We’ve seen a lot of technology innovations and trends over the past decade. The rise of big data and virtualization are a few, and more recently the introduction of wearable technology and the Internet of Things. But perhaps the most notable is the introduction of cloud computing.
Cloud computing is now mainstream in the UK, where I work. The Cloud Industry Forum reports that 90% of all businesses here expect to be formally using at least one cloud service by the end of 2015. The cloud has also truly transformed the way we work and interact.
Think about something as basic as email. Long gone are the days when emails were sent in a 9 to 5 environment and from a desktop PC. Today, the cloud enables employees to communicate and access emails from multiple locations and devices 24/7. Or consider the cloud’s impact on day-to-day business. Meetings no longer have to take place face-to-face or using documents shared from one employee to another. Technologies such as Box, Skype or Google Hangout mean that collaboration can occur in parallel. Everyone can work on something at once from different locations, helping to reach decisions quickly and finish projects faster.
But this change is not just transforming the way employees work and engage, it’s providing businesses with innovative ways to work smarter and more cost-effectively, if they have the right data center partner. The opening of LD6 in London better equips Equinix to be just that.
Perhaps one of the interesting things about the cloud is that it has forced companies to look at their data center partner in a different way. Traditionally, data centers have been viewed as a safe place for companies to put their infrastructure and technology platforms, sort of the “warehouse that contained the data” or the “safe that secured the valuables.”
Now, because of the cloud, many companies view the data center as a strategic enabler. It’s gone from being one of the last things a CIO thinks about to one of the first. It supports the cloud services that businesses and employees use every day, from iPhone apps to Office365, and provides connections to cloud ecosystems that are critical to driving innovation. As a result, CIOs need a flexible infrastructure that can grow in line with cloud usage and demand and allow the switch between cloud providers, should the need arise.
At Equinix, we provide connections to more cloud service providers, potential customers and cloud possibilities than any other data center provider. Our approach is always to ensure that customers get the inventory and connections they need, where they need it and when. The 4,500 companies inside Equinix globally, including 450-plus cloud providers, help us do this.
The London Slough campus, where LD6 opens next year, not only hosts a dense collection of cloud providers, it’s also home to more than 100 network carriers and LINX, one of the world’s largest Internet exchanges. This kind of interconnection is what sets Equinix apart, in London and everywhere. The ability to connect quickly to multiple partners, customers and service providers is what makes the cloud truly elastic and customizable. The addition of LD6 will help ensure that customers can take their cloud strategy to the next level.
More information about LD6 can be found at this link.
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