VMware : AIS Business Becomes the First VMware Partner in Southeast Asia and Korea to Launch a Sovereign Cloud

Since the start of the pandemic, enterprises have been trying to transform faster than ever. Many turned to cloud computing to achieve agility, business continuity and scalability. But as cloud adoption soared, concerns have arisen over data sovereignty-where the data resides, where it flows and who has control over it. Across the world, governments and highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare are closely analyzing their cloud strategy and re-evaluating who has access to valuable national data.

In Thailand, AIS Business is taking the lead not only in the country but also in the region to launch the VMware Sovereign Cloud, which enables enterprises to run sensitive and regulated workloads on a secure, compliant national cloud that meets national data residency and data sovereignty requirements.

"We are proud to be the first VMware partner in Southeast Asia and Korea to offer a sovereign cloud, which will enable organizations to tap into the full benefits of the cloud and unlock the value of their critical data while complying with local data privacy and security requirements."

Tanapong Ittisakulchai, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, AIS Business

The AIS Sovereign Cloud is designed to support customers in a security-first environment and ensures all data, including metadata, stays in Thailand and is kept out of reach of foreign control and influence.

AIS Business is the enterprise arm of Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand's biggest mobile operator by subscriber base. It aims to become a "cognitive techco" by installing more infrastructure and leveraging the potential of its partners to enable companies to transform themselves.

The launch of the sovereign cloud marks another milestone in the partnership between AIS and VMware, which recently recognized AIS Business as its Cloud Provider of the Year 2022.

"AIS and VMware are long-term strategic partners, and this is an extension of our deep collaboration with VMware, the global leader in technology. VMware has been instrumental in helping us build capabilities in our cloud solutions so we can better empower customers in their transformation journey."

Tanapong Ittisakulchai

AIS Business Aims to Grow New Offering

AIS Business is looking to ramp up interest in the public sector and banking industry with this new offering. Since the August launch, it has already onboarded a government agency, which moved its email service for more than a hundred employees from on premises to the sovereign cloud. This enables the agency to scale operations easily while keeping highly confidential emails secure. It also gives them peace of mind that all their critical data is backed up on sovereign infrastructure without compromising on data integrity.

"One of the macro trends we've observed is the rise of data protection and privacy laws across the globe, creating a unique opportunity for cloud providers offering solutions that meet data sovereignty requirements. We're thrilled to welcome AIS Business into our global collection of sovereign cloud providers. Being the first from the region speaks volumes about their leadership and expertise in delivering differentiated cloud solutions to customers."

Vijoo Philip Chacko, Senior Director, Cloud Provider Sales for Asia Pacific and Japan, VMware

Data Sovereignty and Control Is Paramount Among AIS Business' Data Features

As a VMware sovereign cloud provider, AIS Business adheres to a framework that provides technical guidance, best practices and principles for design and deployment of cloud solutions that meet best-in-class data residency and jurisdictional control requirements. The characteristics for the AIS Sovereign Cloud include:

• Data sovereignty and control-All data is resident and subject to the exclusive control and authority of Thailand, where the data was collected. Operations are fully managed within the country.

• Data access and integrity-Cloud infrastructure is resilient and available in at least two data center locations within Thailand with secure and private connectivity options available.

• Data security and compliance-Information security management system controls are certified against industry recognized global standards and audited regularly.

• Data independence and mobility-Multi-cloud architecture flexibility enables easy data and application portability, preventing vendor cloud lock-in.

"The focus of organizations has been on 'cloud-first' but we believe it's time to become 'cloud-smart,' where the right data or workload is deployed into the right cloud. We're heading towards a multi-cloud future. This is why we built out our cloud solutions into AIS Cloud X, our first-ever intelligent and complete cloud ecosystem."

Tanapong Ittisakulchai

AIS Cloud X spans 5G multi-access edge computing, data centers, private cloud, local cloud and public cloud, providing businesses with a suitable cloud for every workload. At the same time, the VMware architecture provides a consistent experience across edge, on premises and the secure sovereign cloud, further simplifying operations.

"We believe that data should remain in our control. Our sovereign cloud will enable Thailand to unleash the value of national data. Together with VMware, we will empower our nation to innovate further and faster so we can be truly cloud-smart."

Tanapong Ittisakulchai

VMware's Sovereign Cloud Solutions & Resources