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1、 FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS Telcos are balancing investments in cloud to modernise technology and agility,while ensuring security and low costs.Despite increasingly shifting to public cloud,they should not neglect their internal private cloud as it will play a critical role in future o

2、perations.This report benchmarks the maturity of telcos internal cloud platforms and provides recommendations to enhance the experience of internal customers.In collaboration with:Henry Osborne,Senior Consultant|December 2024 Gabija Cepurnaite,Consultant I FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DE

3、CEMBER 2024 STL Partners 2 Executive Summary As part of their broader digital transformation efforts,telecom operators are increasingly moving workloads and investing in cloud infrastructure to support their internal applications.By adopting cloud technologies,operators aim to enhance their operatio

4、nal efficiency,scalability,and flexibility,enabling them to respond more effectively to market demands and technological advancements.Although there has been a shift to public cloud,private cloud environments remain essential areas of investment as they are the ideal environment for any applications

5、 that require high security and compliance.We have benchmarked nine leading operators who are all at varying levels of maturity with their internal cloud platform and roadmap(See Figure 1).Telcos internal clouds span from neglected,manual environments to highly automated platforms where they have de

6、veloped a full future roadmap to achieve true operational excellence.Figure 1:Overall scores from STLs internal cloud benchmarking index Source:STL Partners,2024 Internal cloud benchmarking programme,n=9 Key recommendations for telcos Telcos should focus on the following four key recommendations wit

7、h developing their internal IT cloud strategy and roadmap:1.Do not neglect your internal private cloud as it will play a critical role in future operations:Many telcos are adopting a hybrid cloud strategy with a public cloud-first mindset,often leading to a decline in private cloud investment.Howeve

8、r,as public cloud costs continue to rise,telcos may increasingly turn to cloud repatriation,with internal private clouds emerging as a more cost-effective alternative.Moreover,certain workloads,such as sensitive customer data,will always require private cloud storage,underscoring the ongoing need fo

9、r robust 2.63.12.83.03.73.53.33.7Strategic valueCloud performanceCustomer experienceOperational excellenceOverall benchmarking scores Indutsry averageBest in classFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 3 internal cloud platforms.To remain competitive,operators must prior

10、itise a balanced cloud strategy,ensuring continued investment in internal private cloud operations to avoid falling behind the curve when they are forced to repatriate their workloads.2.Develop a cohesive internal cloud roadmap that dynamically supports evolving business objectives:Operators must es

11、tablish a well-defined roadmap that aligns with long-term business objectives,anticipates future needs,and positions their cloud infrastructure to support emerging technologies.This roadmap should include regular feedback loops between IT teams and business units,enabling adjustments as priorities o

12、r market conditions evolve.By fostering collaboration across departments,telcos can develop platform roadmaps that seek input from various perspectives,ensuring cloud infrastructure and software decisions are informed by a comprehensive understanding of their impact on broader business goals.3.Treat

13、 internal stakeholders with the same focus as external customers to improve satisfaction and platform usability:Telcos must look to enhance the user experience of their internal platforms and prioritise treating internal customers with the same rigor and care as external ones.Adopting a customer-cen

14、tric approach across the entire resource management processspanning resource requests,infrastructure scaling,and monitoring and reportingis essential.This shift requires replacing manual,outdated processes with automated,user-friendly,and proactive systems.For instance,by collecting detailed feedbac

15、k,streamlining resource provisioning,and enabling real-time project monitoring,telcos can significantly improve internal customer satisfaction.4.Progress towards AIOps across full lifecycle:Operators need to adopt an AI first mindset,embedding these technologies across the whole lifecycle of their i

16、nternal cloud operations.Telcos are still an early stage of adopting AI but there are already examples of how it is improving utilisation and predicting future infrastructure needs.To stay ahead of the curve,operators must embrace AIOps not only for Day 1 operations but also extend its application t

17、o Day 2 activities and beyond.For instance,leveraging AIOps in Day 2 operationssuch as maintenance,monitoring,and issue resolutionallows telcos to proactively manage infrastructure,enhance service reliability,and maximize operational efficiency FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024

18、STL Partners 4 Table of Contents Executive Summary.2 Key recommendations for telcos.2 Table of Contents.4 Foreword.7 Introduction.9 Hybrid cloud:the dominant strategy for operators.9 Hybrid strategies should seek to improve the private cloud.10 Internal cloud benchmarking index scores.11 Telcos inte

19、rnal clouds span from neglected,manual environments to highly automated platforms.11 stc ranks first in our internal cloud benchmarking index.11 1.Strategic value.13 Overall recommendation:Do not neglect your internal private cloud as it will play a critical role in future operations.13 Spiralling c

20、osts may force telcos to(partially)return to private cloud.13 Private cloud investment will provide dividends in the future.14 2.Cloud performance.15 Overall recommendation:Telcos should align their internal cloud development roadmap more systematically with business needs.15 Telcos are prioritising

21、 security and disaster resilience.15 Infrastructure diversity is essential for evolving workloads.16 Future-proofing the platform requires alignment between teams.17 3.Customer experience.19 Overall recommendation:Treat your internal customers as if they were external customers to enhance the user e

22、xperience.19 Enable real-time customer-centric visibility.20 Improve ordering process for new and existing projects.20 Capture more comprehensive user feedback.21 FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 5 4.Operational excellence.22 Overall recommendation:Telcos should st

23、art to actively leverage AIOps to optimise infrastructure usage.22 Telcos are less advanced in automating Day 1 Operations.22 Adopting AIOps across full lifecycle ensures future operational excellence.23 Conclusion.24 Appendix.25 FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 6

24、Table of Figures Figure 1:Overall scores from STLs internal cloud benchmarking index.2 Figure 2:Overview of stc.7 Figure 3:Research programme focuses on telcos private cloud,supporting internal IT applications 7 Figure 4:STL Partners internal IT cloud benchmarking framework.8 Figure 5:Operators are

25、using both private and public cloud environments.10 Figure 6:Overall scores from STLs internal cloud benchmarking index.11 Figure 7:Overall scores from STLs benchmarking index,broken down by operator.12 Figure 8:Strategic value represented the lowest scoring category for telcos.13 Figure 9:Key reaso

26、ns operators are looking to shift away from public cloud services.14 Figure 10:Cloud performance varies significantly between operators.15 Figure 11:Containers offer several advantages over VMs.17 Figure 12:Customer experience category saw the lowest best in class score.19 Figure 13:Key improvements

27、 for users ability to monitor projects and resource consumption.20 Figure 14:The leading operator scored significantly above average.22 Figure 15:Operators should embed AI across all elements of the internal IT cloud platform.23 FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 7 F

28、oreword STL Partners has undertaken a comprehensive research programme to assess the maturity of telecom operators internal IT cloud platforms across three key regions:Europe,North America,and Asia(including the Middle East).All operators that participated in the study have been anonymised except fo

29、r stc,who was the sponsor of this research programme(Figure 2).Figure 2:Overview of stc Source:Telegeography This research focused specifically on the private cloud infrastructure that supports operators internal IT applications,such as Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP)systems,Customer Relationship

30、Management(CRM)tools,billing systems,and data analytics platforms.It excludes public cloud platforms and non-internal IT workloads,such as network functions(see Figure 3).Figure 3:Research programme focuses on telcos private cloud,supporting internal IT applications Source:STL Partners Internal IT c

31、loud platformType of application Type of cloud PublicPrivateInternal ITOther(works/telco cloud,customer/external services)Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaHeadquarters2(stc Bahrain and stc Kuwait)OpCosFixed and mobile telecommunications networks,systems,and infrastructureServices22,751Number of employe

32、esUSD 19.3 billion(2023)Group annual revenueFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 8 Private cloud provides telcos with a controlled,secure and customisable environment,tailored to the unique requirements of their internal workflows,applications and security needs.As par

33、t of this research,STL developed a detailed IT cloud benchmarking framework(Figure 4)to measure the maturity and effectiveness of telcos internal cloud strategies,consisting of fourteen metrics(please see appendix for full description of metrics)organised into four primary categories:1.Strategic val

34、ue:alignment of IT cloud strategy with the overall business objectives 2.Cloud performance:efficiency and scalability of the internal IT cloud infrastructure 3.Customer experience:customer satisfaction with the internal cloud platform 4.Operational excellence:effectiveness of the internal processes

35、and resource management Figure 4:STL Partners internal IT cloud benchmarking framework Source:STL Partners STL Partners then benchmarked all nine operators by conducting a survey,followed by a 1-hour in-depth interviews to explore and refine their responses further.Each operators capabilities were s

36、cored across the fourteen metrics using a scale of 1 to 4,with weighting applied to prioritise the more important metrics.Strategic valueCloud performanceCustomer experienceOperational excellenceIT cloud value and alignmentsBusiness perceived value and alignmentAdoption governanceNumber of applicati

37、ons using IT cloud vs.other platformsSecurity and complianceMaturity of security measuresBusiness continuityDefined RPOs and RTOsInfrastructure diversity and configurabilityHardware availability and progress of containerisationFuture-ready platformPlatforms ability to support new technologies and ad

38、apt to future use casesOrders and requestsAvailability of self-service capabilitiesOperational visibilityLevel of infrastructure visibility and customer-centric UITraining and documentationAvailability of user manualsCustomer supportAvailability of customer supportCustomer satisfactionMeasurement of

39、 user satisfactionInfrastructure lifecycle managementScaling capacity and day 2 infrastructure lifecycle managementInitial deployment timeTime to provision new VM and%ofdeployments that are fully automated Operating modelDegree of operational siloes and use of agile methodologiesFUTURE-PROOFING TELC

40、OS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 9 Introduction In the past decade,telecoms operators have been investing in transforming to more digital businesses.The driving objectives have been to become more adaptable,to grow revenues successfully and to operate more efficiently.Central to this

41、transformation has been the adoption of cloud technologies and migrating applications to the cloud.This move to the cloud has historically been driven by multiple factors,including the need for scalability,flexibility and the ability to innovate quickly in a fast-evolving market.Hybrid cloud:the dom

42、inant strategy for operators As telecom operators increasingly migrate their internal applications to the cloud,hybrid cloud strategies have emerged as the preferred approach.This strategy enables telecom operators to move and balance their workloads between public and private clouds based on the sp

43、ecific needs of each application.Public cloud providers,such as Amazon Web Services(AWS),Microsoft Azure,and Google Cloud,offer significant benefits in terms of scalability and flexibility,whilst private cloud environments deliver greater control and security.These are critical considerations for op

44、erators in managing sensitive data and adhering to local regulation.However,while telcos are pursuing hybrid cloud strategies,their workloads are not evenly distributed across private and public cloud environments.Within our research programme,80%of the telcos we interviewed were adopting a hybrid c

45、loud strategy with a public cloud-first mindset.The preference for public cloud environments is primarily driven by scalability,allowing telcos to easily spin up new environments or scale resources for testing,development,and deployment.This ensures that telcos can handle fluctuating workloads witho

46、ut overcommitting to physical infrastructure.Consequently,telcos are increasingly moving key internal applications,such as data analytics,AI,and content delivery to public cloud platforms.Despite the growing use of public cloud,telcos are continuing to use their internal private cloud for any applic

47、ations that require high security and compliance.Examples include mission critical applications and workloads involving sensitive customer data(See Figure 5).Additionally,legacy applications that are tightly integrated with“Legacy applications,such as financial CRM systems,vendor management tools al

48、ongside sensitive customer data are stored on our private cloud which accounts for around 25-30%of our total workloads with the rest stored on public”-Director,Cloud services,European operator“We are pursuing a hybrid cloud strategy,although public cloud is the default option.We have a checklist to

49、determine if private cloud is really needed although we are trying to migrate most of our applications to public.”-Senior Director IT,North American operator FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 10 on-premises infrastructure or require specific hardware configurations

50、often remain on private cloud platforms to avoid costly and complex migrations to public cloud.Figure 5:Operators are using both private and public cloud environments Source:STL Partners Hybrid strategies should seek to improve the private cloud Despite the increased focus on migrating workloads to

51、the public cloud,operators still need to look internally and ensure they are still investing within their internal cloud platform.Operators will always store sensitive workloads,such as customer data,regulatory compliance records,and proprietary operational information,on their internal cloud platfo

52、rms to ensure data security,compliance,and control.By combining the strengths of both public and private clouds,telcos can create an infrastructure environment that not only supports scalability and innovation but also ensures compliance with stringent regulatory and security requirements.Operators

53、are at different stages of maturity when it comes to investing and driving operational improvements on their internal cloud platform.Within this report,we benchmark nine telcos relative position against one other,alongside detailing key recommendations for operators to advance their internal cloud p

54、latforms to better serve their internal customers in the future.STL Partners|Proprietary and Confidential3Data analyticsAI/MLCRME-commerce platformsFinancial data HRSubscriber data(sensitive)Legacy applicationsHybrid cloudWorkloads/applicationsWorkloads/applicationsFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT

55、CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 11 Internal cloud benchmarking index scores Telcos internal clouds span from neglected,manual environments to highly automated platforms Telcos are at varying levels of maturity with their internal cloud platform and roadmap,reflecting differences in investment prio

56、rities,technological capabilities,and overall strategic goals.For instance,the overall score for the best in class operator was 3.4,compared to the lowest scoring operator of 2.3(see Figure 6).The lowest scoring operator on our index is relying on outdated,manual processes while deprioritising priva

57、te cloud investments.In comparison best practice would result in an operator adopting a customer-centric,AI-driven approach,emphasising automation,scalability,and collaboration between IT and business units to ensure optimal efficiency and alignment with long-term goals.Figure 6:Overall scores from

58、STLs internal cloud benchmarking index Source:STL Partners,2024 Internal cloud benchmarking programme,n=9 stc ranks first in our internal cloud benchmarking index Of the nine telecom operators we benchmarked,stc came 1st overall on our internal cloud benchmarking index.It achieved the highest overal

59、l score of 3.4,which was over a point higher than the lowest score from Operator 8(see Figure 7).stcs performance is partly driven by impressive results in the strategic value and cloud performance categories where it was recognised as the best in class operator.It is clear that stc has heavily inve

60、sted in its internal cloud platform,ensuring alignment with its overall organisational goals while delivering an optimal customer experience for their internal users.Alongside stc,there were an additional four operators who had an overall score above 3,demonstrating that other operators are also inv

61、esting in their internal clouds.2.63.12.83.03.73.53.33.7Strategic valueCloud performanceCustomer experienceOperational excellenceOverall benchmarking scores Industry averageBest in classFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 12 Figure 7:Overall scores from STLs benchmark

62、ing index,broken down by operator Source:STL Partners,2024 Internal cloud benchmarking programme By mapping the maturity of telcos to each other,we hope to provide them with a roadmap for their own internal cloud journey based off the learning and successes of others.There was no operator that achie

63、ved a maximum score in any of the four benchmarking categories,demonstrating scope for improvement for all telcos.This report will provide a deep dive into each benchmarking category in turn and key recommendations for operators to improve their internal cloud operations.2.342.392.582.92.983.023.023

64、.283.36Operator 8-EUROperator 7-MENAOperator 6-APACOperator 5-EUROperator 4-EUROperator 3-NAMOperator 2-APACOpeator 1-NAMstcOverall benchmarking score by operatorFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 13 1.Strategic value Overall recommendation:Do not neglect your intern

65、al private cloud as it will play a critical role in future operations The majority of telcos are pursuing a hybrid cloud strategy with a public cloud first mindset and are de-prioritising private cloud investments.This trend is evident in the benchmarking results,where most operators do not foresee

66、significant investments in private cloud infrastructure in the near term(see Figure 8).One notable exception is stc,who stands out as the best in class operator within this category,achieving a score of 3.7,over a full point above the average of its peers.stc has taken an extremely proactive approac

67、h to investing in its internal cloud platform,seeing it is a priority for driving overall business growth.This is largely due to the fact that local regulation and lack of hyperscaler presence in Saudi Arabia does inhibit use of public cloud.By contrast,most telcos scored low in this category,reflec

68、ting their predominant focus on public cloud initiatives while neglecting their private cloud infrastructure.The majority of telcos are not aligning their decisions in private cloud with their business needs as they are aware their public cloud costs are spiralling but have not channelled investment

69、 within their private cloud.Figure 8:Strategic value represented the lowest scoring category for telcos Source:STL Partners,2024 Internal cloud benchmarking programme,n=9 Spiralling costs may force telcos to(partially)return to private cloud Across the industry,there is increasing evidence of a grow

70、ing trend of cloud repatriation,i.e.,companies moving their data and workloads from the public cloud and back into a private cloud environment,due to cost and security concerns.This trend has already been happening within non-telco enterprises in recent years.“Investment in on-premises cloud solutio

71、ns is not a priority for now although likely to invest in future if cost or regulatory pressures grow”-Cloud engineer,European operator 1.72.63.7Lowest scoreAverageBest in classRanking score:Strategic valueFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 14 For instance,STL Partne

72、rs ran a recent survey with 200 enterprises in 2024 that showed that 90%of enterprises have experienced rising cloud costs in the last two years and are expecting to migrate workloads back to private cloud or on-premises to combat rising costs.We are expecting to see telcos follow this pattern in th

73、e next couple of years and be forced to embrace public cloud repatriation for their internal applications.Interviewees noted a number of key reasons for this(See Figure 9),with the biggest driver related to spiralling public cloud costs.Cost considerations are at the forefront.Many operators noted t

74、hat,beyond a certain scale,the expenses of public cloud services can exceed those on private cloud,particularly for predictable,high-volume workloads.Figure 9:Key reasons operators are looking to shift away from public cloud services Source:STL Partners Private cloud investment will provide dividend

75、s in the future With telcos forced to embrace cloud repatriation,those such as stc,who are currently investing in their private cloud now,will be better positioned for the future.All operators should therefore not neglect investment in their private cloud operations but ensure a balanced cloud strat

76、egy as otherwise they will fall behind the curve when they are eventually forced to migrate back workloads.STL Partners|Proprietary and Confidential6More stringent security requirementsSpiralling cloud costs and budget constraintsGrowing demand for controland customisationCloud providers use complex

77、 pricing models which can lead to unpredictable expenses for operators as they increase their cloud,making it unfeasible to continue using public cloud.Public cloud can limit the ability for telcos to customise their infrastructure to meet specific operational needs.By repatriating workloads,operato

78、rs can regain control over hardware choices,network configurations,and data management policies.Repatriating workloads gives operators more control over security measures,enabling them to enforce strict access controls,monitor activity closely,and customize security protocols in line with their regu

79、latory obligations.“Realistically we may move back to on-premises as public is not economical.Complex and unpredictable costs will prevent us from using public cloud long-term”-Senior Director IT,North American operator FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 15 2.Cloud p

80、erformance Overall recommendation:Telcos should align their internal cloud development roadmap more systematically with business needs Cloud performance varied significantly across telecoms operators,with a gap of 1.4 points between the best and lowest-scoring operator(See Figure 10).stc was the lea

81、ding telco within the cloud performance category,achieving a score of 3.5,which was well above the industry average of 3.1.Operators can learn from the highest scoring telcos in this category who are employing various strategies to optimise their cloud performance,focusing particularly on security,i

82、nfrastructure diversity,and clarity over their future roadmap.Figure 10:Cloud performance varies significantly between operators Source:STL internal IT cloud benchmarking survey,2024.N=9 Telcos are prioritising security and disaster resilience Security is a cornerstone of internal cloud performance,

83、and recent security breaches by leading telcos have highlighted the importance of robust security measures.In 2022,the Australian telecoms operator,Optus,experienced a major cyber-attack,which compromised the personal data of 10 million customers.1 Similarly,Telstra(also an Australian telecoms opera

84、tor)revealed that an internal error led to the disclosure of customer details affecting 132,000 accounts.2 These are just examples of some of the incidents that have incentivised operators to prioritise improving their security and disaster recovery measures.It is the pinnacle of any internal cloud

85、platforms,given that a primary reason to host in the private environment,as opposed to public cloud,is to secure sensitive applications and data.1 Optus:How a massive data breach has exposed Australia 2 An Error Leads to Data Leak,132,000 Telstra Subscribers at Risk 2.13.13.5Lowest scoreAverageBest

86、in classRanking score:Cloud performanceFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 16 To improve security further,operators can leverage artificial intelligence for IT operations(AIOps).AIOps tools can monitor cloud environments and identify and mitigate unusual patterns or a

87、nomalies that may indicate potential threats.This proactive approach will allow telcos to detect potential threats and spot suspicious patterns much more effectively.Eventually,this will also lead to the ability to respond to threats quicker in the future,even before they escalate into full-scale at

88、tacks.Among all cloud performance metrics,the highest average score(3.33)was achieved for having well-defined Recovery Point Objectives(RPOs)and Recovery Time Objectives(RTOs).RPOs and RTOs serve as critical benchmarks in disaster recovery planning,specifying the acceptable level of data loss and th

89、e target time for service restoration after disruptions.Most operators have clearly defined these objectives,with platforms capable of meeting the associated requirements.However,operators should focus on having periodic reviews to ensure these targets remain relevant as systems evolve.Operator 6(AP

90、AC)showcased best practice for periodic RPOs and RTOs reviews by conducting comprehensive disaster recovery drills every six months.These drills simulate real-world scenarios such as data breaches to test and refine their RPO and RTO strategies.By emulating real threats,the operator ensures that its

91、 cloud infrastructure is prepared to handle breaches effectively,safeguarding business continuity and customer trust.Infrastructure diversity is essential for evolving workloads Another area to focus on is the diversification and configurability of telcos IT cloud infrastructure(hardware and softwar

92、e).Leading telcos are increasingly adopting containers for their workloads,with some already having migrated 6075%of their applications to containerised environments.Containers offer several advantages over traditional virtual machines(VMs)(see Figure 11).While VMs provide complete isolation and rob

93、ust security,containers are lightweight,making them faster to deploy and modify.“Every 6 months we do a disaster recovery drill where we emulate a real data breach and try to recover the data.We use the data from this drill to define our RTOs and RPOs.”-Cloud solutions lead,Asian operator FUTURE-PRO

94、OFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 17 Figure 11:Containers offer several advantages over VMs Source:STL Partners Despite this progress,many operators still lag behind,with only a small proportion of their applications deployed on containers.Additionally,while most telcos posse

95、ss sufficient hardware to meet todays standard workloads,they often lack access to advanced infrastructure,such as graphics processing units(GPUs)or specialised silicon,which are essential for supporting AI-driven workloads and other emerging technologies.As AI and data analytics become increasingly

96、 important,telcos need to focus on how best to access the right infrastructure to support these workloads.There are cost and time effective options for securing infrastructure for AI,which do not necessarily require significant investments in new servers.For example,some workloads may run on general

97、 CPU infrastructure,or some hardware can be upgraded to GPUs by adding GPU cards in the existing servers.Future-proofing the platform requires alignment between teams Although optimising cloud performance remains a priority,many operators face challenges in ensuring their platforms are adaptable to

98、future needs.The lowest average score within this category(2.88)was recorded in the metric relating to operators having a clear and dynamic roadmap for platform evolution.While some telcos have outlined roadmaps for integrating new technologies and addressing future use cases,these plans are often n

99、ot comprehensive and dynamic.Changes to platforms can be difficult to implement due to misalignment between IT teams and the end-users i.e.business units(BUs).Containers are more lightweight than VMsContainers share the host OS,leading to lower resource consumption and faster performance.Containers

100、require fewer IT resources to deploy,run,and manageWith no need for a full OS per container,they reduce memory and CPU use,making management more efficient.Containers spin up in millisecondsContainers do not require an OS boot-up,allowing almost instant start times,ideal for rapid scaling.A single s

101、ystem can host many more containers as compared to VMsContainers lightweight nature allows higher density on the same hardware,reducing infrastructure costs.FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 18 For cloud environments to effectively support future operational goals,o

102、perators need to bridge the gap between IT teams and different BUs,ensuring cloud initiatives align closely with broader business objectives.Telcos should focus on establishing open,consistent communication channels between IT teams and other business units.For instance,Operator 6(APAC)holds regular

103、 feedback sessions between their IT teams and BUs to align on platform improvements and assess effectiveness of changes.By involving multiple stakeholders in decision-making,operators can ensure their cloud infrastructure and hardware investments align with long-term goals.“We consistently host work

104、shops with BUs to assess current IT state,pain points to align on overall cloud strategy.”-Cloud solutions lead,Asian operator FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 19 3.Customer experience Overall recommendation:Treat your internal customers as if they were external cu

105、stomers to enhance the user experience Performance within the customer experience category varied significantly between telcos with a 1.4-point difference between the highest and lowest scoring operator(see Figure 12).This category also recorded the lowest best in class score compared to other areas

106、,underscoring it as the domain most in need of substantial investment.Whilst some telcos have made efforts to enhance their customer experience by automating processes and enabling a single click type experience,the majority of operators in our study continue to rely on manual processes.These outdat

107、ed processes are not only slow but also cumbersome,creating inefficiencies and tension between infrastructure teams and application owners or other users.Figure 12:Customer experience category saw the lowest best in class score Source:STL Partners,2024 Internal cloud benchmarking programme,n=9 1.92.

108、83.3LowestscoreAverageBest inclassAverage ranking score:Customer experience category“Some of the processes are very manual on our cloud platform which slows things down and doesnt create the best customer experience”-Senior Director IT,North American operator FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS

109、|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 20 Enable real-time customer-centric visibility Figure 13:Key improvements for users ability to monitor projects and resource consumption Source:STL Partners Telcos should also focus on improving users ability to monitor projects and resource consumption with more granula

110、r,real-time insights.Lack of operational visibility alongside manual processes for resourcing management can lead to 30%of cloud spend going to waste.3 Telcos need to implement dashboards that provide internal users with detailed visibility into project performance,helping them quickly identify if a

111、 project is exceeding its budget or approaching storage limits.As part of this they should enable users to be able to tag resources to specific projects or applications which will then enable internal customers to track usage and undertake analytics across different segment.By offering these advance

112、d monitoring tools,operators can empower teams to take immediate corrective actions and better manage resources,reducing the risk of project delays or cost overruns.Alongside this,Figure 13Figure 13 outlines other key improvements for operators to make to enable effective real time resource manageme

113、nt.Improve ordering process for new and existing projects Many telcos cloud platforms still rely on manual processes for ordering,scaling,and approving infrastructure requests.For example,the order and requests capability in this category received the lowest average score(2.56).To combat this,telcos

114、 can look to offer pre-configured templates for typical resource configurations with one-click ordering,to reduce the time spent customising each option.3 Service NOW:IT service management “It can take up to thirty minutes or longer to fill out a form to order a VM as you have to write a full detail

115、ed description with purpose of the request and whole process is very manual and time intensive”-Senior Technology Strategy Manager,European operator STL Partners|Proprietary and Confidential9Automated usage alerts for all applicationsSegmentation at project and application levelReal-time customisabl

116、e dashboardsEnable users to tag resources to specific projects or applications which will enable internal customers to track usage and undertake analytics across different segmentsEnsure dashboards that allow filtering by project,application level etc.and displays real-time usage metrics,infrastruct

117、ure health,historical trends and forecasts based on current consumption patternsSet alerts that notify internal users when resource consumption for a specific project or application reaches a predefined threshold for proactive management of resourcesFUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER

118、2024 STL Partners 21 Additionally,scaling IT cloud resources easily remains a challenge for many telcos,with most reporting that they cannot automatically scale or extend workloads and instead must submit manual requests.To improve this quickly,telcos should simplify the scaling process by introduci

119、ng more intuitive options,such as a scale up button,allowing operators to easily extend the lifecycle of applications as demand increases.A more advanced solution involves the adoption of predictive scaling.Telcos should explore integrating machine learning(ML)technologies to analyse historical usag

120、e data and predict future demand.By doing so,they can automatically scale resources based on predefined parameters without manual intervention Capture more comprehensive user feedback Improving customer experience requires telcos to adopt a proactive and customer-centric approach.This involves activ

121、ely seeking comprehensive feedback from internal customers and systematically implementing improvements based on their input.While most operators have basic measures,such as simple scoring mechanisms(e.g.,1-5 scales),they lack more in-depth methods,such as open-ended surveys or feedback sessions fro

122、m internal customers to provide detailed descriptions of the challenges they face.To gather more actionable insights,operators should adopt a mindset akin to a cloud provider,treating internal customers with the same attention and responsiveness as external customers.This shift involves viewing inte

123、rnal users as valued clients,even potentially assigning an account manager to each BU or hosting regular feedback sessions between IT and BU teams to align on platform improvements.For instance,Red Hat offers enhanced solution support to Virgin Media O2(VMO2),which provides ongoing guidance and reso

124、urces for products,integrations,and other needs.As part of this,Red Hat provides VMO2 access to 2 Technical Account Managers(TAMs),which work proactively alongside internal teams and attend weekly meetings to help VMO2 enhance their private cloud with new features according to their needs.4 Operator

125、s can also look to leverage AI-driven tools to analyse feedback trends over time,allowing them to identify recurring issues and respond before they escalate.For instance,operator 2(APAC)uses LLM models to understand customer concerns more efficiently and take a proactive approach to addressing any r

126、ecurring customer issues.By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and responsiveness,operators can ensure their internal platforms become more intuitive,efficient,and aligned with user expectations.4 Virgin Media O2 protects critical cloud service with supported foundation FUTURE-PROOFING TE

127、LCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 22 4.Operational excellence Overall recommendation:Telcos should start to actively leverage AIOps to optimise infrastructure usage Telecom operators are making substantial investments to enhance operational excellence,with a focus on integrating AIOp

128、s across the lifecycle.The leading operator in this category was Operator 2(APAC),which scored 3.7 0.4 points ahead of the second-best operator-and significantly above the average score of 3(see Figure 14).Figure 14:The leading operator scored significantly above average Source:STL internal IT cloud

129、 benchmarking survey,2024.N=9 AIOps adoption is still in its early days but is starting to gain momentum as operators recognise its potential to transform operational processes.By leveraging AI,operators can analyse vast amounts of data in real time,enabling proactive decision-making and optimising

130、resource utilisation.For example,AI-driven systems are currently being used by some operators to predict infrastructure demands,helping operators scale resources dynamically to meet fluctuating workloads.Telcos are less advanced in automating Day 1 Operations The automation of Day 1 operations,i.e.a

131、ctivities associated with deploying infrastructure for new services and applications,remains a significant challenge for many operators.This area recorded the lowest average score in the operational excellence category(2.9),reflecting the heavy reliance on manual processes and intervention during in

132、itial deployments,which can introduce inefficiencies,increase deployment times,and heighten the risk of errors.2.53.03.7Lowest scoreAverageBest in classAverage ranking score:Operational excellence category“We are using AIOps tool to highlight when infrastructure is not deployed properly e.g.too much

133、 has been provisioned and utilisation is low,but it is still early days”-Executive director,Cloud technology,North American operator FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 23 To address these issues,many telcos are exploring the use of infrastructure as code(IaC),which a

134、llows infrastructure to be managed and provisioned through code rather than manual configurations.IaC enables operators to standardise deployments,reduce human error,and accelerate the rollout of new services.This has already been implemented by many enterprises,even outside telecoms,for example Sta

135、rbucks.In partnership with Hashicorp Terraform,Starbucks has deployed IaC to standardise,automate and modularise processes in the cloud,which has led to more efficient infrastructure management.5 While IaC adoption among telcos is growing,widespread implementation is still limited,leaving considerab

136、le room for improvement.Adopting AIOps across full lifecycle ensures future operational excellence For operators aiming to achieve true operational excellence,the integration of AIOps must extend across the entire operational lifecycle,encompassing both Day 1 and Day 2 operations(see Figure 15).Day

137、2 operations focused on monitoring,maintaining,and optimising services have seen more progress in automation compared to Day 1 activities.Figure 15:Operators should embed AI across all elements of the internal IT cloud platform Source:STL Partners By adopting a lifecycle-wide approach to AIOps,telec

138、om operators can move closer to achieving operational excellence by bringing real-time,actionable insights from many different sources.This can streamline IT operations and optimise operational efficiency.As the industry becomes more reliant on automation and real-time data analysis,telcos that fail

139、 to implement AIOps risk falling behind their competitors in the future.5 Terraform at Starbucks:Infrastructure as code for software engineers Embed AI within full lifecycleSecurityDeploy AI-driven anomaly detection to identify unusual activity in real-time alongside tools that can automatically res

140、pond to certain security incidents.Infrastructure orchestrationUse AI to predict resource requirements and automatically adjust infrastructure allocations per application to prevent over-or under-utilisation of resourcesMonitoring Use AI models to predict potential performance bottlenecks before the

141、y occur by analysing resource usage patterns and identifying unusual patterns.Feedback analysisUse ML to analyse user feedback and support tickets to identify common pain points to focus on for areas of improvement.User experienceUse AI to provide recommendations for users based on their usage histo

142、ry,such as suggesting configurations based on previous deploymentsRoutine operationsDeploy AIOps to automate routine maintenance tasks,such as backup and recovery,and provide intelligent alerts for high-priority incidents.FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 24 Conclus

143、ions Escalating public cloud costs,alongside growing security and compliance concerns,are driving a shift back to private cloud,highlighting the critical importance for telcos to sustain investment within their internal private cloud operations.Investing in internal cloud platforms is not just about

144、 modernising infrastructure;it is about adopting a mindset where IT cloud is seen as pivotal for achieving overall business goals.Operators that treat their private cloud as a foundation for innovation leveraging AI/automation,streamlining processes,and integrating comprehensive feedback mechanisms

145、will be better equipped to manage future workloads and adapt to increasing demands.Operators in the early stages of developing their internal cloud platform must take a proactive approach.By studying industry leaders like stc,which has demonstrated the potential of prioritising internal cloud invest

146、ments,other operators can identify key success factors to accelerate their progress.Establishing a roadmap that balances immediate needs with long-term goals will help operators overcome barriers such as resource constraints and organisational siloes.Ultimately,telcos that view their internal IT clo

147、ud platforms not merely as operational tools but as engines of innovation and transformation will gain a significant competitive edge.FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 25 Appendix STL Partners benchmarking index gauges telcos overall investment and performance of th

148、eir internal cloud platform.We have provided a full description of each capability below for each benchmarking category:Strategic Value IT cloud value and alignment-Business recognition of the importance of the IT cloud and perception of it as a platform of choice for achieving the businesss goals A

149、doption governance-Adoption of IT cloud,the governance to ensure this and the benefits are maximised across relevant parts of the business,including the need to change culture and processes Cloud performance Security and compliance-Implementing measures to prevent unauthorised attacks/breaches and e

150、nsuring full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements Business continuity-Infrastructure and tools(including disaster recovery mechanisms)to ensure high availability and reliability Infrastructure diversity and configurability Availability of different types of resources(compute,storage,app

151、lications,security,network,memory)and the ability to dynamically adjust resources to meet changing requirements of different types of workloads and applications,now and in the future(e.g.anticipating infrastructure needs)Future-ready platform-Platforms ability to support new technologies,adapt to fu

152、ture use cases and make changes to the platform(outside of projects)Customer experience Order and Requests-Ease for customers to make requests to provision resources and services independently(e.g.,availability of self-ordering portal)Operational visibility-Level of visibility to internal customers

153、on the performance of the IT cloud infrastructure and level of utilization Training and documentation-Availability of robust technical support/resources alongside training sessions to ensure the team has a clear understanding of their internal cloud platform Customer support-Responsiveness of custom

154、er support for internal stakeholders FUTURE-PROOFING TELCOS PRIVATE IT CLOUDS|DECEMBER 2024 STL Partners 26 Customer satisfaction-Measuring and reporting the overall satisfaction of customers with the platform Operational excellence Infrastructure lifecycle management-Ability and speed of adding mor

155、e instances and scaling workloads up and down(Day 2 to Day N)Initial deployment time-Speed at which new services and applications can be developed and deployed using cloud(Day 1)Operating model-The ease of operations between the relevant teams and platforms to ensure alignment and optimal cloud application development,deployment and operations Research Consulting Events