REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, today announced a partnership to bring Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute to 16 global markets inside Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers. As the first data center provider to deliver this global offering, Equinix will enable customers to directly connect to Azure in Equinix IBX data centers across five continents including: North America, South America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Additionally, customers interested in previewing the solution can now connect to ExpressRoute via the Equinix London data center (LD5).

"Businesses are demanding private and secure connections to the cloud to ensure optimal performance and scalability," said Melanie Posey, research vice president at IDC. "On-site applications such as virtual desktops and customer relationship management (CRM) are migrating to the cloud, alongside born-on-the-cloud Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) business processes. As a result, companies are looking for cloud connectivity alternatives which offer more consistent performance than the public Internet can provide. Businesses require low-latency and highly reliable connectivity for distributed applications that are increasingly being delivered via the hybrid cloud model. A dedicated private network also returns control to the internal teams responsible for the applications. With Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, Equinix and Microsoft are enabling high-performance hybrid cloud on a global basis."

Bypassing the Internet with Private Access

• ExpressRoute is designed to help customers bridge public cloud and on-premise IT to cost effectively and securely extend enterprise networks while improving performance, reliability and scalability.
• ExpressRoute provides private, high throughput, more reliable and lower-latency connections between customer data centers and Microsoft Azure. As a result, Equinix is enabling enterprise customers to seamlessly deploy hybrid cloud environments that extend their networks and enhance on-premises investments. Because ExpressRoute connections do not go over the public Internet, they also offer higher security than typical connections, with access to a multitude of network service providers that are part of Equinix's business ecosystems.
• Microsoft's physical infrastructure for Azure ExpressRoute resides in Equinix data centers and is available via an Equinix switching fabric that provides secure connectivity and real-time provisioning. By connecting to ExpressRoute across Platform Equinix™, companies are able to bridge their cloud and data center strategies and benefit from full integration between cloud services and internal applications. Azure is commonly leveraged for key workloads that include Big Data, storage, backup and recovery, hybrid applications, productivity applications and media.

Equinix Delivers ExpressRoute Globally

• Microsoft is using Equinix data centers to benefit from access to over 975 networks, as well as the ability to scale across Equinix's global platform which includes more than 450 cloud and 600 IT service providers. The partnership will provide Microsoft the ability to interconnect with Equinix's 4,500 customers around the globe.
• ExpressRoute is currently available as a "public preview" offering in Equinix IBX data centers in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C. and now London, and will become generally available in those markets later this spring. The service will be rolled out in multiple metro areas in Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America throughout 2014.
• 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.  

Quotes

• Steven Martin, general manager, Microsoft Azure at Microsoft:
  "Enterprises are drawn to hybrid cloud to benefit from cloud computing efficiencies, while maximizing their existing infrastructure. With 57 percent of Fortune 500 companies already using Microsoft Azure combined with Equinix's global data center footprint, we look forward to working together to help customers bridge their cloud and on-premises technology to build hybrid environments with enterprise-grade control and reliability."

• Chris Sharp, vice president, Cloud Innovation at Equinix:
  "We are witnessing a significant shift in how enterprises operate as they adopt hybrid cloud, and they are looking to effectively address performance and security concerns often associated with the cloud, while still benefiting from the flexibility it provides. By expanding our partnership with Microsoft, we are able to offer our customers a secure, flexible and reliable connection to the Microsoft Azure cloud in 16 strategic markets around the world. Only Equinix's global data center footprint can provide enterprises this scale and reach with Microsoft."

For more information or to sign up for the public preview, please visit http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/expressroute/.

Additional Resources       

• Exciting Time to be an Enterprise CIO: Microsoft and Equinix are Changing the Game [Equinix blog post]
• Equinix Brings Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute to 16 Markets Globally Inside Equinix IBX Data Centers  [Microsoft blog post]
• Windows Azure Connections Enabled at Equinix Data Centers [press release]

About Equinix 
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), connects more than 4,500 companies directly to their customers and partners inside the world's most networked data centers. Today, businesses leverage the Equinix interconnection platform in 32 strategic markets across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. www.equinix.com. 

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see Equinix's recent quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

Equinix and IBX are registered trademarks of Equinix, Inc.
International Business Exchange is a trademark of Equinix, Inc.

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SOURCE Equinix, Inc.