The challenges enterprises face around network infrastructure are clear: They need to connect easily with multiple clouds for many reasons, including enhanced resilience, cost optimization, compliance, scalability, and the ability to quickly integrate different environments following M&A activity. They need the flexibility to change those connections as their business needs change, including adding capacity to support growing applications. And they need to do all that without sacrificing high performance, security or cost efficiency.
With all these different factors to account for, it’s no wonder so many enterprise IT teams are looking for ways to simplify multicloud networking. Let’s look at some of the options available to them.
How can businesses enable multicloud networking?
Trying to support effective multicloud networking with traditional telco services is a non-starter; they’re simply too slow to deploy and adapt. If you’re going to use applications that move at cloud speed, then you need your network to move at cloud speed as well.
Moving cloud data over the public internet is another option. However, this might cause performance issues, since traffic doesn’t follow a direct, dedicated route from source to destination. Also, most enterprises recognize that their multicloud applications are too important to entrust to a public connection, where the data could be exposed at any time.
A software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) can provide flexibility and scalability that physical network infrastructure can’t match, without the cost and complexity of building the network. It also provides security capabilities that the internet can’t match. These factors make it a strong contender for enterprises that want to expand their multicloud networking quickly—on paper, at least.
Since an SD-WAN is a software overlay, it lacks built-in Layer 1/Layer 2 connectivity. You can’t be sure that a dedicated private underlay will be available whenever and wherever you need it. This means you could end up moving certain workloads over the internet, essentially defeating the purpose of using a private networking solution in the first place.
Equinix Fabric Cloud Router offers a better way
We built Equinix Fabric® Cloud Router to offer our customers a quicker, easier and more cost-effective way to do multicloud networking on a global scale. And since Equinix is the global leader in native cloud on-ramps to all four major cloud providers, low-latency connectivity across many different locations is a given.
In a matter of minutes, Fabric Cloud Router users can get the connectivity they need to support the following use cases:
- Cloud-to-cloud routing: Directly connect data and applications between Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Oracle Cloud. This removes the need to “hairpin” traffic through your on-premises data center or move it over the public internet.
- Hybrid cloud: Connect your public cloud services to your private cloud and edge locations. This helps you maintain greater control over your data and reach all the locations you need to reach with your network.
Since we launched Fabric Cloud Router, we’ve continued to work on new developments that will deliver even more value to our customers. For instance, we now offer greater flexibility around virtual connection (VC) sizing. Customers can choose from smaller VCs for their less data-intensive applications, up to VCs of 25 Gbps where their chosen cloud supports it, all while paying only for the bandwidth they need. Customers can use these high-bandwidth connections to enable use cases such as cloud-to-cloud migration and moving AI workloads.
Migrating massive datasets from cloud to cloud
As your business needs and strategy change over time, you may find yourself deemphasizing one cloud provider while deepening your partnership with another. If you’ve been using the first cloud for long enough, you’ve likely built up petabytes of data that you’ll need to migrate to the other cloud. With the wrong network connection, such a migration might take several months to complete.
High-bandwidth VCs on Fabric Cloud Router provide a quick, secure way to complete the migration while minimizing disruption to your ongoing operations. Also, the major public cloud providers offer lower egress fees for moving data over private connections, thus making Fabric Cloud Router a cost-effective option for cloud migration.
Enabling different AI technologies
Many enterprises look to public cloud to accelerate their AI journeys. For instance, they may use the cloud to access GPU capacity, thereby avoiding supply chain bottlenecks and the complexity of deploying physical hardware themselves. However, starting their AI journey in the public cloud doesn’t mean they need to use it exclusively.
Over time, enterprises may choose to deploy GPUs on infrastructure that they have more control over, such as a private cloud. They may do this to protect their sensitive data with a private AI strategy. They would need hybrid cloud connectivity to move their AI workloads across different public and private environments. High-bandwidth VCs on Fabric Cloud Router enable this, along with the scalability needed to move ever-larger AI training datasets.
Fabric Cloud Router on AWS Marketplace enables multicloud networking on demand
For years now, enterprises have turned to cloud marketplaces to help them streamline the procurement process for the software and services they rely on. They can select the tools they need from a centralized platform, get those tools running in minutes, and take advantage of flexible pricing. However, there’s never been a way to acquire multicloud networking services from a cloud marketplace—until now.
AWS recently opened AWS Marketplace to networking solutions built on top of AWS Direct Connect. We’re proud to announce that Equinix is now the first vendor to launch a publicly listed networking solution on AWS Marketplace. Businesses can acquire Fabric Cloud Router services directly from the Marketplace, with all the speed and simplicity that entails.
We’ve listed Fabric Cloud Router on AWS Marketplace because we know businesses are looking for greater choice and flexibility around how they consume multicloud networking services. They can acquire Fabric Cloud Router from the Marketplace without having to speak to a salesperson—from Equinix or from AWS.
“Equinix Fabric Cloud Router with AWS Direct Connect provides customers a toolset to deliver private and dependable connectivity between clouds,” said Emad Benjamin, General Manager for AWS Direct Connect. “The availability of Fabric Cloud Router on AWS Marketplace is a win for our joint customers who are seeking easy access to secure, performant cloud-to-cloud connectivity either for data migration or multicloud architectures.”
It’s also quick and easy to deploy Fabric Cloud Router from the AWS Marketplace even if you aren’t an existing Equinix customer. You don’t need to onboard Equinix as a new vendor, since your monthly or annual subscription is simply billed to your AWS account.
This announcement is just the latest development in a long and fruitful relationship between Equinix and AWS. In fact, Equinix was the launch partner for the very first AWS Direct Connect hub back in 2011. Today, we’re still one of the largest AWS Direct Connect providers in terms of global coverage, with availability in 49 different Equinix locations worldwide.[1]
Access Equinix Fabric Cloud Router on AWS Marketplace today.
Also, to learn more about what it takes to do multicloud networking right, read the guide: 7 Key Questions to Ask when Architecting a Multicloud Network.
[1] Only select U.S. metros are currently available directly from the AWS Marketplace. We are working to expand availability.
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