We all know by now that the dark cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of workers worldwide to work from home.Â
Companies that were caught unprepared have been scrambling to put together patchworks of solutions for secure remote working.Â
Ironically, as many would find out, in a crisis clouded by uncertainties and panic, the only quick, safe and geographically diverse solution for business continuity would involve cloud-based platforms.
Amidst this backdrop, cloud computing has entrenched itself as the new normal for enterprise IT.
Businesses today are no longer restricted to a single data centre environment or allocating resources to get it done by themselves. Instead, they can leverage new networking models that interconnect easily to support their immediate and future business needs.
The sudden shift in the landscape means that businesses have to pivot quickly and becoming more adaptable to their end users’ demands.Â
This means having the flexibility to turn up bandwidth capacity when needed and buying short-term interconnections instead of committing to lengthy contracts.
The current situation is a reminder of how crucial on-demand data centre interconnectivity and direct cloud connections are in an increasingly distributed and diverse IT environment.
A glimpse of the data centre market in 2024
According to experts, the global data centre market will by 2024 have almost doubled in value when compared to 2018. Furthermore:
- The global data centre interconnectivity market worth $2.1bn in 2018 has projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% up to 2024, generating revenues of more than $3.3bn.
- Of the world’s top 15 fastest MW growing markets, nine of them are located in APAC, clearly showing how the region is rapidly becoming the largest in terms of market share.
- Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic could have a multiplier effect on the above forecasts and overlapping with substantial facets of life requiring connectivity.
What does this mean for service providers?
Firstly, network operators and managed service providers (MSP) will need to be able to offer diverse routes and ecosystems of data centres to interconnect their customers.
Enterprises will demand faster interconnections and a more agile network model, while supporting their hybrid cloud architecture. The main driver for these fast, diverse and agile cloud-centric interconnections—data centre interconnection (DCI)—will need to be up to the task.
What are the key considerations for a future-ready DCI model?
- Software-definedÂ
The bedrock of tomorrow’s connectivity is the virtualisation of carrier ethernet networks and ethernet services via software defined networking (SDN). - Super scalable
As a hyperconnected digital hub, click a button and you will be able to serve new customer demands and access new areas of collaboration via short to long term granular bandwidth from 2Mbps up to 100Gbps . - Global reach
Instant connection to an already-established global ecosystem of networks, cloud service providers and internet exchanges is vital. - On-demand connectivity modelÂ
The system should enable you to rapidly deploy new applications and services whenever, wherever. - Single-contract flexibilityÂ
The versatility of DCI must be accompanied by the simplicity of an all-encompassing contract that is flexible enough to adapt to changing needs. - Carrier-grade security and serviceability
Entrust your mission-critical data only to a global, MEF-certified private network manned 24/7 by dedicated network experts.
It is clear from the above that service providers will thrive with an on-demand networking platform which can be used to deliver the best pathways for their end-users to interconnect data centres and much more.
Even more so, the flexibility to tap on scalable bandwidth capacity means that service providers can continue to support their customers no matter how urgent.
A single port connection to instant global connectivity and a software-defined networking (SDN) platform such as Epsilon’s Infiny can be easily leveraged for on-demand DCI, direct cloud connection, access to internet exchanges and other critical network solutions.
It is now the time to act fast to meet the needs for short-term interconnection and ensuring the network is ready to face new challenges.
