New Study: 65% of Australian Digital Leaders Expect Long-term Changes to Where and How People Work

SYDNEY – May 12, 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 (digital leaders) from diverse enterprises across 26 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions. In Australia, the study reveals: 

• 52% of local businesses have rearchitected their IT infrastructure to meet new remote and hybrid working demands, with tech budgets increasing to accelerate digital transformation
• 65% of digital leaders believe there will be long-term changes to where and how people work within their organisation
• 63% of Australian companies still intend to expand into new regions, countries or metros, despite the disruption experienced as a result of COVID-19

Digital transformation in the post-pandemic future

Digitisation and business investment in digital infrastructure have increased because of COVID-19. In Australia, 43% of the digital leaders surveyed said they have accelerated digital transformation plans because of the pandemic, while 44% said their budgets have been increased to satisfy the rapid growth in digital demands. In addition, more than half (54%) of Australian digital leaders said outdated infrastructure poses the biggest challenge to digital transformation.

There has also been a major overhaul of IT strategies to meet the challenges emerging from the pandemic. In Australia, 65% of digital leaders said they revised their IT strategy as a result of COVID-19, while 54% said they want to invest in technology to be more agile post-COVID.

Asked about their biggest priorities for their organisation’s digital strategy, 88% of digital leaders in Australia reported improving their organisation’s cyber security was a top priority, with 73% saying they see interconnection as a key facilitator of digital transformation—up 31% on last year’s results.

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

• 63% of Australian businesses still have plans to expand into new regions, countries or metros, up 15% on last year according to the digital leaders surveyed.

• Of that 63%, more than two thirds (65%) plan to achieve this virtually, rather than by investing in physical IT infrastructure in-market.

Utilising interconnection for success

• 73% of Australian digital leaders said they believe interconnection—the direct and private exchange of data between organisations—will help them to navigate the challenges they face due to COVID-19.
• Those stating interconnection was key to their organisation’s survival increased to 72%, up from 45% last year.

Guy Danskine, Managing Director, Equinix Australia, said: “It’s clear in this study that COVID-19 had a profound impact on digital leaders in Australia, with technology budgets increased to enable the rapid rearchitect of IT infrastructure to meet the sudden remote and hybrid working demands that many organisations experienced.

“Despite the challenges faced during this pandemic, it’s important to see in this study that organisations will continue to expand into new regions and markets, recognising that interconnection will help them achieve their digital needs.

“To support our customers with their digital transformation journey, Equinix has continued to invest in its own growth, completing 16 new expansions in 2020 to evolve Platform Equinix, which will continue later this year with the opening of PE3, our 3^rd data centre in Perth and 18^th in Australia.”

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 organisations—will achieve a 47% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2019 to 2023 in Asia Pacific. The expected growth is driven by digital transformation, and specifically by greater demands from enterprises extending their digital infrastructure from centralised locations to distributed edge locations.

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

Additional Quote

• Jeremy Deutsch, President, Asia-Pacific, Equinix:
• During the pandemic, Asia-Pacific has seen demands for interconnection from digital leaders to manage distributed workforce and make the best use of resources. This is reflected in the findings of our study with over 60% of IT decision-makers in Asia-Pacific confirming that interconnection will help them to navigate the challenges faced as a result of COVID-19, and 56% believing interconnection can help their business gain competitive advantage within the marketplace. With our global footprint, robust ecosystem and a wide array of interconnection solutions, we plan to continue to bring and interconnect the digital infrastructure to help digital leaders thrive in the new era.”

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, U.K.). Respondents were selected for participation from Dynata’s online panel. The survey was conducted online between 17 December 2020 and 08 January 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

Annie Ho (Asia-Pacific)
+852 2970-7761
annho@ap.equinix.com

Graham White

+61 404 840 533
graham@pratar.com.au