Importance of DirectCLOUD for SMEs

Ever thought about DirectCLOUD and how flexible it can be? DE-CIX’s DirectCLOUD Services have a large base of Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and AWS that serve 90% of the cloud market and allow SMEs to pick and choose different providers on a Single Interconnection Platform.

Keep in mind that using hybrid cloud can be challenging, which is why a Single Access Port is the solution. DE-CIX DirectCLOUD allows you to avoid multiple negotiations and contracts with partners and vendors. This enables you to Save Time and Money with best-in-class service to SMEs.

The Significance of DirectCLOUD became known during the Pandemic. The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way SMEs conduct business, and no company understands this better than we do. Through a Single Access Port Services, DE-CIX’s DirectCLOUD connects SMEs all over the world to multi-cloud providers. As a trusted partner, we help everything from security and flexibility to cost-effectiveness as well as scalability.

When it comes to Digital Platform, Security is a major concern for SMEs because they are vulnerable to hackers as long as they use the internet, but data will be safe and secure once they switch to a Legally Compliant and Secure Cloud Interconnected Platform. DDoS attacks, prefix hijacking, BGP hijacking, and route leaks are less likely when SMEs get a DirectCLOUD service from all CSPs through a single port.

In the current state of affairs, a number of factors influence cost, one of which is bandwidth. Using our services, we can reduce bandwidth utilisation by up to 90% in Mumbai and up to 80% in other cities such as Chennai. SME’s can save a significant amount of money by utilising DirectCLOUD services. There will be no need for additional hardware, and you will not be limited to a single service provider or vendor. A single access port allows you to connect to multiple Cloud Services at a lower cost, with faster connectivity, and compatibility with current hardware and software.

Now comes the important matter of the benefits of using DirectCLOUD. In the world of cloud computing, there are numerous moving parts. There are dozens of cloud providers that offer a wide range of services to businesses like yours. The sheer number and variety of options can make it difficult to know what will work best for your business and how to navigate them. DirectCLOUD Services can assist you in getting started quickly by providing a customised mix of services tailored to your specific needs. When you jump from multiple Internet hops, you will notice an impact on resource productivity and performance due to latency and security, but when you switch to DirectCLOUD services, you will get a Fast, Simple, Stable, and Secure environment.

With its expanded perks and takeaways, DirectCLOUD is truly a forward-thinking service. The world of multi-cloud is fast evolving and becoming crowded. From Red Hat to Oracle, Microsoft to Google, there are a number of platforms, products, and services competing for our attention. So, how do you choose the right cloud for your business? Why should you go with them instead of their competitors? DirectCLOUD is all you need if you’re looking for these solutions.

Continue reading to learn how DirectCLOUD can help you build your online presence and grow your business today. Whether you’re a start-up or an established company, we at DE-CIX India are excited to support you and grow your business.

10 Reasons to peer: 2. Peering lowers your costs

In this second article in our “reasons to peer” series, we explain how peering can help you to lower your costs.

Companies need ever increasing amounts of bandwidth – video conferencing, a multitude of SaaS applications, video streaming, and the likes, all demand fast, efficient connections. And this comes at a cost.

Peering vs. transit

Most often, companies connect to the Internet via IP transit: you pay a network for Internet access. With peering, however, two (or more) networks exchange traffic cost-neutrally with each other. By connecting to an Internet Exchange, networks can peer with hundreds of networks.

In many cases, all around the world, the cost of traffic via peering at an Internet Exchange is also cheaper than using transit. Many organisations are therefore turning to peering to reduce costs.

Peering is about performance

Exceptions are of course possible, depending on your region and on the volume of usage of peering and transit ports. But beyond the cost discussion, peering is all about performance. Keep an eye on the follow-up articles in this series, in which we look at the performance-related benefits of peering.
You can read the previous article in the Reasons To Peer series below :

With high traffic comes great responsibility; How an internet exchange operator successfully manages continuously growing data traffic

At the latest since the spread of the global Covid-19 pandemic, people have become more and more dependent on digital services and have come to rely on them, in both their private and professional lives. Digitalisation is picking up speed faster than expected. On the front lines of accelerated digitalisation, internet exchanges, as part of the critical internet infrastructure, face the challenge of a fast, secure and smooth interconnection of thousands of networks.

Coronavirus pandemic as a driver of digitalisation

The past year was quite extraordinary for everyone. Never before, as companies, the entire economy and even private individuals, have we been exposed to a truly global pandemic. The fact that the pandemic is a driver of digitalisation became apparent early on. In 2020, India enjoyed a strong rise in Internet usage, which hit the peaks when recorded at internet exchanges. Data traffic indicated increases in all areas, especially in the home working environment through collaboration tools such as Teams, VPN use or video conferencing as well as entertainment options such as online and cloud gaming and streaming.

Now, the virus, with its consequences of a changed culture of work and leisure, is not the only component causing data traffic to skyrocket. Growth in streaming services and cloud computing, mobile internet, and real time communication has been ongoing and accelerating for years now. Innovations and advancing automation of technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence along with day to day events also play a decisive role, as do seasonal influences. Seasonally, in most years the internet experiences a slow down during the summer months  but not in the extraordinary year of 2020. In fact, at DE-CIX Mumbai, total customer bandwidth grew by 75 per cent as a result of both new customers and existing customers ordering upgrades. This brought the total connected customer bandwidth to close to 3000 Gigabits, or three Terabits, customers of the exchange grew by 53 per cent to 280 and there was an increase of 67 per cent in the number of 100GE ports sold, reflecting customer needs for greater bandwidths. This is evidence to the fact that during the Covid-19 pandemic, growth in the use of digital applications and Internet services continued unabated.

Increased demand: Interconnection available at any time

Data traffic is growing and demand for bandwidth is increasing. Managing this ongoing transformation in a way that guarantees a seamless user experience is crucial for both private or business purposes. Internet exchanges are well equipped to meet these challenges; On the one hand, they can immediately upgrade existing customers’ connections, for example, by upgrading a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) port to a 100GE port. Also, new networks that want to benefit from the advantages of peering, that is a direct connection to and between different networks via an internet exchange can be quickly connected. As a result of the direct connection, data packets reach their destination directly and as quickly as possible, as well as securely, cost effectively and without packet loss.

Cloud connectivity is particularly in demand to enable dedicated access by enterprises to cloud service providers. Ever increasing data volumes and increasingly critical business applications mean that dedicated connections are becoming more and more important. To constantly meet all of these needs, sufficient capacities must be planned. In this way, internet exchanges can ensure fully comprehensive interconnection worldwide at all times. Strategic and proactive plans that ensure sufficient capacities are always available, making certain that these needs are permanently met and that there is full coverage at all times. As soon as the utilisation of the connected bandwidth by networks at internet exchanges reaches 63 per cent, it is common practice that it gets upgraded. This process allows it to ensure full coverage at all times.

High data traffic means growing responsibility

With high traffic comes great responsibility. Due to accelerated digitalisation and the increased demand for interconnection, peering, cloud connectivity and the like, an internet exchange must be continuously prepared for the needs arising from increases in data traffic, not only by connecting new customers every day but also by always providing sufficient capacity for further growth. It is also necessary to look beyond the horizon; Digital technology will continue to evolve rapidly, and only by constantly monitoring developments and planning extensively in advance is it possible to live up to responsibilities encompassing partners and customers, to the end users, and also to the environment.

By Sudhir Kunder, Country Director, DE-CIX India