Equinix expands access to cloud services to new EMEA markets

 Equinix has announced the availability of private connectivity to Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute cloud services at Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers in multiple EMEA markets. The expansion of the service to Frankfurt, Geneva, Milan, Stockholm and Zurich, builds on Equinix’s integration with Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute – extending its reach to 26 metros globally, including nine in the EMEA market.

Improving access to cloud services is crucial in supporting the growing enterprise cloud adoption market. A recent independent survey commissioned by Equinix, found cloud is the number one driver of Channel engagement, with almost half (48%) of the 836 EMEA IT decision-makers surveyed, using the Channel to access cloud-based services.

Direct access to a cloud onramp via an edge node is the most effective means to ensuring consistent and optimal performance, reliability and cost-efficiency. From the first quarter of 2020, customers in the five additional European metros can access Azure ExpressRoute through Equinix directly at all available speeds, consistent with the service currently offered for Azure ExpressRoute in existing markets globally.

  Equinix is a leading global exchange provider of Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute. The combined service is available via either local or remote connections in 26 markets worldwide (pending Milan and Zurich deployments). Current metros include Amsterdam, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, New York, Osaka, Paris, São Paulo, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington D.C and Zurich.

Establishing 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 of this service benefit from a combination of more predictable network performance, flexibility and reliability.

This extended service enables enterprises to successfully implement private connectivity capabilities to build extensible hybrid-cloud strategies. These same strategies do not perform well over the internet or typical WAN networks.

Direct and private connectivity to strategic cloud service providers like Microsoft is essential as digital transformation fuels higher demand for localized digital services at the edge. According to the third volume of the Global Interconnection Index – an annual market study published by Equinix – interconnecting to multiple providers across multiple edge locations is the most prominent use case for interconnection bandwidth and is expected to grow 4x by 2022.