Digital Realty is launching Service Exchange, an interconnection platform that facilitates direct, private and secure connections from clients in its data center to multiple cloud service providers – including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure – as well as telecommunications providers and other Digital Realty customers worldwide.
The new Service Exchange, which is powered y Megaport, provides the elastic, SDN-based Ethernet fabric that enables interconnection between cloud providers and Digital Realty customers. An online portal will enable Digital Realty customers to actively manage multiple virtual private connections (“Virtual Cross Connects”) to cloud operators and service providers.
Digital Realty said its new Service Exchange will be available in 24 data centers across 15 markets by mid-year 2017, beginning with Atlanta , Chicago , Dallas , Los Angeles , New York , San Francisco , Seattle and Ashburn, VA in the fourth quarter of 2016. Service Exchange will be available in London and Phoenix in the first quarter of 2017, and in Amsterdam , Dublin , Miami , Singapore and Portland in the second quarter of 2017.
About Digital Realty
“We’re delighted to partner with Megaport to bring customers enhanced, easy-to-use interconnection services and SDN-enabled flexibility to their IT operations,” said Chris Sharp , Digital Realty’s Chief Technology Officer. “The Service Exchange creates a simple, flexible and scalable solution for our customers, including those looking to make, jump-start or accelerate their digital transformations.”
“We look forward to working with Digital Realty on this pioneering initiative,” said Denver Maddux , Megaport’s Chief Executive Officer. “Service Exchange is fully integrated with Megaport’s ubiquitous elastic fabric, which enables Digital Realty customers around the world to easily access the newest interconnection services and cloud network solutions. Megaport and Digital Realty have partnered to bring services, capabilities, SDN-enabled flexibility, and a great customer experience to IT operations in every business segment. Digital Realty has a longstanding tradition of enabling rapid scalability through its global infrastructure platform, and these benefits are now being complemented by Megaport’s similarly scalable interconnection platform. The combination of these capabilities creates an innovative offering for the industry.”
What does the future of Internet Exchange points look like? Software will bring new capabilities.
Digital Realty to Acquire Telx for Data Centers and Internet Exchanges
Digital Realty Trust agreed to acquire Telx, a national provider of data center colocation, interconnection and cloud enablement solutions, for $1.886 billion from private equity firms ABRY Partners and Berkshire Partners.
The combination is expected to double Digital Realty’s footprint in the rapidly-growing colocation business, as well as provide Digital Realty customers access to a leading interconnection platform.
As of March 31, 2015, Telx managed 1.3 million square feet of data center space operating out of 20 facilities across the country, of which two are Telx-owned, 11 are leased from Digital Realty, one is partially sub-leased from Digital Realty and an unrelated third party, and six are leased from third parties. Telx’s flagship facilities include its NYC1 data center at 60 Hudson Street in Manhattan, which serves as a nerve center for international communications and offers access to physical connection points to the world’s telecommunications networks and Internet backbones. Telx occupies multiple floors at 60 Hudson with interconnectivity to more than 400 carriers, financial exchanges and application, media, content, and software-as-a-service providers with just a single connection. Telx operates other NYC data centers at 111 8th Ave. and 32 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave).
As of March 31, 2015, Digital Realty’s portfolio consisted of 130 properties, including 14 properties held as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures, comprised of approximately 22.1 million square feet, excluding approximately 1.2 million square feet of space under active development and 1.3 million square feet of space held for future development, located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
