eWEEK is building a new IT products and services section that encompasses most of the categories that we cover on our site. In it, we will spotlight the leaders in each sector, which include enterprise software, hardware, security, on-premises-based systems and cloud services. We also will add promising new companies as they come into the market.
Today: Equinix (data center ownership, management and services distribution)
Company description: Equinix Inc. is a builder and maintainer of new-generation data and interconnect centers. The company connects more than 9,800 companies directly to their customers and partners across what it claims to be the “world’s most interconnected” data center and interconnection platform. Buyers and sellers, suppliers and manufacturers, service providers and enterprises all interconnect under one roof at Equinix.
Platform Equinix combines a global footprint of state-of-the-art International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers, a variety of interconnection solutions, unique business and digital ecosystems and expert support. Today, businesses utilize the Equinix interconnection platform in 52 strategic markets across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Equinix operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes.
Led by CEO Peter Van Camp, Equinix is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., and publicly traded on the Nasdaq (EQIX).
Markets: Americas: Silicon Valley, Chicago, Washington, D.C.
International Operations: EMEA, APA
Product and Services
- Private, direct interconnection and connectivity services
- Colocation within 200+ International Business Exchange (IBX) Data Centers worldwide and colocation
- Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric
- Equinix SmartKey
- IBX SmartView
- Equinix Professional Services
- Equinix Marketplace
- Customer Support
Key Features:
- Interconnection and Connectivity: Get on-demand, direct private access to more 9,500 companies, including 1,600+ networks and 2,750+ cloud & IT providers.
- International Business Exchange (IBX) Data Centers and Colocation: Equinix IBX data centers and colocation services help you safeguard mission-critical infrastructure with the highest levels of security and operational reliability.
- Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric: ECX Fabric brings together cloud service providers and users, enabling them to establish affordable, private, high-performance connections with Platform Equinix.
- Equinix Smart Key: Equinix SmartKey is a global SaaS-based, secure key management and cryptography service offered on cloud-neutral Platform Equinix, which simplifies data protection across any cloud architecture.
- IBX SmartView: Operational visibility like you’ve never seen before. IBX SmartView gathers data from your IBX footprint and gives you a seamless window into your operating environment.
- Professional Services: Equinix Professional Services provides practical guidance and proven solutions to help you optimize and future-proof your data center architecture.
- Equinix Marketplace: Find solutions and make connections with Equinix Marketplace. This tool allows you to connect to and communicate with our rich customer and partner ecosystems so you can power your growth.
- Onsite Support Services: The Equinix IBX data center staffs of engineers, technicians and customer care specialists offer onsite technical and logistical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Major Product Description: Equinix SmartKey
Equinix SmartKey, a global SaaS-based, secure key management and cryptography service offered on cloud-neutral Platform Equinix, simplifies data protection across any cloud architecture. Smartkey provides key storage, encryption and tokenization, addresses performance and GRC requirements at the digital edge close to clouds, carriers and counterparties, and restricts key access to authorized users.
SmartKey allows customers can host encryption keys separate from, but in close proximity to, the data located across clouds, networks and IT service providers while enabling management controls to maintain data and encryption keys in the same region or country in support of data sovereignty requirements.
When implemented as a part of an Interconnection Oriented Architecture (IOA) strategy, SmartKey enables security and data professionals to achieve a globally consistent end-to-end encryption strategy with central control over access, latency, compliance and performance. This allows enterprises to have all the core architecture components of network, data, applications and security available on a single, globally consistent platform.
Key Features:
- Cryptographic protection: Only authorized users can access your encrypted keys
- Multi-site and Hybrid-cloud support: Get support for single enterprise wide key across cloud and IT datacenter
- Built-in key management, encryption and tokenization: Support for a variety of interfaces (RESTful APIs, PKCS#11, CNG, JCE, KMIP)
- Centralized management: Enterprise-level access controls and audit logging
- Private connectivity: Get options for public cloud workloads
Insight and Analysis
Gartner Peer Insights has a review here from a multinational customer.Highlights:
Overall Comment: “Equinix has been a valued partner in the U.S. for Swiss Re, providing solid, secure colocation services in a cost-effective manner.”
If you could start over, what would your organization do differently? “Review the long-term services roadmap to determine where we could benefit more from having Equinix as our colo partner in the U.S.”
What one piece of advice would you give other prospective customers? “Understand the local market, and what other providers are able to support.”
What one thing do you wish the vendor did differently? “Not sure at this point — we are very satisfied.”
To read the rest of the review, go here.
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G2 Crowd has several reviews. Highlights of one on Performance Hub:
What do you like best? Easy to use interface is the best thing going for it
What do you dislike? Graphics are very 1990s, minor annoyances in navigation
Recommendations to others considering the product? “Want something simple? Go for it. Need sophistication? Try something else or custom tailor it, but be prepared to pay more.”
To read the rest of the review, go here.
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List of current customers: Amazon Web Services; Box, Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Netflix; DirectTV; General Electric; Deloitte; NASDAQ; AT&T; Verizon.
Delivery: SaaS, cloud
Pricing: Customers typically sign renewable contracts of one or more years in length.
Other key players in this market: Carrier-neutral colocation: CoreSite, Digital Realty Trust, Global Switch, Interxion and Telehouse; Wholesale data center providers include Digital Realty Trust, e-Shelter and Global Switch; Managed hosting providers: AT&T, CenturyLink, NaviSite, Rackspace, SunGard and Verizon Business.
Contact information for potential customers: http://www.equinix.com/smartkey
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