Adding Intelligence to Internet Services

Virtela is trying to bring some intelligence to how mobile users are given Internet access by routing that SSL-based traffic on its virtual private network (VPN) service to the access point closest to that user, rather than automatically requiring the user to access a specific remote access server they have been assigned to access.

This approach to providing Internet access for remote users, said Ron Haigh, vice president of customer solutions and technology, borrows concepts originally developed for content delivery networks and applies them to a global network of remote access servers managed by Virtela.

As a result, Virtela is now guaranteeing users of its service 100 percent guaranteed availability to its global MPLS network. In a world where most providers of any type of cloud computing services shy away from any type of service level commitments, the Virtela guarantee stands out. As cloud computing matures, the Virtela service is an example of the level of service that customer should come to expect as the providers of cloud computing services continue to build out global networks of services that provide the same level of performance anywhere in the world.

Initial pricing for the Virtela service is $5 per month per user of the service.