AT&T has announced AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service, a storage-on-demand offer that gives customers control over the storage, distribution, and retrieval of their data from any location, anytime, using any Web-enabled device, including laptops, smartphones, and the like.

AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service provides a storage service that lets customers use the AT&T network cloud to store, distribute and retrieve data as needed to meet their business or legal requirements. Customers will be able to specify their storage criteria -- called "user policies" -- through a Web-based customer portal. The service automatically scales storage capacity up or down as needed, and users pay only for the amount they use.

AT&T has selected EMC as the technology provider for the underlying AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service platform. Using EMC Atmos technology, a policy-based information management platform, the AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service lets users access data through the Internet or directly from the AT&T network cloud via a virtual private network or other transport service, enabling customers to create a virtual private storage cloud protected by AT&T's network-based security services.

AT&T is introducing the service to customers on a controlled basis this month, with plans to make the service generally available in the third quarter. The service is deployed in AT&T Internet data centers (IDCs) in the U.S. and will be accessible by customers connecting to the Web anywhere. In time, AT&T plans to add the service to select global IDCs to meet customer demand internationally.