How to write a data center interconnection story

How data center operators can grow a healthy interconnection ecosystem and ensure a diversity of networks.

Part II?of the series?“4 steps to increase data center competitiveness”

Read?Part I?and?Part II

Step 3?to increase data center competitiveness: Offer enterprise customers flexibility

In my last post, I looked at enterprise demands from network density and specialized interconnection services. But enterprises?also?want?flexibility. Not only do they want access to a large ecosystem of networks, but they also want to know they can change providers according to their strategic and business needs.?This means?they need diversity in the ecosystem, not just size.?Therefore, the neutrality of the interconnection ecosystem is central, because this is the only way an enterprise be sure they can?avoid vendor and provider lock-in.

?As such, the time really has come for data center operators to begin writing their own interconnection story and integrating the concept of an open and neutral Internet Exchange into their business plan. What approach they should take to do this depends on the level of in-house knowledge, the location of the data center, and the business strategy.

?Option A –?Take the DIY road and create your own IX: A rewarding undertaking, but it requires consistent effort and specialist interconnection knowledge to grow the ecosystem?and?get the most out of it. The more your ecosystem grows, the more gravity it will generate, making it more attractive for further networks to join. However, developing that initial gravity can be challenging. Furthermore, if your platform is only available in your own data center, this is a closed environment, meaning that it doesn’t offer the benefits of a broader interconnection ecosystem. Therefore, if you do choose to do it yourself, it would be advisable to also make your platform open to other IXs.

Option B – Partner?with an interconnection specialist:?An interconnection specialist can offer the know-how and experience, but also the ready-made ecosystem to enable an immediate offering for your DC customers.?Still, the choice of partner is crucial, because to get the most out of your interconnection ecosystem-building, you need an open and neutral one.

If your DC is within the geographical proximity of an existing open and neutral IX, the best option would be to become an enabled site.?Doing?so?embeds?your data center within this ecosystem, so that you can capitalize on its interconnection gravity.?This means that you can enrich your portfolio with interconnection services,?offering?your customers and prospects?access to a ready-made ecosystem of network, content, cloud,?and application providers,?as well asinterconnection services specifically designed for the needs of enterprises.?

?If, on the other hand, your DC is operating in a greenfield interconnection market, the alternative would be to work with an interconnection partner that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions.?Along with the advantages of having seasoned experts build and operate your IX, you have an additional benefit if the operator allows your IX to be?embedded within?their own ecosystem.?But even if you take this road, it is still fundamental to have an open platform that can interconnect with other data centers. Allowing other DCs to be integrated into your ecosystem and themselves offer access to your IX will vastly increase your potential local and regional?reach.

An example of such as setup is DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS), a program?that?offers a professionally managed IX, built to the?DC?operator’s?desired?dimensions. The IX can be shipped right to the DC doorstep as “DE-CIX in a Box”, based on DE-CIX’s award-winning technology, and offering DE-CIX’s multi-service interconnection platform. The IX becomes part of the global DE-CIX ecosystem?of over 2000 networks?for the data center’s customers to interconnect with.?Therefore,anyone connected to the global DE-CIX ecosystem from another location becomes a virtual cross-connect away – massively increasing the richness?and attractiveness?of theDC’s?growing ecosystem and providing?local?customers with an entirely different value proposition.

Get in touch with me if you’d like to talk about your data center interconnection story.