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Next-gen data and interconnect center developer Equinix revealed Dec. 9 that it has added a set of new capabilities to both its Equinix Fabric (formerly Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric) and Network Edge. The company also said it has added significantly expanded ecosystems.
Equinix Fabric serves as a de facto interconnection standard for connecting digital infrastructure globally on Platform Equinix, the company said. No longer deployed exclusively for cloud connectivity, Equinix Fabric establishes a globally connected footprint of services that enables digital managers to connect to everything and everyone that matters to their business.
Enterprises and service providers now using Equinix Fabric as a single interconnection approach can connect all their physical and virtual devices located within Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers and the world’s largest digital infrastructure ecosystem. This includes connecting physical devices located within Equinix colocation and automated bare metal servers available with Equinix Metal, with virtual devices such as routers, firewalls and SD-WAN gateways available on Network Edge.
Equinix also is launching a new capability that allows Equinix Fabric users to connect to any other customer on Platform Equinix. Equinix Fabric customers now can expand their interconnection reach with the ability to connect to the more than 10,000 clouds, networks, partners, customers and rich ecosystems currently available on Platform Equinix.
Equinix has expanded automated access to network providers via Equinix Fabric. Providers now can offer customers direct, on-demand access to their network services while seamlessly connecting to a full range of participants available on Equinix Fabric. Within minutes, customers can use Equinix Fabric to gain access to network services such as MPLS, Ethernet and IP transit from a multitude of major network service providers such as Aryaka, AT&T, BT, Cloudflare, Colt Technology Services, HKBN, Hurricane Electric, euNetworks, Fusix, GTT, Telnyx, Unitas Global and Verizon Business.
Equinix Fabric customers also can directly connect to major cloud providers, including Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud. Additionally, Equinix customers can directly connect to SaaS and collaboration providers such as Salesforce, Cisco Webex, Zoom and many others.
Network Edge now offers full suite of leading SD-WAN services
Further expanding its virtual network function (VNF) services ecosystem to help companies create and operate their network infrastructure at Equinix without a physical deployment, Equinix recently made the Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect virtual SD-WAN appliance available on Network Edge. With this addition, Network Edge offers enterprises a full suite of vendor-neutral, SD-WAN services with built-in integration to Equinix Fabric.
The Network Edge platform enables companies to deploy virtual networking services in real time from multiple vendors, including Cisco, CloudGenix, Fortinet, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Silver Peak (recently acquired by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), Versa Networks and VMware. With Equinix Fabric integration, Network Edge customers can also interconnect their virtual edge devices with cloud and network providers located in distributed global markets, extending their reach to potentially thousands of new business partners around the world.
Key facts:
- Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric has recently been rebranded Equinix Fabric in recognition of the expanded capabilities, signifying the pivotal shift in how the product has evolved from delivering cloud connectivity to now serving as the interconnection method for all types of IT infrastructure, and as the consumption mechanism for a wide range of virtualized IT services.
- Equinix Fabric is a software-defined interconnection service that allows any business to connect between its own distributed infrastructure and to any other company’s infrastructure on Platform Equinix. Currently, Equinix Fabric supports approximately 27,500 customer connections, representing 32 percent year-over-year growth in this past year.
- In the past year, Equinix Fabric has expanded into seven new markets including Bogotá, Canberra, Dubai, Hamburg, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Seoul, helping more global enterprises and service providers unlock greater value from Platform Equinix. With the addition of these new markets, Equinix Fabric is available today in 49 strategic metros across five continents.
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