Equinix and Google Network Automation for Hybrid Multicloud

In these challenging times when network capacity is being filled with data traffic coming from a growing remote workforce, greater performance and automation in scaling physical port and network capacity is a critical requirement. This is especially true when managing hybrid data platforms and workloads between on-premises infrastructures and multiple cloud providers.

Together, Equinix and Google deliver the most scalable global network and cloud platforms. This is key for enterprise hybrid multicloud environments to handle increasing network traffic and to meet escalating demand for faster, low-latency interconnection and greater security. Here’s how it is done.

Equinix and Google provide direct and secure network automation platforms between customer locations and Google Cloud, which make data and application operations faster, easier and more reliable. As Google’s leading interconnection partner, Equinix provides dynamic connectivity (from 50M>100G+) to Google Cloud in over 37 metros worldwide through Google Cloud Interconnect (GCI) and Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric™ (ECX Fabric™). Enterprises can also colocate equipment for hybrid multicloud workloads on Platform Equinix® with less than 2 milliseconds (ms) latency to the nearest Google Cloud regions. 

Google Cloud Interconnect (GCI) Dedicated and Partner Interconnect Locations on Platform Equinix

On Platform Equinix®, IT organizations can take full advantage of dynamic hybrid multicloud interconnection to aggregate, optimize, secure and elastically scale their cloud connectivity.

Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric™ (ECX Fabric™) Accelerates
Hybrid Multicloud Infrastructures

With four different Google Cloud peering types to choose from at Equinix, you have the flexibility to select the interconnection that delivers the best performance, security and service level agreements (SLAs) to match your application requirements. In this blog, we focus on Equinix’s private and partner-based Google Cloud Interconnect.

Google Cloud Peering Types on Platform Equinix

Private interconnection to the cloud delivers speed and security

In the example architecture shown below, customers can spin-up and automate a hybrid cloud environment with ECX Fabric and GCI to bridge on-premises and Google Cloud infrastructures. Leveraging the highest bandwidth and lowest-latency (<5 ms) solutions available today, these hybrid-compatible network components include Google Cloud Routers, VLAN attachments, and Layer 3 border gateway protocol (BGP) sessions connected together using ECX Fabric. Optionally, customers can also take advantage of new Equinix network functions virtualization (NFV) services such as Network Edge for cloud to cloud routing and distributed firewalls.

These capabilities provide users direct and secure interconnection to private Google Cloud services, including Google Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Anthos, Hybrid Apigee and many others. It also enables access to some public Google services such as GSuite and Maps, and takes advantage of new Google Cloud features like restricted APIs and VPC service controls shown in the diagram below. 

ECX Fabric and GCI Bridging On-Premises and Google Cloud infrastructures

Fast ordering and provisioning via user friendly portals

Using the ECX Fabric and Google Cloud consoles shown below, it is easy to quickly order and manage interconnection, including provisioning private 1/10/100G+ ports, VLANs and virtual circuits. Equinix enables you to set up virtual connections to Google Cloud and many other major cloud providers.

ECX Fabric Customer Portal – Order and Manage Google Cloud Interconnection

With these portals, you can also enable permissions to automate cloud interconnection and hybrid cloud infrastructures using both Google Cloud and ECX Fabric APIs. The diagram below illustrates API calls, methods and actions you would make between Platform Equinix and other cloud provider platforms. Customers have access to the full suite of ECX API catalogs via the Equinix Developer Platform and include features like testing sandboxes, API management and support forums. By using ECX Fabric and GCP automation frameworks and APIs, you can model, deploy and scale your hybrid interconnections between on-premises infrastructures and multiple clouds. Network automation and multicloud APIs also allow for error-free application and network deployments because infrastructures are clearly defined and documented in code and thoroughly tested, including security functions such as Google’s VPC service controls, GCI pairing keys and firewall rules.

Automated workload/app orchestration

You can also extend your interconnection and security automation efforts to integrate with additional application and orchestration layers such as Google Anthos and Kubernetes Engine. Doing so enables flexible application development and true multicloud infrastructures.

For example, you can automatically bridge on-premises workloads between clouds and distribute your cloud storage for greater security and control. Also, if you want to keep your critical backend SAP databases on-premises while hosting your front-end web and mobile applications in multiple Google Cloud regions, then Platform Equinix hybrid cloud makes this possible.

Hybrid and Multicloud Interconnection APIs

Model, deploy and scale interconnection resources

If you decide to fully model and automate your enterprise hybrid cloud, you’ll gain many benefits both from a business and engineering outcomes point of view. You can expect overall hybrid cloud costs to go down and performance and reliability to go up.

For example, you can deploy new hybrid and elastic network features more often and more confidently because you can test and see exactly what your changes will affect. Also, you can audit and track all items down to the API call, user and code file level, resulting in more visible cost analysis, security and faster remediation of any unexpected errors.

Hybrid Cloud Automation Code Review

Enterprise hybrid cloud automation tools

Once you begin the journey of platform and network automation with Google Cloud and Equinix, the advantages and rewards increase over time. As your hybrid cloud environment and automation codebase grows, you can create re-useable scripts and well tested tools that can be leveraged by additional teams across the enterprise. This enables scalable internal self-service models and integration with other workflows such as support ticketing and chat ops.

Hybrid Cloud and Network Transformation as Code

The benefits of cloud network automation

Equinix and Google network automation helps you design enterprise solutions at scale and for hybrid cloud, network automation and private interconnection. With this solution you can:

• Increase performance by automating network bandwidth capacity over low-latency connections
• Ensure greater privacy and data sovereignty by bypassing the public internet via private interconnection to clouds and control where your data is and who is accessing it
• Optimize cloud networking costs by only using what you need via elastic and automated network bandwidth resizing
• Reduce networking errors and keep outages to a minimum as end-to-end interconnection is scripted, defined and documented in code

Try how fast and easy it is to directly and securely connect to Google Cloud. And you can see how to privately connect to Google Cloud and other leading cloud vendors by reading the ECX Fabric data sheet.

Check out our demonstration of how you can easily set up Equinix and Google Cloud network automation.