AT&T is making new friends in a bid to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing enterprise cloud and mobile verticals. The carrier announced this week that it has joined forces with Microsoft to make Windows Azure available for users of its NetBond virtual private network offering.

Citing research firm Forrester, AT&T says that the Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology on which NetBond is based has already been adopted by 70 percent of all multinational enterprises. The protocol reduces latency by as much as 50 percent while addressing privacy concerns shared by organizations that are fearful of connecting to the cloud using the public Internet.

“There’s no question that the time for cloud computing is now, and it’s critical we help enterprises embrace the cloud on their terms,” said Satya Nadella, the executive vice president of Cloud and Enterprise for Microsoft. “Through this strategic alliance with AT&T, we can reduce the barriers to entry for cloud computing by providing a more secure and reliable connectivity option for enterprise customers, accelerating the growth of cloud computing and the rapid adoption of Windows Azure.”

On the mobility side, AT&T plans to make SAP’s mobile suite available for customers in the fourth quarter of 2013. The lineup includes the SAP Mobile Platform, a solution for developing, distributing and managing apps that integrates into backend enterprise environments.

AT&T announced its latest partnership in conjunction with a new API program that aims to encourage wholesale partners, solution providers and corporate developers to leverage its network for content delivery and communications. The initiative underscores the telecom giant’s efforts to secure a bigger chunk of the $157 billion business API market.