Dallas, Texas, November 15, 2011 – We’ve all done it at some point. You’re at work, doing the same-old-same-old, and thinking certain processes could probably be made easier and simpler through technology. Now you can build a cloud-based app for that – without having to write a single line of code – and make it accessible from any device, all at the click of a mouse.
AT&T* Platform as a Service (PaaS) allows any business professional to build, develop and deploy cloud-based business apps without the need for complex coding expertise, while also providing a robust platform for true developers.
“AT&T Platform as a Service is like rocket fuel for developing cloud apps,” said Steve Caniano, Vice President, Hosting and Cloud Services, AT&T Business Solutions. “This is another step in our commitment to helping businesses deliver cloud-based solutions, and we are unique in our ability to surround the ease of use of Platform as a Service with the flexibility, reliability and security of the AT&T global network.”
With the announcement, AT&T becomes the only telecommunications service provider to offer truly enterprise-grade Platform as a Service capabilities in the U.S., pursuing a piece of the cloud computing market that independent research firm Forrester Research Inc. estimates will grow from $0.8 billion this year to $12.15 billion by 2018**.
Key Features of AT&T Platform as a Service:
- A complete cloud-based development and deployment platform
- Web tools and customizable templates for software development, including a library of 50 pre-built apps which can be customized or used as-is
- A high-performance, redundant and scalable infrastructure to run online applications and databases
- Development tools to mobilize applications
- Integrated social networking features
- 7x24x365 infrastructure monitoring, management and support
- A monthly per-user fee for access to AT&T Platform as a Service applications.
Independent software vendors, corporate line-of-business leaders and information technology departments are typical customers for platform as a service capabilities. AT&T Platform as a Service offers many benefits to application developers:
- Line of business managers can easily create new enterprise-grade applications, distribute, and manage them across an entire user base without causing application slow-down or downtime
- Independent software vendors can accelerate the time-to-market of their apps
- Enterprise developers can consolidate many back-office applications onto a single, fully-managed, secure environment that allows them to be accessible by PCs or mobile devices.
“We’ve been able to radically accelerate our app development and delivery using AT&T Platform as a Service,” said Juan Perez, CEO, ekeepo, an independent software company specializing in delivering cloud apps for businesses.
AT&T’s Platform as a Service capability is integrated with AT&T’s network-based cloud to offer a complete enterprise-grade package, allowing application developers to build business apps that can take advantage of the scale, performance, capacity, security and reliability of the AT&T global network.
Built with ease of use in mind, AT&T PaaS is based on LongJump’s cloud technology platform, which has been recognized by Forrester Research in its evaluations of Platform as a Service providers***. The AT&T solution is billed monthly on a per-user basis, and being cloud-based means it can scale up or down depending on demand – and be billed accordingly.
“Platforms for application development and deployment are usually either highly productive and narrow in scope, or challenging to use but able to address complex activities,” said Stephen D. Hendrick, Group Vice President for application development and deployment research at IDC. “Vendors that can provide the best of both worlds, by combining comprehensive enterprise class application development capabilities, simplified management & lifecycle support, and a secure reliable network will find success in the market. AT&T appears well positioned to address these emerging Platform as a Service needs.”
AT&T plans to make it easy for developers to use its application programming interfaces (APIs) through this offer, allowing them to further innovate with AT&T technologies.
