Blue Box and Alliance Technology Group to Deliver Managed On-Prem OpenStack Private Cloud

Blue Box, a Seattle-based provider of private cloud as-a-service (PCaaS) to customers worldwide, and Alliance Technology Group (Alliance), a systems integrator and value-added reseller (VAR) specializing in cloud infrastructure, have announced a joint development program (JDP) that will deliver an on-prem version of Blue Box Cloud in the second quarter of 2015. 

The solution is designed to address a growing interest among customers in an OpenStack-powered private cloud solution that runs in their data center or colo (on-prem) but is deployed, configured and managed by a single vendor with significant infrastructure operations experience.

cloud-hostingBlue Box Cloud is a private cloud as-a-service (PCaaS) solution offering the best of both public and private cloud in a fully hosted and managed delivery model. The technology and operations expertise behind Blue Box Cloud will be leveraged for the JDP effort.

While many clients opt for Blue Box’s fully hosted and managed Blue Box Cloud solution, some customers still require that private cloud infrastructure be physically located in data center space they control. This is known as an on-prem (on-premise) solution.

Blue Box recently completed its Series B financing, bringing the total financing of this round to $14 million.

Hardware and Software Stack

The JDP includes development of the core technologies and operating processes needed to reliably and cost effectively execute an on-prem managed private cloud offering. These will include a highly opinionated hardware and software stack configuration designed by Blue Box and optimized by Alliance. Blue Box’s proprietary cloud infrastructure management suite will be used to remotely configure and manage the on-prem solutions.

Blue Box will supply software and operations expertise for the development program, while Alliance will provide supply chain and on-prem expertise, including procurement, racking, stacking, cablings and on-going remote hands.

Data Gravity

The drivers for an on-prem solution include control, performance, security and cost predictability. However, the primary reason why on-prem solutions are attractive to many customers who want agile cloud infrastructure powered by OpenStack is data gravity, a term popularized by David McCrory. It refers to the high costs (in bandwidth and time) required to move large data sets from on-prem to off-prem infrastructure, according to Blue Box.

colocation-usaBecause of data gravity, many of Blue Box’s customers find that it is less expensive and more reliable to move the infrastructure to the data.

These reasons – combined with the substantial engineering expertise required to architect, deploy and operate OpenStack-powered private cloud – led Blue Box and Alliance to combine resources to create a solution targeting customers who want an on-prem, fully managed OpenStack-powered private cloud.

“Our sales and channel teams have had great success with our hosted managed private cloud as a service product. Customer and partner feedback has been great,” said Hernan Alvarez, chief product officer at Blue Box. “Blue Box Cloud delivers what public clouds can’t: data sovereignty and security, governance and compliance, dedicated performance and cost predictability – all without the headaches of managing the underlying cloud infrastructure. Data has gravity and what our new on-prem, managed service will bring is ultimate proximity to the data.”

Early Adopter Program

One deliverable from the JDP between Blue Box and Alliance is an early adopter program (EAP). “The EAP is designed for customers who want to move ahead with on-prem private cloud before their competitors do,” said Ken Cavallon, vice president of partners at Blue Box. “During the second quarter, together with our partner Alliance Technology Group we will announce the launch of the EAP and begin signing up customers to evaluate the product. What we learn from that EAP will help us put the product into general availability by midyear.”

Enterprises and service providers interested in participating in the EAP program can sign up to receive updates and further information by completing the form on this page: https://www.bluebox.net/on-prem-blue-box-cloud-eap.