Intel to Launch Data Center Hosting Business in Japan
September 13, 2000 (TOKYO) -- Intel KK is gearing up for the launch a new hosting business, AppChoice Managed Hosting Service, in October 2000.
Offered via Intel's own data center, the service will rent use of its servers to corporate clients and will also provide all the software -- networking, operating system, and middleware -- necessary for building the basis of business computer systems.
In addition, there will be an option available that will make use of special system management tools developed by the parent company, U.S.-based Intel Corp., which can assure that a client firm's system always remains highly operational and in tip-top condition.
For the launch of the service, PC servers from Dell Computer KK will be set up in Intel's data center. The plan is that individual servers will not be shared among several client firms, but that each firm will rent and have sole use of its own equipment within the data center.
Intel's hosting service will also provide verification for applications running on such software as Windows NT, the Oracle 8i database management system, and Apache. Also, if requested by client firms, the service will be offered in a UNIX platform of Sun Microsystems's SPARC and Solaris.
This combination of hardware and software will allow Intel to build business systems for clients that will form the basic core of their corporate computer networks. Application software is, in the main part, to be provided by the client company itself, although Intel will be responsible for maintenance of the whole system, including the smooth running of that application software.
By offering corporate clients a common base on which to construct their systems, right up to the middleware stage, Intel will be able to improve the usability and quality of its service, while at the same time being able to reduce the service's overall operating costs.
In addition to the already-mentioned features, the service will offer a network management system called Integrated Monitoring and Response System, which comprises both management tools and user support. This system constantly monitors the status of the client's system -- its hardware, network, and applications -- and provides the client with updates regarding the system's operation and any faults that have been detected. The client can also choose, as an option, to sign up for a special licensing agreement for a higher level of guaranteed service quality that will assure even prompter troubleshooting of problems.
The Intel group as a whole has earmarked US$1 billion for investing in the setting up of data centers around the world up to 2001, with seven centers already completed or in the planning stages. The same Managed Hosting Service as the one to be made available in Japan next month was put into commercial operation in the United States and the United Kingdom markets back in July.
Because of the fact that all the data centers, regardless of region, will be offering the same basic package of services, multinational corporations will be the primary target group. In Japan, Intel is said to already be in negotiations with some potential clients, including NEC Corp., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., and the U.S.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers Group.
Intel's data center in Tokyo has been in operation since June, offering a co-location hosting service in which the servers installed in the center are brought there by the client businesses. However, from now onwards running the new managed hosting service will likely become the data center's main activity.
Related story: Intel KK Begins Data Center Services In Japan
(BizTech News Dept.) |
