interconnected network with VMware Cloud Foundation and HPE server technology for hyper-converged infrastructure

MONROE, Louisiana, Aug. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) today announced enhancements to its private cloud service enabling businesses to run critical business applications with the agility and simplicity of a public cloud while maintaining the predictability, security and performance of dedicated infrastructure. CenturyLink^® DCC (Dedicated Cloud Compute) Foundation, a fully private service based on VMware Cloud Foundation™ and high-performance HPE ProLiant servers, is an updated architecture moving to a converged, software-defined data center model to help businesses overcome challenges of lengthy provisioning, configuration errors and costly processes by automating labor-intensive tasks and operationalizing the promise of private cloud on-demand.

This enhanced dedicated cloud service, available now to customers and partners in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, is built on one of the largest integrated solutions networks in the world and supported by thousands of experienced CenturyLink support staff with advanced certifications.

"With today's digital economy fueling increased demands on IT infrastructure, the latest enhancements to our Dedicated Cloud Compute (DCC) service, based on VMware Cloud Foundation, build on CenturyLink's proficiency in helping enterprises in their digital transformation," said David Shacochis, vice president of Hybrid IT product management, CenturyLink. "The software-defined datacenter approach enables the flexible delivery of enterprise applications connected to our global network across 32 hosting locations on four continents. With this service, businesses can rapidly deploy new workloads and innovations in an easily scalable, highly secure environment."

CenturyLink DCC Foundation is built on VMware Cloud Foundation, an advanced cloud infrastructure platform that accelerates IT's time-to-market by providing a factory-integrated cloud infrastructure stack that is simple to use. VMware Cloud Foundation includes a complete set of software-defined services for compute, storage, networking and security. DCC Foundation combines VMware Cloud Foundation with HPE ProLiant servers and unique automation and management capabilities to deliver an enterprise-grade, globally available service with consistent customer experience across private and public clouds. Integration of DCC Foundation with CenturyLink^® Cloud Application Manager further enhances support of multi-tiered hybrid-cloud configurations.

By implementing DCC Foundation, businesses can lower their total cost of ownership, deliver advanced security and simplify their operations. Software-defined data center technology and hyper-converged infrastructure deliver a single, software-defined infrastructure platform for deployment and management of all data center resources. This includes compute, storage, networks and security built on a powerful API-based, software-defined layer.

DCC Foundation delivers:

• Reduced security risks – Micro-segmentation allows for intelligent security policies to be applied across the data center, with granular firewalling by workload. IT teams can define security policies and controls for each workload based on dynamic security groups, enabling immediate responses to threats inside the data center and enforcement down to the individual virtual machine.
• Flexible deployment options globally – Highly customizable configurations can be deployed across multiple data centers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, with scale options from four nodes to multiple 32-node configurations. Customers can use Managed Services Anywhere from CenturyLink to provide complete application lifecycle management through CenturyLink Cloud Application Manager.
• Agile enterprise applications with hybrid cloud – Organizations can replicate entire application environments to remote data centers for disaster recovery, move them around their corporate data centers, or deploy them into a hybrid cloud environment without disrupting the applications. DCC Foundation leverages vCloud^® Availability to facilitate self-service migration of VMware workloads from customers' present environments to their new CenturyLink environment.
• Predictable performance – DCC Foundation is built on best-of-breed HPE ProLiant servers, helping to ensure predictable, high-performance operations for hyper-converged infrastructures on which to deliver critical business applications.

CenturyLink brings several years of experience as a recognized VMware and HPE solutions partner with accreditations such as:

• VMware Premier Cloud Provider Partner
• VMware Americas and Global Cloud Provider Partner of the Year for 2016
• The 2017 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Global Service Provider of the Year
• 2017 Hewlett Packard Enterprise U.S. Service Provider award winner for Customer Excellence

"The impact of cloud is undeniable, reshaping the way IT operates, the way IT functions as an organization and the role IT plays within the business," said Geoff Waters, vice president, Global Cloud Sales, VMware. "Working with partners such as CenturyLink, VMware's cloud strategy is to help customers run, manage, connect and secure their entire application portfolio across clouds and devices, leveraging a common operating environment. Together we will help our mutual customers drive digital transformation and gain the greatest advantage from cloud computing."

As a partner in the HPE Partner Ready for Service Providers Program, CenturyLink provides HPE customers access to CenturyLink services such as managed hosting, storage, cloud, application services, big data solutions and colocation. These services, offered on HPE infrastructure solutions and technologies, provide compelling value for organizations seeking hybrid IT solutions.

CenturyLink runs one of the world's largest VMware clouds, with more than 100,000 virtual machines under management for enterprise and government clients which deliver critical applications over a global network spanning numerous countries.

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications and IT services company focused on connecting its customers to the power of the digital world. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, big data analytics, managed security services, hosting, cloud, and IT consulting services. The company provides broadband, voice, video, advanced data and managed network services over a robust 265,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 360,000-route-mile international transport network. Visit CenturyLink for more information.

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