Strategic Collaboration with NTT Enables Successful Deployment of Secure and Compliant Cloud-based Solutions with Microsoft Azure Stack
While digital transformation offers huge opportunities for more efficient end-to-end workflows, it has inevitably posed challenges for customers.
One example is data-residency restrictions—where customers in certain countries are not able to integrate global cloud software-based services into their day-to-day work because of regulations and overarching company policies.
To overcome these access challenges in the well planning and drilling space, Schlumberger has partnered with NTT to deploy its suite of digital drilling tools—such as the DrillPlan* coherent well construction planning solution and the DrillOps* on-target well delivery solution—on Microsoft Azure Stack Hub infrastructure, while fully adhering to all existing data residency requirements.
These solutions give users the benefit of working in a digital cloud environment under local data regulations
As Adrian Newton, head of products – drilling planning and evaluation, explains: “Schlumberger is now able to deliver in-country solutions for locations with data-residency requirements or remote operational challenges, unlocking new business opportunities across the global market.
“We are seeing significant improvements not only for our customers, but also our own internal service delivery in the Middle East, which hosts our first Azure Stack Hub developments.
“The successful deployment of the Azure Stack Hub has allowed Schlumberger to deploy digital drilling products across 20 of our rigs, and we plan to carry out further deployments in the coming quarters.”
High-level security
“Working with Schlumberger, the NTT team designed and is delivering a private cloud solution on the Azure Stack private cloud platform that enables Schlumberger to sell technology, such as the DrillPlan solution into countries that require strict data residency and compliance mandates,” said Tyler Affolter, Senior Vice President, Managed Services, NTT.
The solution brings data, analytics and computing closer to the edge to enable reduced latency of business-critical applications, faster innovation, and improved performance.
Affolter added: “NTT is fully managing the infrastructure service to give Schlumberger a stable platform to run their applications, while maintaining the highest levels of security and governance. We also developed a consistent, predictable, and repeatable deployment model. This allows Schlumberger to focus on their core business and deploy their services in multiple geographies around the world, with the same level of excellence.”
Tailored In-Country Solutions
Simply put, the DrillPlan solution on Azure Stack infrastructure has enabled Schlumberger to deliver in-country solutions tailored to specific latency, network connecting, or the data-residency requirements of their customers.
The collaboration with NTT provides our customers with the latest updates and features, as well as helping them meet their performance and efficiency goals.
Dean Paron, director of program management, Azure Distributed Cloud at Microsoft, says: “Microsoft Azure Stack provides Schlumberger with the ability to extend its offering from Azure to its customers consistently across the cloud and edge, with the flexibility to use consistent development tools and frameworks. This helps Schlumberger accelerate time to market for their offerings, while reaching markets that are walled off from the public cloud.”
Future Development
The deployment serves as a baseline onto which future innovations can be built and delivered. Schlumberger now has an integrated platform that can be positioned at the very edge of a network—in remote and often extreme locations around the world—with full support from NTT’s managed-services capabilities, and Schlumberger’s network of global data centers.
*Mark of Schlumberger
An integrated platform that can be positioned at the very edge of a network—in remote and often extreme locations around the world
