Communication in the cloud: Siemens IT Solutions and Services and Microsoft cooperate in hybrid cloud services

Munich / Unterschleissheim, Germany, Microsoft and Siemens IT Solutions and Services are intensifying their successful long-term partnership. Both companies will jointly develop and market hybrid cloud solutions for medium-sized and large companies on the basis of the upcoming Office 365 public cloud package. The hybrid cloud is a mix of public cloud applications and private cloud data center services. Microsoft’s public cloud offering within the scope of the cooperation comprises applications for communication and online collaboration. Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS) enhances these with further applications and IT infrastructures based on a private cloud. SIS makes these available via its data centers in Germany and can thus also serve customers who want to order services locally or who have to order them in Germany due to legal stipulations. SIS also integrates these services into the customer’s existing communication infrastructure and optionally operates them in its data centers. The hybrid cloud scenario opens up new and flexible business models which help companies reduce their costs since, for instance, they require a much smaller in-house IT infrastructure.

The development of joint hybrid cloud solutions by SIS and Microsoft in the scope of the cooperation covers the areas of security, data processing, legal regulations, licensing and technical integration. Siemens IT Solutions and Services provides the cloud services in the respective local data centers to comply, if necessary, with specific legal regulations. In addition, SIS provides all services via an online portal. Customers have a single point of contact for all their needs. By using cloud services, they can reduce their costs significantly because they pay only for the services actually being used.

“Our corporate customers benefit from this strategic partnership with Microsoft. Siemens IT Solutions and Services as an IT service provider with modern data centers and Microsoft as an important supplier of technology offer customers new opportunities to strengthen their competitive position by taking advantage of flexible, dynamic IT solutions,” said Jürgen Müller, Chief Technology Officer of Siemens IT Solutions and Services GmbH.

“With hybrid clouds we help companies in their individual transition to cloud computing. Thanks to our strategic partnership with Siemens IT Solutions and Services, our customers can make even better use of the elasticity, fast scalability, efficiency and cost benefits of the public cloud paired with the advantages of the private cloud such as customization or extended functionality,” explained Ralph Haupter, General Manager Microsoft Germany. “The hybrid offer makes it easy to start using cloud services and supports the acceptance of cloud computing among our customers.”

Office 365 is currently in a closed beta phase and will be commercially available during 2011. The upcoming offer covers the current versions of online services for communication and collaboration: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online, as well the Office Web Apps. These are joined for the first time by the option to lease Office 2010 (Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus) during the contract term for Office 365.

Office 365 is part of the joint “Hybrid Cloud Computing Initiative” of Microsoft and Siemens IT Solutions and Services, which covers the joint ventures regarding Office 365 and the Windows Azure platform. On the basis of this platform, Siemens IT Solutions and Services offers, on the one hand, rapidAID (Application and Information Distribution), a fully cloud-based software distribution service package. On the other, Windows Azure features a model project for the “Modern Government Workplace” in the public sector which can be used, for example, to demonstrate the administrative relocation of a corporate location via cloud services. This solution scenario will be presented for the first time at CeBIT 2011 in Hanover (Hall 9, Booth B54).

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services is a European based premium player providing state-of-the-art IT solutions and delivering outsourcing services with global reach. Within the IT service chain, the portfolio of Siemens IT Solutions and Services ranges from consulting, software deployment and system integration to the comprehensive management of IT infrastructures. Through profound industry know-how and beneficial innovations, the business technologists at Siemens IT Solutions and Services enable customers to transform their business processes on an ongoing basis. With a workforce of more than 32,000 employees Siemens IT Solutions and Services achieved revenues of some 4.2 billion euro in fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30, – over 75 percent of these revenues came from outside of Siemens. Further information at: http://www.siemens.com/it-solutions

Reference Number: SIS201102001e