INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cloud
Equinix to extend customer access
to Alibaba Cloud in 17 markets
API integration with ECX
Fabric allows streamlined
access to Alibaba Cloud
across the Americas, Asia-
Pacific and EMEA.
Equinix, the global interconnection and
data center company, has announced
it will extend access to Alibaba Cloud,
the digital technology and intelligence
backbone of Alibaba Group, through
Platform Equinix for customers from 17
metros globally, including Dubai, Frankfurt,
Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Singapore,
Sydney, Tokyo, as well as US metros such as
Chicago, Dallas, Denver.
This expansion, along with its API
integration with Equinix Cloud Exchange
Fabric (ECX Fabric), will help enterprises
from these global markets easily and
privately connect to Alibaba Cloud on
Platform Equinix.
Alibaba Cloud is the third largest global
provider of Infrastructure- As-a-Service
(IaaS) and the largest in Asia-Pacific,
according to Gartner. With the partnership,
Alibaba Cloud can also enjoy secure, direct
access to a robust, interconnected ecosystem
of more than 9,700 customers, including
1,800 network providers and over 2,900
cloud and IT service providers globally to
enhance performance, lower latency and
increase reliability for its customers.
As a key enabler of Digital Transformation,
cloud has been heavily adopted by
multinational enterprises as they seek to
modernize and mobilize their IT systems.
According to Gartner, IaaS is expected to
reach US$62 billion in 2021 globally, and
is forecast to grow at a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 24% during the
forecast period 2019–2024. To deliver on
the expectations of transformation, it is
critical for enterprises to ensure they can
securely and seamlessly access multiple
cloud service providers (CSPs), such as
Alibaba Cloud.
In view of increasing market demand,
Alibaba Cloud has also integrated its API
with ECX Fabric to streamline the process
for enterprises to facilitate private and direct
connections to Alibaba Cloud. Through a
single portal, customers can create and
manage private connections to Alibaba
Cloud on demand in any of the 45 ECX
Fabric metros, in minutes.
Highlights/key facts
• Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive
suite of cloud computing services to
businesses worldwide, which include
elastic compute service, storage,
relational databases, Big Data
solution and CDN. Its rich and diverse
ecosystem ranges from e-commerce and
payments, to logistics and supply chain
management solutions.
• Alibaba Group's market share in the
global IaaS market climbed to 9.1% in
2019, up from 7.7% in 2018, according
to Gartner. To support its growing
international business, Alibaba Cloud
distributes its IT infrastructure on
Platform Equinix in 17 metros across the
Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA:
– Nine American metros: Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Seattle, Silicon Valley and Washington
D.C.
– Five Asia-Pacific metros: Hong Kong,
Jakarta, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo
– Three EMEA metros: Dubai, Frankfurt
and London
• Alibaba Cloud's API integration with ECX
Fabric enables seamless, streamlined
access for customers. Enterprises can
establish a secure connection between
their network and Alibaba Cloud through
a single portal in minutes. This allows
enterprises to maintain private clouds
and manage sensitive data within
Equinix IBX data centers in proximity to
Alibaba Cloud, while taking advantage
of its flexibility, scalability and costsavings
benefits. •
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