Viasat introduces direct cloud connect services

Viasat, a global communications company, announced its plans for a new business internet service known as Viasat Direct Cloud Connect, which will give Viasat customers expanded options for accessing enterprise-grade cloud services.

The Viasat Direct Cloud Connect service is expected to launch in the second half of 2019. It will first offer cloud connection services to Microsoft Azure via Azure ExpressRoute.

As a new Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute partner, Viasat will offer a secure, dedicated network connection to Azure. Azure ExpressRoute creates a high-speed, low-latency, private link between a customer's on-premises infrastructure or colocation facility and Azure cloud regions.

This direct connection ensures Viasat's business customers can reliably take advantage of Azure's integrated cloud services including: computing, database, analytics, networking, storage and more. The private connection also ensures remote facilities remain central to a business's cloud networking plans by ensuring these locations also have consistent access to a dedicated connection to Microsoft Azure cloud services.

"The Viasat Direct Cloud Connect service will enable our business customers to optimize their network infrastructure and cloud investments," said Cody Catalena, vice president and general manager, Global Business Solutions at Viasat.

"We expect that by partnering with Microsoft to enable our customers to connect directly to Microsoft Azure through Viasat's Direct Cloud Connect service, they will gain significant benefits—from maintaining the network performance of their satellite-based business service to extending their data centre capabilities with a scalable cloud-based infrastructure," he added.

"We believe Azure ExpressRoute will open-up a variety of next-generation cloud-based service options for Viasat's business customers, giving them the ability to quickly transfer business-critical cloud data and take advantage of the intelligence of Microsoft's cloud services over a reliable direct network connection," said Ross Ortega, Partner Product Manager, Azure Networking, Microsoft Corp.