Equinix Deepens Hybrid Cloud Partnership With NetApp

Equinix, Inc., an interconnection and data center company, and NetApp, Inc.  are expanding their cloud partnership.

The two companies provide an expanded offering of private storage solutions for the public cloud including NetApp private storage for Microsoft Azure, through the Equinix Cloud Exchange, which makes connecting to the cloud simple and convenient.

The NetApp Private Storage for Microsoft Azure solution stores enterprise data on the customer’s private NetApp platform, which can be colocated in Equinix data centers around the world. Applications run in Microsoft Azure and have a dedicated connection to the NetApp storage by Azure ExpressRoute connections. ExpressRoute’s private, secure, high-throughput connectivity between cloud compute and private storage resources means data can be transferred with low latency.

As part of today’s announcement, Equinix and NetApp delivered test results revealing that data throughput between NetApp Private Storage customers and Microsoft Azure rose by an average of 36% when the two services were connected via the Equinix cloud Exchange instead of via public networks. These tests illustrate significant performance gains companies can achieve when accessing multiple cloud and IT services inside Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers. Additional results from NetApp’s testing of the Equinix cloud Exchange can be found in the Equinix blog.

NetApp and Equinix began their partnership in 2012 to give customers complete control over their data while using scalable compute from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Building on the success of the AWS offering, the expanded partnership and new solution for Microsoft Azure enable the two companies to meet customer demands for public clouds. By deploying NetApp Private Storage in Equinix data centers with Equinix Cloud Exchange, enterprises place data next to AWS and Microsoft Azure to combine the elasticity and cost benefits of public cloud compute with performance availability and control of private NetApp storage and data management.

Highlights:

• The Equinix Cloud Exchange can dynamically connect NetApp Private Storage customers to multiple public clouds. This automated provisioning, combined with advanced service orchestration, simplifies the process of interconnecting enterprise storage resources to cloud services, slashing connection times from days or even weeks to minutes.
• The 36% gain in storage throughput was determined by comparing the performance NetApp users experienced via ExpressRoute and Equinix Cloud Exchange to the throughput speed of sending data via VPN over the public Internet.
• The positive results from NetApp’s testing suggest that customers can more confidently explore multi-cloud deployments to handle large, complex workflows more efficiently. Tests were performed in labs within Equinix data centers in Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley that physically house NetApp private storage arrays, as well as Microsoft ExpressRoute access points, thereby minimizing latency in the tests’ outcome.
• Equinix was the first data center company to offer Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, which provides direct, private connections to Microsoft Azure cloud services. Businesses can access cloud services through the Equinix Cloud Exchange in 16 markets globally – Amsterdam, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington D.C. with expansion planned to a total of 19 markets by the end of 2014.
• Today NetApp Private Storage for Microsoft Azure is available in Equinix data centers in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Availability throughout additional US data center, Europe and Asia are planned for the near future.

Phil Brotherton, VP, cloud solutions group, NetApp, said: “Our test results confirm the performance benefits of connecting private storage to public clouds through Equinix cloud Exchange. The exchange platform’s automated connections give NetApp customers direct, easy access to multiple clouds and managed services, so they can quickly create a virtual portfolio IT services that works for them. As for NetApp, we see great value in this new solution, because it enables us to connect our infrastructure stack to multiple cloud vendors, expanding opportunities for our customers and our business.“

Greg Adgate, VP global partnerships and alliances, Equinix, said: “The performance gains reported by NetApp’s customers on Equinix Cloud Exchange should be very encouraging to companies considering multi-cloud deployments. Through the cloud Exchange, we aim to give companies near-instant access to the broadest range of cloud and IT services. Equinix makes it simple and seamless for companies to connect to multiple clouds and networks – and to adjust their use of those services as business needs change.“