Clearstream Services – Operating the Cloud

A Luxembourg-based solution for IT Hosting and Managed Services.
Cloud Computing has been hyped as the “next big thing” and is undoubtedly one of the buzz words of the year.
It seems everyone is talking about the Cloud and there is a proliferation of start-up companies offering Clouds and Cloud Computing.
But what does it actually mean?
 

Source photo : Clearstream Services

Various definitions exist, although in essence it signifies:
– access to software, hardware, data, storage and other services from anywhere in the world
– delivery of such services from data centres anywhere in the world, using shared and client-specific elements
– transparent user access to the different layers
– new and innovative pricing schemes, including “pay as you go” and “on demand”.

More specifically for Clearstream Services it means providing our customers with access to their business applications through our IT Hosting and Managed Services offering. We do this via our powerful IT infrastructure combined with a virtualisation layer, and is a service we have already been offering for several years.  

Our mature suite of IT Hosting and Managed Services solutions stretches from dedicated application Hosting and Managed Services in our world-class data centres through to Application Service Provision (ASP) and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. But we believe outsourcing the infrastructure part alone is not sufficient. In fact, in an ideal world outsourcing models would cover the whole end-to-end outsourcing value chain: infrastructure, functional application and finally business operations.

To demonstrate this belief to our broad range of customers, our proven track record in successfully delivering IT Hosting and Managed Services includes:

– Data Centre Hosting
– Disaster Recovery Planning
– Network Management
– System Management
– Storage Management
– Data Management
– Security
– Full IT Operation
– Application Management
– Service Level Management

Clearstream also offers a variety of connectivity solutions, with extremely high levels of network availability and security, for both virtual private networks and leased line solutions. Moreover, as part of the Deutsche Börse Group, Clearstream offers more than 4,500 connections in 26 countries, enabling the provision of local access points to our backbone network through which our customers avoid the cost of setting up expensive international leased lines. To ensure resilience, and remain competitive, we use a number of network carriers and ISPs.

So how have we managed to achieve this success? Since its foundation in 1970, Clearstream’s highly complex and sophisticated core business has always relied fully on its IT department to develop, implement and run cutting-edge software applications. With around 500 IT specialists in Luxembourg and as a fully-integrated member of Deutsche Börse Group (which is based in Frankfurt), Clearstream Services is extremely well positioned to further develop technology solutions for the financial community.

In 2003, we took the strategic decision to develop our IT Hosting and Managed Services business line for a number of reasons. In particular, we saw a number of shared benefits from our service offering for both our external and internal customers. One year later Clearstream Services was awarded the status of ‘Professionnel du Secteur Financier’ (PSF) from the Luxembourg Ministry of Finance: we also hold the status of “Primary IT systems operator of the financial sector” and “Secondary IT systems and communication networks operator of the financial sector”. These accreditations have allowed us to actively develop our service offering and, as a result, we now run and manage the mission-critical applications of a number of large, international financial institutions. In addition, we also work closely with a number of partners who provide specific applications in order to jointly develop and deliver tailor-made application hosting solutions.

In doing so, we have added value for our customers in the following ways:

– reduced data centre capital expenditure: our customers can take advantage of our existing investments and capacity in our world-class, secure data centres
– reduced IT personnel costs: the hands and eyes of our IT specialists run, operate and monitor our customers’ systems
– 24x7x365 availability: our customers operate in a global environment
– tailored and flexible pricing solutions: we offer fixed and variable pricing solutions to give our customers maximum value for money, whilst lowering their total cost of ownership
– high-level physical and system security with tailored failover and disaster recovery solutions: this gives our customers peace of mind about their systems and the mission critical operations we support
– highly experienced network and connectivity teams: we offer multiple and flexible connectivity solutions, and access to a number of carriers and ISPs
– pre-defined and customised service level agreements: we report our performance to you
– access to a dedicated and multi-lingual service desk.

Throughout our service offering the key theme we strive to achieve with both our customers and partners is a “win-win” offering – we have a passion for finding solutions and delivering value for money, and this is a key reason why so many of our customers and partners continue to work with us. Moreover, we understand that first impressions count. Therefore, our objective is to make a lasting initial impression from one of our dedicated customer relationship managers right though to building a strong and open relationship with our customers and partners – Clearstream Services has differentiated itself by adopting a ‘gentleman-like’ approach in which ethical dealings have pride of place and which is based on “fair” negotiation for both parties, in terms of both legal aspects and also the price offer.

Of course, the quality of the relationship with our customers is mainly driven by our ability to meet their  expectations with regard to service quality, and for us the key to successful relationships include:

– honesty and openness at all times, with no hidden agenda
– helping our customers to understand the cost implications of a decision before the work is done
– having the flexibility, creativity and abilities to adapt to a changing scope and context
– having pride in being there for our customers at times of crisis, and not only at times of opportunity.

Through our experience of IT Hosting and Managed Services from a legal and contractual perspective, we have developed a number of legal templates (such as a standard contract) that are continually enhanced and developed. This enables contractual negotiations to be concluded quickly, thus reducing our customer’s necessary but expensive legal fees. Through the depth of experience of our in-house legal team, Clearstream Services is able to consider a variety of legal frameworks, and this has allowed us to expand our customer base beyond national frontiers.

Of course, we are proud of our Luxembourgish heritage and role in the community, and believe that Luxembourg is well positioned to expand as a European hub for IT and Business Services, especially with its favourable IP (intellectual property) tax regime. Moreover, the infrastructure and services offered in Luxembourg are promoted by Governmental initiatives where innovation is not just a buzz word but is genuinely sponsored and fostered. In terms of human resources, intellectual capital is widely available in the country, just as it is in other major world centres, but in Luxembourg we have the added advantage of short distances. This certainly helps when it comes to building and maintaining personal contacts and networks as events are regularly held in which players from all sectors, be it technology, financial, governmental or regulatory, frequently participate and have the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas about current and future trends.

Of course, in the fast moving world of IT our service offering must not remain static, and we see many exciting opportunities ahead from a variety of perspectives – not only locally but also globally. That is why we will continue to develop and invest in innovative solutions and will continue to actively promote Luxembourg as a dynamic, leading-edge financial and IT centre of excellence; in the heart of Europe.  

To learn more about how Clearstream Services can run and operate your IT services, please contact: Sean Chinnock – Senior Executive, External Business Development.