Astellas Pharma selects Verizon Secure Cloud Interconnect

Astellas Pharma has selected Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ Secure Cloud Interconnect solution to simply and securely connect to and manage its Amazon Web Services (AWS) deployments. Secure Cloud Interconnect will enhance the centralized governance of Astellas’ IT systems, providing secure, reliable access to its various cloud-hosted global applications, whilst also giving Astellas the flexibility to quickly expand its overall cloud deployment to support future growth.

Astellas Pharma based in Tokyo, Japan, has approximately 17,000 employees around the globe. The company is dedicated to improving the health of people through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Astellas has sales, marketing, manufacturing, and R&D subsidiaries around the world and sees itself as being at the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients.

This focus on innovation means that Astellas Pharma has expanded its business rapidly over recent years, moving many core business applications into the cloud to support business agility and maintain availability for its global workforce. However, as demand for cloud services within the business continued to increase, the company became worried about the potential for shadow IT, the possibility of information leakage, and the increased risk of non-compliance with data protection regulations.

It, therefore, decided to streamline how its business functions were using the cloud by deploying a standard solution, by which all lines of business could securely connect to AWS, which would also centralize service provider security and governance. Verizon’s Secure Cloud Interconnect was chosen as it provides the quality and reliability of an MPLS-based Private IP network, backed by Verizon’s stringent service-level agreements, along with the flexibility and cost-efficiency of the cloud.

“Our focus is no longer on supporting fundamental business connectivity, but rather on deploying strategic solutions that are going to support our future business growth,” said Yasunori Yakabe, Associate Director, IT Infrastructure & Communications, Information Systems, Astellas Pharma Inc. “We have used AWS for some time, but really wanted a cloud solution that was ‘future-ready’ and able to keep our mission-critical applications secure, while we also had the flexibility to accelerate the delivery of new IT services. Verizon’s Secure Cloud Interconnect has given us just that, while also helping to dramatically improve the overall governance of our global network.”