Over 7 in 10 (77%) Digital Leaders in the Netherlands Say Digitizing their Infrastructure is their Biggest Priority

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – May 11, 2021 – Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world's digital infrastructure company™, today announced the findings of its annual global study of the views of IT decision-makers on the biggest technology trends affecting businesses worldwide and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital infrastructure plans.

Surveying 2,600 IT decision-makers from diverse enterprises across 26 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions, the study reveals: 

• 51% of global businesses have rearchitected their IT infrastructure to meet new remote and hybrid working demands, with tech budgets increasing to accelerate digital transformation. In contrast to this, three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed in the Netherlands reported they already had the IT infrastructure in place to shift to a remote working model during the pandemic.
• 64% of digital leaders, globally, with a similar figure of 65% of those surveyed in the Netherlands, believe there will be long-term changes to where and how people work within their organization.
• A third (33%) of IT decision-makers in the Netherlands reported data leaks and cyber-attacks, as a result of more distributed user devices, to be the biggest threat to their organization.
• Over three-quarters (76%) of those surveyed in the Netherlands said complying with data protection regulation and improving cybersecurity are top business priorities, along with the need for them to digitize their IT infrastructure (77%).

Digital transformation in the post-pandemic future, according to IT decision-makers in the Netherlands

Digitization and business investment in digital infrastructure have increased as a result of COVID-19. Over a quarter (28%) of digital leaders surveyed in the Netherlands said they have accelerated digital transformation plans because of the pandemic, while almost a third (30%) said their budgets have been increased to satisfy the rapid growth in digital demands.

There has also been a major overhaul of IT strategies to meet the challenges emerging from the pandemic. In the Netherlands, over a third (34%) said they have revised their IT strategy as a result of COVID-19, while 42% said they want to invest in technology to be more agile post-COVID.

Asked about their biggest priorities for their organization’s digital strategy, more than three-quarters (77%) of respondents in the Netherlands reported digitizing their IT infrastructure was a top priority, followed closely by complying with data protection regulation and improving cybersecurity (both at 76%).

Concerns that the pandemic will have put the brakes on companies’ expansion plans lessened

• Over a quarter (28%) of businesses in the Netherlands still have plans to expand into new regions, countries or metros, according to the digital leaders surveyed in this market.

• Of that 28%, nearly eight in 10 (79%) plan to achieve this virtually, rather than by investing in physical IT infrastructure in-market.

Utilizing interconnection for success

• Globally, 58% of IT leaders said they believe interconnection—the direct and private exchange of data between organizations—will help them to navigate the challenges they face due to COVID-19.
• In the Netherlands, over a quarter (26%) of those surveyed report interconnection will help them to gain a competitive advantage.

Michiel Eielts, Managing Director of Equinix in Benelux, said: “The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance for organizations to be able to digitize their platforms quickly, helping them to succeed in what is—and continues to be—a rapidly-changing business environment. The need for organizations to digitize their IT infrastructures is more crucial now than ever before, and is being seen not just in the Netherlands, but all around the world as well. However, in the Dutch market, this fast transition to digital during the pandemic also highlights the maturity of the business landscape here, with our survey finding that 75% of digital leaders already had the IT infrastructure in place to quickly shift to remote working. Additionally, a large majority of almost two-thirds (65%) of those surveyed, claim they are now planning for long-term changes to working patterns.

“To continue supporting this market, we recently announced the completion of the third phase of our AM7 data center in Amsterdam, which allows us to offer low latency connectivity and support a great number of networks, cloud and service providers, with a state-of-the-art data center which is also built to be one of the most sustainable interconnection facilities in the world. In this way, Equinix can provide the rich connectivity and ecosystems that businesses need to thrive in today’s increasingly digital world.”

The Global Interconnection Index (GXI) Volume 4, a market study recently published by Equinix, forecasts that overall interconnection bandwidth—the measure of private connectivity for the transfer of data between organizations—will achieve a 45% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2019 to 2023, globally, with this figure being slightly higher in Amsterdam, at 48%. The expected growth is driven by digital transformation, and specifically by greater demands from enterprises extending their digital infrastructure from centralized locations to distributed edge locations.

To read more about the Global Tech Trends Survey, or download a copy, please visit: https://www.equinix.nl/resources/infopapers/equinix-tech-trends-survey

Additional Quotes

• Eugene Bergen Henegouwen, President, EMEA, Equinix:

“As digital leaders around the world are focused on digitizing their organizations to respond to the challenges created by the pandemic, it’s clear from this study that interconnection is very important to this transformation. The fact that over half of IT decision-makers in EMEA said interconnection will help them to navigate the challenges faced as a result of COVID-19, with almost half believing it to be key to their organization’s survival, shows interconnection has become business-critical to many enterprises, and we believe it will continue to be so as we recover and rebuild following this terrible pandemic.”

About the Study

The independent study, commissioned by Equinix, surveyed 2,600 IT decision-makers in diverse enterprises across the Americas (Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, U.S.), Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore) and EMEA (Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK). Respondents were selected for participation from Dynata’s online panel. The survey was conducted online between December 17, 2020 and January 8, 2021.

About Equinix

Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world’s digital infrastructure company, enabling digital leaders to harness a trusted platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success. Equinix enables today’s businesses to access all the right places, partners and possibilities they need to accelerate advantage. With Equinix, they can scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value.

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 data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions, unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; a 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; risks related to our taxation as a REIT; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix 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.

Media contacts

Jess Sullivan (EMEA)
+44 7876 712861
Jess.Sullivan@eu.equinix.com

Marijn Brokx (LEWIS)
+31 6 24 75 06 93
Marijn.Brokx@teamlewis.com

Investor Relations

Katrina Rymill
+1 (650) 598-6583
krymill@equinix.com

Chip Newcom
+1 (650) 598-6262
cnewcom@equinix.com