ARINC moves Common-Use to the Cloud

In a breakthrough for the airport industry, ARINC Incorporated today announced it will host its flagship airline check-in solution, vMUSE EnterpriseTM, on the Enterprise Cloud, delivered by Verizon’s Terremark subsidiary. ARINC and Verizon have extended their working relationship with a five-year service agreement.

ARINC is the first provider to leverage the economy of cloud-based delivery for common-use service. The company earlier supported vMUSE Enterprise on a private cloud that is now being migrated to the Terremark Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas in Miami, FL.

Cloud-based delivery dramatically reduces the capital cost of common-use services for airports of all sizes. ARINC’s vMUSE Enterprise solution is a certified Common-Use Passenger Processing System (CUPPS) technology that delivers full check-in and departure functionality in real time over a standard Internet connection.

The two companies have already expanded the cloud-based business model to South America, completing a proof-of-concept in August at Brazil’s busiest airport, Guarulhos International. Brazil is planning major airport improvements for the 2014 World Cup.

“By aligning ARINC’s vMUSE Enterprise with Terremark’s enterprise-class cloud, we are launching a global transformation of the way IT services are delivered to the airline industry,” said Michael Picco, vice president of ARINC Airport Solutions. “Terremark offers a highly reliable and secure cloud infrastructure, and provides ARINC with mission-critical links to expand our vMUSE Enterprise platform throughout North and South America with greatly enhanced delivery of passenger data,” he added.

Terremark’s NAP do Brazil supported the successful August 2011 test at Sao Paolo, and is setting the groundwork for replication at airports across the continent. ARINC also plans to augment its vMUSE Enterprise offering with cloud-based services for checking baggage, printing boarding passes, and upgrading flights.

“Terremark will deliver secure, flexible, and scalable cloud services as ARINC transitions to the new IT delivery model,” stated Tom Schoeve, vice president and managing director of Verizon Travel Solutions. “And soon, ARINC customers will also be able to leverage Terremark’s global cloud infrastructure for other secure and agile computing resources that their business-critical applications require.”

“The speed of cloud deployment and extraordinary cost-savings of vMUSE Enterprise have proven to be today’s leading edge,” continued Picco. “We look forward to introducing these same advantages to airports across the Americas and beyond.”

Named a top 50 cloud innovator by GigaOm, Verizon’s cloud services deliver multi-user capacity, a dedicated resource pool architecture and role-based security model, as well as private network connectivity and physical device integration.