Etisalat will leverage Intel's best of breed computing technology to set up a Cloud Computing platform and cloud services catalogue

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2015 - Etisalat, the UAE's leading telecommunications operator, is taking its collaboration with Intel to a new level by joining hands to set up a cloud computing platform, leveraging Intel's technology leadership and expertise in cloud technology. This collaboration will enable Etisalat's corporate customers make better, more informed purchasing decisions and ensure optimal performance for their cloud applications and services.

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) revenue is expected to increase 41 percent annually by 20161. As more companies consider outsourcing their IT services, the technology that powers cloud-based services and applications matters more than ever as it dramatically affects performance and efficiency. Hence, the importance of choosing a quality provider with platform performance, security benefits and capabilities that meet customer needs.

The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the presence of senior executives from both compabies.

Under the agreement, Etisalat will join the Powered by Intel® Cloud Technology program, which enables transparency, improvement in service performance, reliability and security to Etisalat's customers purchasing cloud services. As part of this agreement, Etisalat and Intel will partner to grow cloud catalogue with an innovative set of services that targets several industry verticals. It will enable the telco assist cloud customers to expose and manage their APIs' based on Intel API Management and Exposure platform - Mashery. The two companies will also work on establishing a demonstration environment lab for technology innovation in Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) services.

Salvador Anglada, Chief Business Officer, Etisalat UAE, said, "Etisalat UAE has always been committed to innovation and excellence and our collaboration with leading global players is a testament to that. In partnership with Intel, we look forward to boosting our cloud catalogue based on Intel's state-of-the-art technologies.

"Cloud services and IoT have the potential to transform the way we live our day-to-day lives, and we look at these two initiatives as a starting point on that journey", Anglada added.

With the latest Intel® Xeon® processor E5 family, Etisalat ensures its cloud platform delivers the best performance and security for all its cloud customers. Intel's Cloud Technologies will enable Etisalat to deliver services that provide visibility, control, and compliance in a multi-tenant environment where cloud workloads run on trusted compute pools, enabled by Intel® Trusted Execution Technology [TXT]. It also promotes pervasive encryption by reducing the associated performance penalties based on Intel Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions [AES-NI].

"The partnership with Etisalat on cloud services will enable Etisalat cloud customers to enjoy the performance and security they need which will be optimized by the underlying Intel Architecture. Intel will support Etisalat's efforts to offer amazing services while realizing the scalability, time to market, and cost benefits of Cloud Computing using the same infrastructure that they have within their existing datacenters. We are very excited to be collaborating with Etisalat to offer our technology expertise and benefit from these technologies in the UAE," explained Taha Khalifa, General Manager for North Africa and the Middle East, Intel Corporation.

To learn more about Etisalat, click here.

To learn more about Cloud Solutions from Intel, click here.

About Etisalat:
Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat become one of the world's fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly expanding across Asia and Africa. Its UAE operations, strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables Etisalat to be the major hub in the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast, roaming and corporate data services.

Etisalat has been recognized as "Best Operator" 11 times since 2006 and "Best Wholesale Provider" four times in the last three years. With a footprint in 19 countries, Etisalat continues to reach out to new customers and markets.

1Presented at the IDC Directions 2013 conference, "Cloud Decision Economics: Key Business Value Issues That Will Influence Cloud Purchasing" presentation by Randy Perry, VP, Business Value Strategy, March 2013

For more information, please contact:
Etisalat Media Desk
E: gyoussef@etisalat.ae
T: +9712 618 2877
www.etisalat.com             

Press release issued by Corporate Communication Department - Etisalat

For further media information:
Iyad Al Zou'bi,
Corporate Communications - Etisalat 
Tel +971 2 6182622, Mobile +971 50 6123568
Email mediaoffice@etisalat.ae or ialzoubi@etisalat.ae 

© Press Release 2015