Equinix, Inc. has announced the immediate availability of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect cloud service in Equinix's Germany International Business Exchange (IBX®) data centers. With AWS Direct Connect, companies across Europe can connect their customer-owned and managed infrastructure directly to AWS, establishing a private connection to the cloud that can reduce costs, increase performance, and deliver more consistency. The Equinix Frankfurt location brings the total number of Equinix metros offering the service to eight, globally.
"Our goal at Equinix is to help our enterprise customers realize the full benefits of the cloud – without worrying about application latency or cost issues. By providing access to AWS via the Direct Connect service, we are empowering our mutual customers to achieve improved performance of cloud-based applications,"said Eric Schwartz, president, EMEA, Equinix.
Cloud computing is rapidly growing in Europe, with the total cloud market set to more than double over the next three years and reach over $30 billion in 2017, according to IDC*. Yet, as cloud computing transcends borders, one of the top CIO concerns is compliance with German and European data protection laws. Overwhelming customer demand prompted AWS to bring this solution to market. By expanding AWS Direct Connect to continental Europe, and specifically Germany, Equinix and Amazon are enabling many enterprise CIOs to advance their hybrid cloud strategies by seamlessly and safely incorporating public cloud services into their existing architectures.
"German businesses need direct connections to cloud providers such as AWS to give them the speed, agility and security they need to compete in this market. The Equinix Cloud Exchange gives them the flexibility they require, and lets them future-proof their cloud adoption strategies," said Donald Badoux, managing director, Equinix Germany.
IDC predicts that Germany is likely to be the country receiving the most attention from both local and multinational cloud service providers in 2014, with more than 60,000 square meters of cloud datacenter capacity deployed. The sheer size of the market ($1.7 billion spent on x86 server hardware in 2013), solid economic pace and relatively low penetration of cloud services makes it an irresistible target for many. IDC estimated that more than $1 billion was spent on hosted private cloud services in Germany in 2013, with double-digit growth expected again in 2014**.
Until now, companies looking to connect to AWS in continental Europe had to do so through the public Internet, or purchase connectivity from a network operator to an AWS Direct Connect location outside of continental Europe. By using AWS Direct Connect within Equinix's Frankfurt data center (FR5); from Equinix data centers in Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf via Metro Connect™; or from other data centers in Germany or abroad via third-party carriers, customers can have a consistent, dedicated network connection to the cloud for higher performance at a lower cost.
The Equinix Frankfurt campus includes five Equinix IBX data centers, which are connected via Metro Connect. Customers can connect to the AWS Direct Connect service from any one of these five IBX data centers. The Equinix Frankfurt campus is home to more than 400 national and international network operators, including one of the highest concentrations of networks servicing Eastern European countries.
Equinix now offers the AWS Direct Connect service in Frankfurt, London, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia. Equinix customers in these metros will be able to lower network costs into and out of AWS and take advantage of reduced AWS Direct Connect data transfer rates.
*IDC Predictions: European Cloud in 2014 – doc # QL51W, January 2014
** IDC Insight: From Las Vegas to Dresden: The Implications of AWS' Recent Moves for German Cloud Users in 2014 – doc #GE53W, January 2014
This article was originally posted “Amazon Web Services Direct Connect Service Now Available in Germany at Equinix Data Centers” from Cloud Strategy Magazine.
