London, 30th March 2021 – Colt Technology Services, a leading provider of global high bandwidth connectivity solutions, and IBM [NYSE:IBM] today announced an extension of their existing partnership to include IBM Cloud Satellite on the Colt edge platform. 

By combining the deployment flexibility of IBM Cloud Satellite with Colt’s edge platform, Colt and IBM’s customers can drive new innovation by gaining the speed, security and performance needed to harness IBM Cloud at the edge. IBM Cloud Satellite enables companies to securely extend IBM Cloud to wherever their workloads are running. Customers will be able to tap into a consistent and secure set of cloud services, such as AI, security and automation, regardless of where their workloads reside – on a public or private cloud, on premises or at the edge.

Colt will collaborate with IBM and build on this foundation to develop low latency dependant customer use cases that leverage AI, 5G and IoT. These use cases will be able to be deployed across Colt’s IQ Network, which is comprised of more than 29,000 on net buildings and 900 data centres, as well as its customer and network edge locations. The deepened partnership between Colt and IBM, coupled with Colt’s on-demand networking and secure SD WAN capabilities will also further progress customers on-going digital transformations.  

Colt has recently committed to further collaboration with Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) as part of its three-year strategy, which will see greater alignment between how Colt rolls out its IQ Network and where enterprises are requiring greater cloud connectivity. 

To further bolster the partnership, Colt will utilise an IBM network services delivery model and IBM Global Business Services, a leading services integrator in the telco industry, to enable continuous integration, delivery and to accelerate the evolution of their Virtual Networking product portfolio. This will ultimately enable seamless delivery of services that will support and de-risk the migration of mission critical applications to the cloud for end customers, another area Colt and IBM are committed to partnering in.

Keri Gilder, Chief Executive Officer at Colt said: “I look forward to elevating our relationship and bringing the best of Colt to IBM and the best of IBM to Colt. This is an opportunity to bring our market-leading connectivity together with IBM’s technology and consultancy to provide our end-users with a superior offering. The combination of Colt’s DCA On Demand offering with IBM’s capabilities means we can jointly transform business critical enterprise applications quicker than ever before, whilst also enabling the next frontier of enterprise IT with 5G and Edge solutions.”

Colt’s cloud services portfolio is underpinned by the Colt IQ Network, which delivers improved performance, enhanced control, flexibility, and scalability to customers, combining industry leading customer service with award-winning innovation. Colt’s fully-owned and operated dense fibre network allows enterprises to benefit from an end-to-end, seamless connection to the cloud.

Steve Canepa, Global GM & Managing Director, IBM Communications Sector, said: “We’re focused on helping Colt transform its enterprise offerings to meet the rapidly evolving needs of today’s customers. By expanding our partnership, we’re helping customers harness open hybrid cloud technologies to gain better deployment flexibility, enhanced security, and access to advanced services that can fuel their innovation, all the way to the edge. Colt’s IQ Network and On Demand portfolio combined with IBM Cloud Satellite, as well as our market-leading capabilities and deep industry expertise, will accelerate digital transformation and business outcomes for Colt and their customers.” 

About Colt

Colt strives to transform the way the world works through the power of connectivity – taking what’s always been in its DNA to enable customers’ success. The Colt IQ Network connects more than 900+ data centres and over 29,000 on net buildings across Europe, Asia and North America’s largest business hubs.

Colt understands today’s shifting connectivity requirements and provides agile, on-demand and secure high bandwidth networking and voice solutions to ensure enterprises can thrive. Customers include data-intensive organisations spanning over 210 cities in more than 30 countries. Colt is a recognised innovator and pioneer in Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV). Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in the sector, and because of this, it’s able to put its customers’ needs at its core. For more information, please visit www.colt.net.

About IBM

IBM is the global leader in hybrid cloud and AI, serving clients in more than 170 countries. More than 2,800 clients use our hybrid cloud platform to accelerate their digital transformation journeys and, in total, more than 30,000 of them have turned to IBM to unlock value from their data — this client list includes nine out of ten of the world’s largest banks. With this foundation, we continue to leverage Red Hat OpenShift as the leading platform to address our clients’ business needs: A hybrid cloud platform that is open, flexible and secure. Guided by principles of trust, transparency and support for a more inclusive society, IBM also is committed to being a responsible steward of technology and a force for good in the world. For more information, visit: www.ibm.com.

IBM Press Contact:
Emma Bennett
IBM UK External Communications
Email: emma.bennett@uk.ibm.com

Colt Press Contact:
Sarah Homewood
Head of PR, Colt Technology Services
Email: sarah.homewood@colt.net