Equinix expands private connectivity to new global markets

Equinix, global interconnection and data centre company, has announced the availability of private connectivity to Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute cloud services at Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres in the Paris market. This expansion builds on the collaboration between Equinix and Microsoft where Azure ExpressRoute is available through Equinix locations in multiple markets worldwide.

Effective immediately, customers in the Paris metro can access Azure ExpressRoute directly at all available speeds — the same service that Equinix currently offers for Azure ExpressRoute in 20 other markets globally. Direct access to a cloud onramp via an edge node is the most effective means to ensure performance, reliability and optimal cost efficiency. Customers in other metros can also remotely access Azure ExpressRoute via Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (ECX Fabric), an on-demand platform that enables Equinix customers to discover and dynamically connect to any other customer across any Equinix location globally through an easy-to-use portal and a single connection to the Equinix platform.

Key facts:

• • To date, Microsoft has deployed more ExpressRoute locations with Equinix than with any other provider. Current metros include Amsterdam, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Miami, New York, Osaka, Paris, São Paulo, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C.
  • Private access via Equinix enables Microsoft to deliver the unique capabilities of hybrid cloud, including application services, production and identity management, data and backup and recovery services, and infrastructure services such as virtual networks and traffic management. Customers benefit from a combination of more predictable network performance, flexibility and reliability. With this service, enterprises specifically can implement private connectivity capabilities to build extensible hybrid cloud strategies that don’t scale well over the Internet or over typical WAN networks
  • Direct and private connectivity to strategic cloud service providers like Microsoft is essential as digital transformation fuels higher demand for localised digital services at the edge. According to the Global Interconnection Index, a market study published recently by Equinix, the capacity for private data exchange between enterprises and cloud providers is forecast to grow six-times faster than public Internet traffic between 2017 and 2020
  • Equinix has been a Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform provider since June 2017. The designation recognises the company’s ongoing commitment to helping enterprise customers worldwide achieve seamless, on-demand access to Azure and Microsoft Office 365

Ross Ortega, Partner PM Manager, Microsoft Azure Networking at Microsoft Corp, said: “Since 2014, our collaboration with Equinix has allowed us to provide customers with the high-level interconnection and predictable global access they need to architect and deploy their hybrid clouds with a globally-consistent experience. We are pleased to expand our Equinix relationship with Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute available in Paris, allowing more businesses in the growing market to access these services through the Equinix interconnection and data centre platform.”

Bob Breynaert, Global Managing Director, Strategic Alliances, Equinix, said: “In today’s global digital economy, interconnecting with digital services and customers at the edge — in multiple and often distant locations — is critical. By expanding our collaboration with Microsoft to bring Azure ExpressRoute to Equinix IBX data centres in more than 20 metros globally, we’re increasing the value of Platform Equinix as the location where cloud connectivity happens.”