The Equinix Cloud Exchange (ECX) is available in seven new markets to enable operators and other digital businesses to access its Platform Equinix.
The intention is to help these companies simplify hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures globally. The interconnection service is now available in Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Istanbul, Lisbon and Sofia, and will be in extended to Hamburg in Q2 2020.
Single port
The ECX Fabric interconnection service is available in 45 markets, enabling businesses to exchange their data on demand, and between metropolitan areas through private connections.
This means enterprises, network services and cloud providers can consistently scale their digital businesses as they need to.
Access is through a self-service portal or application programming interfaces (APIs).
Customers in any ECX Fabric-enabled market can create and manage on-demand connections in a globally consistent way through a single port.
Equinix claims the ECX Fabric supports the evolution to multi-cloud adoption by directly, securely and dynamically connecting distributed infrastructure and digital ecosystems globally, via Platform Equinix.
Boom in interconnection
Platform Equinix is a data centre and interconnection platform for enterprises deploying hybrid multi-cloud at the edge and has more than 200 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres.
Private interconnection is key, as digital transformation drives demand for localised digital services at the edge, according to Equinix, whose own research, published Volume 3 of the Global Interconnection Index (GXI), forecasts installed interconnection bandwidth capacity will reach more than 13,300Tbps with a 51% compound annual growth rate worldwide by 2022.
Platform Equinix carries a high share of the world’s public cloud on-ramps and the most physically and virtually interconnected ecosystems in the world.
ECX Fabric enables streamlined access to the world’s largest cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Google Cloud on Platform Equinix via global, software-defined interconnection.
More than 2,000 customers connect their digital infrastructure to more than 600 other participants on the platform.
Benefits to service providers
By leveraging ECX Fabric as a global extension of their infrastructure, cloud and network service providers can quickly expand their global reach into new markets and respond to the connectivity needs of their customers with reduced time to market.
The virtualised connections are suitable for testing local market demand before deploying physical infrastructure.
Courtney Munroe, Global Vice President, Telecommunications Research, IDC, commented, “The migration to digital platforms, as well as the requirement for seamless and efficient interconnection to network providers and cloud platforms, are strong drivers for the colocation and interconnection market for enterprises, content and service providers.
He added, “This expansion is timely given the increased demand for interconnection as a result of shifting network patterns and the spike in network usage from some segments, due to the impact of COVID-19 quarantine policies.”