NTT Communications Corp., the Tokyo-based global telco and IT services giant, has closed Yamaha Motor on a major cloud deal.

Yamaha will use NTT's cloud platform in Japan to deploy mission-critical systems for production, procurement, product development, human resources and finance operations, expecting the infrastructure to go live in January.

The provider said Yamaha, one of the world's largest motorized-vehicle makers, will use the platform to strengthen business continuity and cut costs by consolidating currently dispersed servers, networks and other.

Yamaha Motor plans to migrate all ICT systems currently in Japan by 2018. The company's systems overseas will also eventually be migrated onto the NTT cloud.

Yamaha's mission-critical systems sit on about 700 servers and are accessed by group companies worldwide. Most of the systems are owned and operated at on-premise environments within the Tokai region of central Japan.

In view of Japan’s susceptibility to earthquakes and other natural disasters, the company has been looking for ways to lower disaster risks and improve business continuity.

NTT's large number of redundant data centers in locations considered to be low-risk for natural disasters was a major factor in choosing the provider. Close proximity to end users was another consideration.