2011

SITA and Orange Business Services join forces to build a global cloud computing infrastructure

Brussels – June 22, 2011

Managed cloud infrastructure to deliver secure and highly available cloud computing services to the air transport industry and to multinational enterprises around the globe.

SITA, the air transport industry IT specialist, and Orange Business Services, the leading global integrated communications service provider for businesses, have agreed to jointly build a global, high performance, managed cloud computing infrastructure. Each partner will use this infrastructure to deliver their cloud services portfolio to their markets with added global reach, reliability and minimum latency.  

The cloud computing infrastructure will be based on six seamlessly interconnected Tier III+ and Tier IV data centers in five continents, in Atlanta, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. Each data center will cover their regional hemispheres and will be interconnected via Orange’s high-speed MPLS network. Over this infrastructure, Orange Business Services and SITA will offer their individual portfolio of cloud computing services, encompassing infrastructure as-a-service, platform as-a-service, desktop as-a-service, and software as-a-service. Both Orange Business Services and SITA will continue to own the service relationships with their end customers.

The infrastructure will deliver high performance cloud computing services globally. Network connections between the data centers are secured with premium levels of protection against malicious threats. Highly resilient service is ensured through redundant connections, failover sites, and network-based intelligent re-routing that can transfer traffic around any disruptions, leading to significantly higher performance levels between the data centers. The two companies are aiming to achieve no more than 100 milliseconds of latency when their customers are operating their applications in the cloud.

Rollout of the infrastructure has already started with the data centers of Atlanta, Frankfurt and Singapore being fully operational in Q1 2012 and all six data centers in Q3 2012.

The scope and reliability of this cloud infrastructure speak to the current needs of Orange Business Services’ and SITA’s customers, who are looking for sophisticated cloud computing engagements that can equally cover the global nature of their operations and deliver high performance.

Francesco Violante, chief executive officer, SITA, said: “SITA has a successful 60-year track record of working solely for the air transport community, taking a long-term view and investing for the industry’s future. The globally managed network delivered to our customers as well as our industry knowledge provides the foundation for our investment in the air transport industry (ATI) Cloud. SITA continues to have a successful partnership with Orange Business Services, built on our network business. Cloud computing is a network-centric concept so when we were looking for a partner to build the infrastructure for the ATI Cloud, we knew it would be strategic to partner with a global operator. Orange Business Services was the obvious choice. Sharing the building and operation of the infrastructure brings economies of scale to both companies. Only by working together are we able to bring a fully formed, high-end cloud computing infrastructure that can meet the complex and global requirements of the air transport industry.”

Vivek Badrinath, chief executive officer, Orange Business Services, said: “By working for so many years with SITA, we know that the air transport industry is highly demanding. Therefore partnering on a managed cloud computing infrastructure is real-world proof that Orange Business Services can deliver the same high-performance, high-security cloud services to its multinational customers. The ambition of Orange Business Services is to make it easy for customers to access the IT resources they need by providing a one-stop-shop for a range of cloud computing services. By taking an integrated approach, Orange Business Services can deliver network and IT with end-to-end service level commitments wherever our customers do business. Thanks to this joint infrastructure, we will bring increasingly varied and flexible cloud services to the international market like never before, providing the global reach and the reliability our customers need to catch the promises cloud computing can deliver. It is a key milestone in our ambition on the cloud computing market.”

Today’s strategic agreement between Orange Business Services and SITA builds upon a long-standing relationship between the two companies, aimed at  broadening their respective offerings and establishing innovating communication services for airlines, airports and other participants in the air transport industry.

About Orange Business Services
Orange Business Services, the France Telecom-Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is a leading global integrator of communications solutions for multinational corporations. With the world's largest, seamless network for voice and data, Orange Business Services reaches 220 countries and territories with local support in 166. Offering a comprehensive package of communication services covering cloud computing, enterprise mobility, M2M, security, unified communications, videoconferencing, and broadband, Orange Business Services delivers a best-in-class customer experience across a global landscape. Thousands of enterprise customers and 1.4 million mobile data users rely on an Orange Business Services international platform for communicating and conducting business. Orange Business Services is a four-time winner of Best Global Operator at the World Communication Awards. Learn more at www.orange-business.com

France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 170,000 employees worldwide and sales of 11.2 billion euros in the first quarter 2011. Orange is the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.
 
About SITA
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communications and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry.

SITA’s portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more.

With a customer service team of over 2,000 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.

SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management.

SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for over 500 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.46 billion  in 2010.