Equinix Releases Azure Stack-as-a-Service in Asia-Pacific with Hewlett Packard Enterprise

SYDNEY, Australia  – April 9, 2019 – Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data centre company today announced a collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to launch Azure Stack-as-a-Service on Platform Equinix^® in Asia-Pacific. This pay-as-you-use¹ solution enables enterprises to leverage HPE GreenLake with Microsoft Azure Stack to provision and manage hybrid cloud architecture reliably and on-demand.

Hybrid cloud architecture, which provides the agility and convenience of public cloud and the security and control of on-premise private cloud, has been increasingly adopted by enterprises. IDC predicts that 90% of enterprises will adopt multi or hybrid cloud by 2024.² However, enterprises are often faced with high upfront capital expenditure and struggle to provision space with sufficient power and suitable weight-bearing capacity when setting up owned on-premise private cloud.

With a pay-as-you-use³ pricing model, HPE GreenLake with Microsoft Azure Stack on Platform Equinix enables businesses in Asia-Pacific to deploy hybrid cloud architectures more effectively without incurring excessive initial costs or requiring access to niche expertise. Hosted in Equinix International Business Exchange^TM (IBX^®) data centres, Azure Stack running on HPE hardware can directly connect to Microsoft Azure via Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric^TM (ECX Fabric^TM), enhancing application performance and user experience.

Highlights/Key Facts

• The hybrid cloud solution offers pre-configured, Microsoft validated systems, pre-installed into Equinix IBX data centres utilising pre-provisioned interconnection between Azure Stack and Azure via ECX Fabric.
• The solution is available in Equinix IBX data centres in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
• The solution offers numerous benefits to enterprises, including:
  • Speedy time-to-market – The solution accelerates deployment of hybrid infrastructure by preloading Microsoft Azure Stack onto HPE’s certified hardware along with pre-provisioned private interconnection to Azure, and bundled services. This means enterprises can save time by eliminating the hassle of coordinating multiple service providers to provision hardware and set up connectivity, as well as managing the cloud integration and migration.
  • Ease of management – HPE provides expert advisory and implementation consulting services for Azure Stack, including workload migration, security, identity management, networking and backup and recovery; as well as operational monitoring and routine management.
  • Lower capital expenditure – HPE integrates all constituent parts and charges an amalgamated monthly fee to simplify vendor management. This means enterprises may be able to migrate IT costs to pay-as-you-use⁴ model, with a bundled cost for hardware, space and power, software, and monitoring services while enjoying the flexibility of on-demand scalability.
  • Enhanced performance – The solution runs on Platform Equinix, offering reliable connectivity for applications with latency-sensitive and high-bandwidth data traffic requirements by leveraging ECX Fabric to provide up to 100Gbps of bandwidth with sub-millisecond latency.
  • Information Security – The single-tenanted architecture hosted in Equinix IBX data centres lays the foundation for improved information security by ensuring data transmission is carried out exclusively over private connections.
• HPE GreenLake with Microsoft Azure Stack is a hybrid cloud solution, which allows organisations to run Azure services in the data centre, providing a cohesive and simplified development, management, and security experience.
• Equinix IBX data centres provide access to vital ecosystems where major networks, enterprises and business partners interconnect with each other and to more than 1,800 network and 2,900 cloud and IT service providers. These secure, state-of-the-art facilities are strategic communication hubs and gateways to Microsoft Azure.
• ECX Fabric enables direct, secure and on-demand connection to Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute via software defined interconnection. Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute is available in 22 Equinix IBX data centres around the world, including Hong Kong, Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Osaka in Asia-Pacific; Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Toronto and Washington DC in Americas; Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, London and Paris in EMEA.

Quotes

• Scott Ramsay, Global Vice President HPE GreenLake, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

“While hybrid cloud is today’s mainstream for innovative businesses, there are still several barriers to adoption. With Equinix’s interconnection platform and incomparible cloud network, we are able to bring an enterprise-grade hybrid cloud solution to businesses of all sizes in Asia-Pacific on-demand. We look forward to rolling out the solution to more markets via Platform Equinix to accelerate hybrid cloud adoption in the region.”

• Diarmid Massey, Senior Vice President, Equinix Asia-Pacific

“Extending the breadth of our global partnership with HPE by introducing this on-demand hybrid cloud solution in Asia-Pacific provides Equinix’s enterprise customers with a simple means to consume an ever-expanding range of technologies as-a-Service in our data centres. Our global reach and extensive business ecosystems enable HPE to offer on-demand, enterprise-grade hybrid cloud solution to nearly 10,000 world-leading companies across the globe.”

• Jeremy Deutsch, Managing Director, Equinix Australia

“Companies across Australia are increasingly transitioning to hybrid cloud architectures as part of their digital transformation journeys. With Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute already connected to our Sydney and Melbourne facilities, this on-demand, enterprise-grade hybrid cloud solution we offer with HPE will help further support our customers at a local level, providing them with a simple, agile and secure way to consume the range of technologies as-a-Service in our data centres.”

Additional Resources

• Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric Datasheet [website]
• Equinix Data Centres in Asia-Pacific [website]
• Equinix Data Centres in Australia [website]

About Equinix

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most interconnected data centres. On this global platform for digital business, companies come together across more than 50 markets on five continents to reach everywhere, interconnect everyone and integrate everything they need to create their digital futures.

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

Media Contact (Australia)
Howorth Communications
Christy Seddon
+413 890 819
equinix@howorth.com.au