REDWOOD CITY, Calif.,
July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection
and data center company, today announced that the company has
experienced tremendous growth in the number of enterprise customers
accessing Azure in Equinix's International Business
ExchangeTM (IBX®) data centers around
the globe. As one of the first data center providers to deliver
direct access to Microsoft's cloud services on a global scale,
Equinix has enabled enterprise customers to speed hybrid- and
multi-cloud deployments by directly connecting to Azure in Equinix
data centers across five continents including North America, South
America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
In the past year, availability of this direct access offering
has expanded to 16 markets, and Equinix has facilitated hundreds of
connections to Azure via Platform Equinix, and specifically Equinix
Cloud Exchange™. Businesses are recognizing the power of
direct access to improve cloud and application performance while
maintaining enterprise-grade security and reliability. Recent
Equinix customers taking advantage of private access to Azure
include GE, HarperCollins, Hitachi Data Systems, and Red Lobster,
among others. Equinix CTO, Ihab
Tarazi, will be discussing the company's success with
Microsoft today at 10:30 a.m., EDT,
at Microsoft's WPC Conference during a session titled, "Growing
your Business with Azure."
Equinix is also working closely with service provider channel
partners including Datapipe, Unitas Global and ScienceLogic to
develop custom solutions that further help enterprises create
hybrid clouds, maximizing the public cloud through Azure and
ExpressRoute, paired with dedicated on-premise infrastructure and
services inside Equinix. For example, a large, multi-national
retail provider recently approached Unitas Global and Equinix
looking to implement a public/private cloud solution to power their
point of sale system. The solution combined a private global VPN
network with private cloud infrastructure located in Equinix and
Microsoft Azure computing resources. This enabled the retailer's
custom software applications to run independently of any physical
infrastructure, decreasing cost and increasing IT flexibility. In
addition, the company had a very short timeframe to accomplish the
project, and by using Azure cloud resources, time to deploy was cut
to less than three weeks.
Highlights / Key Facts
- More than one hundred companies are currently on the Equinix
Cloud Exchange, the company's interconnection solution that brings
cloud and network service providers together with enterprises
through private, security-enhanced and high-performance
connections. Since launching the service in 2014, Equinix has
facilitated hundreds of connections to Azure taking place on Cloud
Exchange. The company also offers a number of flexible
interconnection offerings, including Cross Connects (dedicated
fiber cables), Internet exchange (carrier grade switches connecting
many providers) within the data center, and Metro Connect
(dedicated Layer 1 and switch-based Layer 2 services) between data
centers in the same metro.
- Equinix recently announced that it will be one of the first
companies to offer private, managed connections to Microsoft Office
365, including Skype for Business, via ExpressRoute through the
Equinix Cloud Exchange.
- Hybrid cloud deployment is on the rise among enterprise
customers. In fact, according to Robert Mahowald, program vice president at IDC
and head of the SaaS & Cloud Services practice, "More than 65%
of enterprise IT organizations will commit to hybrid cloud
technologies before 2016, vastly driving the rate and pace of
change in IT organizations."
- Azure is used by 57% of the Fortune 500, and according to a
recent report by Synergy Research is experiencing 96%
year-over-year growth, and is second in overall market share for
cloud infrastructure services.
- Access to Azure via ExpressRoute on Equinix Cloud Exchange is
currently available in 16 markets globally, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los
Angeles, New York,
Sao Paulo, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Washington DC, Amsterdam, London, Hong
Kong, Melbourne,
Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, with Osaka being added later in 2015.
Quotes
- Chris Sharp, vice president,
cloud innovation, Equinix:
"By providing direct access to Azure via ExpressRoute inside
Equinix data centers, we are enabling companies to bridge their
cloud and data center strategies and fully realize the benefits of
hybrid and multi-cloud. Since we began offering the Microsoft
solution just over a year ago, we have witnessed significant growth
in connections and companies increasingly benefit from the scale,
flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the cloud—all without the
complexities associated with traditional network
connections."
- John Landy, CTO,
Datapipe:
"We were one of the first to launch a direct connection
inside Equinix to manage Azure workloads, providing easy access to
all Microsoft infrastructure and unifying management across Azure,
Microsoft private cloud and hybrid environments. As an Equinix
Platinum Partner, we can ensure that enterprises get the global
breadth and depth of Equinix's services backed and managed by
Datapipe's hybrid cloud expertise."
- Grant Kirkwood, CTO and
co-founder, Unitas Global:
"The reality is that the cloud is built on physical
infrastructure, and that infrastructure has to live somewhere.
Equinix has created the beachhead needed for cloud service
providers and enterprise consumers to land in a common place,
enabling the connectivity between the various parties that makes
the cloud work. Data shows enterprises are increasingly turning to
hybrid- and multi-cloud solutions to meet their dynamic, evolving
IT requirements, and this combined solution provides the capability
to provide comprehensive enterprise cloud solutions. By designing,
deploying and managing infrastructure globally through Equinix, we
enable our clients to focus on their business."
About Equinix Cloud Exchange
The Equinix Cloud
Exchange is an advanced interconnection solution that enables
seamless, on-demand and direct access to multiple clouds, across
multiple networks around the globe. By combining the automated
interconnection of cloud, network and managed service providers
with advanced service orchestration for the first time, the Equinix
Cloud Exchange provides enterprises with simple, scalable, direct
access to the multiple cloud services they need to build highly
flexible hybrid cloud solutions. This removes the security,
performance and vendor lock-in concerns holding many organizations
back from fully adopting and reaping the benefits of cloud
services. For more information on the Equinix Cloud Exchange,
please visit
http://www.equinix.com/solutions/by-services/interconnection/exchanges/equinix-cloud-exchange/.
About Equinix
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects
the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and
partners inside the most interconnected data centers. In 33
markets worldwide, Equinix is where companies come together to
realize new opportunities and accelerate their business, IT and
cloud strategies. http://www.equinix.com/.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ
materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking
statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but
are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and
constructing IBX centers and developing, deploying and delivering
Equinix services; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to
the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into
Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in
recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete
any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time;
competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to
generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay
new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business
from our key customers; and other risks described from time to time
in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In particular, see Equinix's recent quarterly and annual reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which
are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume
any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained
in this press release.
Equinix and IBX are registered trademarks of Equinix, Inc.
International Business Exchange is a trademark of Equinix,
Inc.
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SOURCE Equinix, Inc.