Windows Azure connections enabled at Equinix Data Centers

REDWOOD CITY, USA: Equinix, Inc., the global interconnection and data center company, has announced a strategic relationship with Microsoft Corp. that enables cloud connectivity to Windows Azure in key markets globally through Equinix International Business Exchange(IBX) data centers.

Key Facts:

• Windows Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform that enables customers to quickly build, deploy and manage applications. By taking advantage of Windows Azure, enterprises can flexibly build applications using any language, tool or framework.

• With this offering Equinix customers can connect their owned and managed infrastructure directly to Windows Azure via Platform Equinix, establishing a private network connection that may reduce network costs, increase throughput, reduce latency and provide more consistent network performance than Internet-based connections.

• Connecting to Windows Azure through Platform Equinix allows enterprises to bridge their cloud and data center strategies allowing full integration between cloud services and internal applications, and flexible and dynamic bandwidth through automated network provisioning.

• A direct connection to Windows Azure will be available in multiple Equinix IBX data centers across the US in the first half of 2014. More details on locations will be shared when the solution becomes available.

• Equinix and Microsoft will be onboarding a small number of customers for early trials by the end of 2013.

According to the Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey, the adoption of cloud-based applications will continue to increase as enterprises achieve the benefits of cost savings, flexibility, and reduced operational demands. During the cloud migration process, data protection security was cited as the top obstacle to a successful implementation of cloud services (72 percent), followed by availability and reliability of cloud applications (67 percent), device-based security (66 percent), visibility and control of applications across the WAN (60 percent) and overall application performance (60 percent).

Equinix data centers are an interconnection point for companies to gain direct and secure access to public and private cloud services. Once connected within an Equinix global data center, these businesses have the broadest selection of high-performance cloud services to create the architecture that best fits their objectives. Equinix offers direct access to a robust and dynamic cloud ecosystem for the rapid integration of services, technologies and customer opportunities, including more than 450 cloud, 950 networks and 600 IT service providers.

Satya Nadella, executive vice president of Cloud and Enterprise for Microsoft: "Microsoft is committed to helping enterprises succeed as they move toward the cloud. Windows Azure provides customers with a variety of ways to connect in a manner that is private, fast and secure. The relationship with Equinix gives customers yet another seamless way to extend their on-premises network to Windows Azure by strategically using Equinix's global data center footprint where businesses are already connecting to the cloud."