Global Capacity, Equinix Develop Ethernet Solution that Gives Direct Access to Cloud Providers

Global Capacity and Equinix announced recently that they were teaming up on a solution to give customers direct access to the Equinix (News - Alert) Cloud Exchange. By using an Ethernet connection instead of public Internet service, customers can have a more direct connection to cloud providers.

Chicago-based Global Capacity offers connectivity as a service for enterprises, telecoms, integrators, and application service providers. It developed the One Marketplace platform that simplifies the process of connecting disparate networks as though they were one. It is often the case that for customers requiring large network coverage that a single provider won’t cover all the areas the customer needs. Dealing with the design and pricing of a hodge-podge of networks can be complex. One Marketplace simplifies that process dramatically.

Redwood City, California-based Equinix, Inc. provides data center, cloud infrastructure, and disaster recovery services. The Equinix Cloud Exchange (ECX) gives enterprises an Ethernet connection to cloud services like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google (News - Alert) Cloud Platform, and Softlayer. ECX is available in 21 major cities around the world.

The collaboration between Equinix and Global Capacity will result in an Ethernet connection between One Marketplace to ECX. This in turn, gives access to eight different Equinix data centers. The combination of the two solutions gives customers access to cloud providers through the Equinix-Global Capacity (News - Alert) system that would not have been available otherwise. Conversely, the cloud providers have a wider audience to offer their services to.

The example that a Global Capacity press release illustrates, shows a potential problem and its solution. A customer that is not based in one of the eight ECX locations wants Amazon Web Services (News - Alert), but cannot get access through ECX alone. So they use One Marketplace instead, now have access to AWS and the problem is solved.

Because enterprises and large organizations often require networks with a larger footprint than one company can provide, a new business opportunity has sprung up where companies like Equinix and Global Capacity can simplify the process of procurement of these services. The interesting irony is that apparently, these companies realized that there were still some ‘holes’ in the system that would leave some markets underserved. Since the two companies collaborated, that should not be a problem. They have both eliminated many of the headaches that often come with modernizing an enterprise IT system.