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AT&T NetBond for Cloud connects Google to enterprises
AT&T NetBond for Cloud is the latest member of Google's Partner Interconnect. The AT&T service provides midsize enterprises with private connections of up to 10 Gbps to Google Cloud.
AT&T is providing connections of up to 10 Gbps between small and midsize enterprise data centers and the Google Cloud Platform.
Starting this week, AT&T NetBond for Cloud is available through Google's Partner Interconnect. Other network service providers offering private connectivity to Google Cloud through Partner Interconnect include BT, CenturyLink, Orange and Verizon.
AT&T NetBond for Cloud provides an MPLS-based virtual private network to a cloud provider. The AT&T service makes a public cloud like Google's just an additional network node, according to AT&T.
Besides Google Cloud, NetBond offers private connectivity to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, as well as software-as-a-service providers, including Salesforce and Oracle. AT&T NetBond for Cloud competitors include Level 3's Cloud Connect and Verizon's Secure Cloud Interconnect.
AT&T's new partnership with Google goes beyond cloud networking connectivity. AT&T said it has also made Google's suite of office productivity applications, G Suite, available through AT&T Collaborate, a hosted voice and collaboration service.
"This collaboration with Google Cloud gives businesses access to a full suite of productivity tools and a highly secure, private network connection to the Google Cloud Platform," Roman Pacewicz, the chief product officer for AT&T's business unit, said in a statement.
Connecting to AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
Google has almost two dozen service providers listed as Interconnect partners. Choosing the type of connectivity depends on the applications and workloads running on a company's infrastructure.
Partner Interconnect lets companies with data centers geographically distant from a Google Cloud region or point of presence connect at speeds up to 10 Gbps.
Google offers large enterprises its Dedicated Interconnect service, which provides direct peering between private infrastructure and Google Cloud. Each link can carry up to eight 10 Gbps circuits for a maximum data rate of 80 Gbps.
Partner Interconnect is aimed at small and midsize enterprises that need connections of less than 10 Gbps and lack the network expertise to manage a private cloud connection on their own. For those types of companies, Google's carrier or colocation partner establishes the link and maintains the peering relationship with Google Cloud.
Google rivals AWS and Microsoft Azure offer interconnectivity services comparable to Google's. However, the competitors' products include a more extensive range of connection speeds that start at 50 Mbps.
