Enterprises Deploying Interconnection Oriented Architectures Transform IT for Measurable Business Value

New, interconnection-first based approach helps companies solve critical IT challenges and lead in the digital economy

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. — December 14, 2015 — As confirmed by a recent survey of more than 1,000 senior IT decision makers, in order to succeed in today’s digital economy, enterprises around the globe must adopt interconnected, on-demand IT architectures.  To help companies understand, deploy and benefit from interconnection, Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, today unveiled a blueprint for becoming an interconnected enterprise – the Interconnection Oriented Architecture™ (IOA™).  Based on work with more than 100 Fortune 500 customers, and 400+ Equinix Performance Hub™ deployments, Equinix developed IOA as a proven and repeatable engagement model that both enterprises and solution providers can leverage to directly and securely connect people, locations, clouds and data.   IOA shifts the fundamental IT delivery architecture from siloed and centralized to interconnected and distributed, and only the Equinix Interconnection Platform™ provides the critical building blocks to implement this architecture – a global footprint, dense cloud and service provider ecosystems, and the ability to integrate data and analytics at the edge.

Many enterprise customers have already turned to Equinix to implement an IOA strategy.  In a recent panel at the Gartner Catalyst Conference in San Diego, Equinix led a group of customers including The Weather Company, General Dynamics and Microsoft, discussing “How and Why Interconnection Oriented Architecture Supports Enterprise Growth.”  Additionally, CDM Smith, a consulting engineering and operations company with 160 offices worldwide, engaged Equinix to deliver a robust, integrated end-to-end IOA solution to improve user experience globally, leverage a hybrid cloud model and introduce greater global consistency.  The result was significant business advantages on many levels. For more on the economic benefits of interconnection, click here.

Highlights / Key Facts

·       With its global footprint of more than 100 data centers, combined with its Performance Hub solution, which combines data center elements, networking infrastructure, and cloud access via Equinix Cloud Exchange™ to improve application performance on a global scale, Equinix is the ideal partner to help companies enable an Interconnection Oriented Architecture.  This combination of global reach and service provider density allows enterprises to bring their applications, data and networks closest to their users, customers and business partners – whether deploying in a cloud environment or a private infrastructure at the edge. 

·       Analysts agree on the need for and benefits of IOA. A recent report from 451 Research, “Interconnection 101,” examined the critical importance for companies to connect with each other to exchange data traffic.  It also profiled the rise of interconnection itself as a viable business, with facilities such as Equinix’s, where the largest number of firms can meet and interconnect, as drivers of interconnection growth.  Additionally, a recent Forrester study, “The Total Economic Impact (TEI)™ of Equinix Interconnection Solutions,” outlined the financial benefits of direct interconnection. 

Quotes

·       Tony Bishop, vice president, vertical marketing, Equinix

“Results of our recent Enterprise of the Future survey, together with the experience we’ve gained working with our top global enterprise and service provider customers, indicate that we are on the precipice of a massive interconnection-led reinvention of enterprise IT.  We believe an Interconnection Oriented Architecture is a valuable, repeatable strategy that will guide enterprises on their journey to becoming a truly interconnected enterprise, leveraging Equinix’s distinct interconnection and colocation capabilities.”

“What we’re seeing in our research is that as cloud usage takes off, data production grows exponentially, content pushes closer to the edge, and end users demand data and applications at all hours from all locations, the ability to connect with a wide variety of players becomes increasingly more important. The IOA strategy, as outlined by Equinix, underscores this industry shift and is consistent with our projections for enterprise IT evolution.”