Zenlayer

Is bare metal dead?? With some of the largest providers leaving the space, you might think so. That couldn’t be further from the truth.? As EVP at Zenlayer heading sales across EMEA and the Americas, I see firsthand that demand isn’t just steady — it’s surging, especially among multinational #enterprises and in fields like AI/ML, gaming, financial trading, and streaming.? Why? Because these latency-sensitive applications need dedicated, high-performance infrastructure that cloud alone often can’t match: direct access to hardware, greater control over networking, customizability, and data ownership. But that doesn’t mean bare metal is easy. Managing bare metal architecture requires a deep understanding of lower-level systems, especially across a global, distributed enterprise infrastructure. Running a few servers in one data center? Easy. But scale that to dozens or hundreds across global data centers? Now you’re getting really complex with different regions, regulations, and infrastructure challenges. With shifting economies and increasing regionalization, companies must think more locally. That means dealing with new compliance laws, security concerns, and ultimately, headaches for IT teams. Most IT teams aren’t really equipped to handle the nuances of regional connectivity, compliance, and performance at scale. That’s why you need more than just servers. You need a partner who can help you piece together the entire global infrastructure puzzle. Zenlayer manages 20k+ servers across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific, we’ve spent over a decade helping businesses from startups to the largest multinational enterprises solve these exact challenges.? When you’re managing a bare metal cluster, connectivity is everything. Without the right network, even the best servers won’t perform at their peak, especially deployed globally. For IT and DevOps teams, the move to bare metal is part of a broader digital transformation journey.?It’s about gaining the flexibility to manage the compute stack while continuing to lower costs and simplify infrastructure overhead. It’s also about evolving toward virtualization, making it easier to scale workloads up or down as needs change.?? At Zenlayer, we’re looking ahead.?Our next-gen virtualization layer is rolling out across 60 PoPs, helping customers future-proof their digital infrastructure strategy.?? Deploy in 50 countries, your way – bare metal at the CPU/GPU edge, custom configs, or ZEC (our VMs) – with the network connectivity you need: blended IPT, cloud networking, or dedicated circuits. So, is bare metal dead? Not a chance. It’s still the backbone for businesses that demand peak performance and control.? But here’s the catch: bare metal alone isn’t enough. You need a global infrastructure that scales with you, stays resilient no matter the region, delivers consistent performance, and future-proofs your strategy.? If you’ve got #baremetal on your mind, let’s talk.

Join us on the road! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gfCizvgb What an incredible stop in #Dallas last week! We had an amazing time connecting with partners, exploring new #enterprise opportunities, and introducing Josh Frisbie, our new Regional Sales Director, to both familiar faces and new friends. Thank you for your warm hospitality! We're in #Chicago until Thursday, 3/6, before heading across the pond to #London on 3/11 — can't wait to see you guys there! ???? Brent Wilford, Craig Kaplan, Jeff Geiser, Lawrence "LL" Lee, Dan Balderrama CentersquareDC, AVANT Communications, DATAMOB, Glia, Megaport, Equinix, Digital Realty #partnership #connectivity #enterprisenetwork #digitalinfrastructure #hyperconnected

Data is moving faster than ever, with #AI workloads and other data-intensive tasks pushing traditional infrastructure to its limits. See how 100G servers are redefining high-performance #computing by delivering greater #bandwidth, better #scalability, and reduced congestion: https://lnkd.in/gr_G6Fsq #edgecompute #baremetal #vm #connectivity #hyperconnected

Sign up to meet up here: https://lnkd.in/gfCizvgb We kicked off our 2025 Roadshow in the #BayArea last week and had a blast connecting with partners and customers. Seeing driverless vehicles around #SanFrancisco was inspiring knowing that we're helping power the infrastructure that enables and scales breakthrough technology like this and more. Thanks to everyone who joined us! We're in #Dallas now through the 27th and heading to Chicago on the 3/3. See you there! Equinix, Digital Realty, Bridgepointe Technologies, Cloudflare. TecEx, AVANT Communications Craig Kaplan, Lawrence "LL" Lee, Dan Balderrama, Josh Lepold #ai #connectivity #enterprisenetwork #digitalinfrastructure #hyperconnected

A world-leading #AgTech firm on a mission toward global #foodsecurity leveraged Zenlayer to interconnect remote field labs and accelerate innovation in disaster-resistant crop development ??.?See how they made it happen: https://lnkd.in/eTy3DMs9 #agriculture #farming #hyperconnected #connectivity #enterprisenetwork

https://lnkd.in/gjqZN__k Are you trusted…or just transactional? I’ve seen it time and again, and you’ve probably seen it too. Trusted Advisors who consistently win aren’t just closing deals—they’re leading strategic conversations that open doors to long-term partnerships. As the Director of Channel at Zenlayer, I’ve worked with all kinds of agents. The ones who stand out aren’t focused on pushing a single product. They’re talking to decision-makers—CIOs, IT leaders—about what their businesses will look like in 5 years, in 10. Many new agents tend to lean on existing relationships from past roles, which is a great start. But real success comes from evolving those conversations. It’s about shifting from being a point of contact for one deal to becoming a trusted advisor who really understands the bigger picture of where the customer is trying to get to. So how do you get from transactional to trusted? First, make sure you’ve fully addressed the customer’s immediate needs and have a solid grasp of the project’s scope. Then, shift gears by asking the right follow-up questions: 1. "Beyond this project, are there any challenges at your other locations worldwide?" 2. "Are you struggling with network issues related to current or planned applications?" 3. "What challenges are you experiencing with your current suppliers?" These questions transform the conversation from transactional to strategic. Now, you’re not just the person with the best deal—you’re the partner who listens, gets what keeps them up, and offers real solutions towards long-term success. Take bare metal, for example. A customer might start by asking for a single server. But by asking the right questions, you can shift the conversation toward global networking challenges. Now you’re not just talking to the network architecture director—you’re in the room with the CIO, talking about how to optimize their global IT strategy. Here’s the truth: A lot of bigger organizations struggle with managing too many vendors across regions. It’s a mess that takes up a ton of time and resources. When you show them how you can streamline that, you’re not just solving a problem—you’re delivering real business value. If this hits home, stick around! Next time, I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned navigating conversations about the notoriously complex region of the Asia-Pacific, how to tackle challenges with cross-border traffic, and dive a bit into the new fiber for AI we’ve been building up there.

Cloud repatriation isn’t a step backward, it's all about balance. As cloud costs rise and #latency-sensitive applications demand more control, bare metal is making a comeback. But rather than replacing cloud, many businesses are turning to hybrid solutions to maximize performance, cost efficiency, and flexibility. Learn why a mix of #baremetal, #VMs, and #cloud is the key to optimizing IT strategy: https://lnkd.in/gHiZ-6hD #hyperconnected #cloudrepatriation #cloudnetworking #hyperscaler #publiccloud #edgecompute

Happy Friday! ??? Throwing it back to Karaoke Connection, our joint #PTC25 afterparty with Kentik! We had an unforgettable night filled with sips, songs, and celebrations alongside 500+ friends, partners, and customers in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Whether you were there or missed out, we can’t wait to see you next year at #PTC26! #hyperconnected #networking #partnerships #connectivity #hawaii

We're back on the road to connect with customers, partners, and friends! ???? First stop: the Bay Area next week. If you're in town or will be, let's make it happen—sign up to meet up! https://lnkd.in/gfCizvgb #hyperconnected #connectivity #edgecompute #networking #partnerships #bayarea

Expanding into four challenging markets in the #MiddleEast, a pioneering #cybersecurity leader partnered with us to ensure high availability and optimize network performance while meeting stringent #security standards ???. Here's how they did it: https://lnkd.in/gWMawR92 #jeddah #riyadh #fujairah #dubai #hyperconnected #highavailability #baremetal #edgecompute