BT and IBM launched a service to give enterprises direct access to IBM Cloud through the BT network.

BT Cloud Connect Direct for IBM allows companies to bypass the public Internet in building and deploying applications and data on the IBM Cloud. This provides a more secure and reliable connection compared to connecting over the open Internet. It also gives companies direct access to IBM’s cloud-native services that are geared toward enterprise workloads such as artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and analytics capabilities.

The direct connectivity service is currently being delivered into IBM Cloud data centers in the U.K. via IBM Cloud Direct Link, which has more than 60 access points globally. Direct connectivity into IBM Cloud data centers in Europe, the U.S., Australia, and Asia will follow in the coming months.

IBM Cloud Direct Link partners with several other services providers including AT&T, Verizon, Vodofone, Comcast Business, Equinix, and Megaport. The partnership gives these providers direct access to IBM’s cloud footprint across 19 countries and six continents.

Under the new partnership, BT will manage the direct connection service.

“We have a cloud and they [BT] have a network,” said Gabe Montanti, IBM cloud network global offering executive. “They manage thousands of endpoints for clients.

Partnering with BT and other providers helps the companies’ joint customers build a hybrid cloud environment," Montani added. “The whole point of Direct Link and providing the secure onboarding points is to enable the hybrid workload. With a direct, private link into the IBM Cloud, companies can access services for IoT and analytics and Watson and do so in a secure fashion, with deterministic latency so there is a consistency in throughput and performance.”

BT already provides direct connectivity to several cloud providers including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Salesforce, and its own BT Cloud Compute.

This is part of BT’s “Cloud of Clouds” strategy, explained Keith Langridge, VP of BT network services.

“The Cloud of Clouds strategy is really so we can help our customers on one of their key journeys — the journey to the cloud,” Langridge said. “For us, it’s about using our network to help them as they migrate from their old world to their new networks where they are connecting their users to cloud-based services. We are trying to link customers to as many of the cloud locations that they want to go to as possible.”

BT’s global network spans 198 countries and territories.