Orange advances standards in international cloud and virtualization management

Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) membership formalizes standardization activities

Orange Business, the France Telecom-Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is actively working in the cloud management workgroup with the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) to advance international cloud computing and virtualization management standards that will allow more choice for IT customers via interoperability and portability between cloud environments.

DMTF enables more effective management of millions of IT systems worldwide by bringing the IT industry together to collaborate on the development, validation and promotion of systems management standards. The group spans the industry with 160 member companies and organizations, represented by more than 4,000 active participants in 43 countries.

As a member of the DMTF cloud management workgroup, Orange Business will help promote Open Virtual Format (OVF), a current American Standard, to becoming an international standard. In addition, Orange will endorse an ISO certification for the new international virtualization standard.

The second area of focus for Orange Business is on global standardization for a cloud management Application Programming Interface (API). Through its work with DMTF, Orange Business will participate in the creation of an international standard for a cloud management Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) API. In addition, Orange will promote the introduction of functionalities required for Platform as a Service (PaaS) infrastructure needs, such as Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Quality of Service (QoS) management.

“We’re pleased to welcome Orange Business to DMTF and look forward to the contributions they will make to the cloud management workgroup and the promotion of OVF,” said Winston Bumpus, DMTF president. “As a service provider, Orange Business can provide valuable insights to help ensure the standards are robust and provide value to customers.”

Alex Rigaldo, head of cloud services at Orange Business, said:  “The rapid growth of virtual infrastructure needs for our cloud services has driven the requirement for a standard management solution. Many technical solutions are available; therefore, Orange Business looks forward to working with DMTF and other initiatives in order to establish a standard cloud management interface to enable the shift from a technology-centric to a usage-driven IT approach.”

Orange Business has confirmed its cloud computing ambition and strategy as part of the Orange conquests 2015 program. Cloud computing is one of the key growth drivers defined by Orange Business in line with its five-year plan and the company aims to generate 500 million euros on cloud computing in 2015.

The ambition of Orange Business 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 can deliver network and IT with end-to-end service level commitments.

About Orange Business
Orange Business, 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 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 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 international platform for communicating and conducting business. Orange Business 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 169,000 employees worldwide, and sales of 45.5 billion euros in 2010. 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.