How to deliver multicloud connectivity in minutes

Multicloud strategies are essential for businesses accelerating their digital transformation. According to a TechTarget Enterprise Strategy Group report, 94% of organisations now leverage multiple public clouds to optimise performance and scale applications.¹ For channel partners, the key challenge is to help customers design, implement, connect and manage workloads spread across multiple cloud environments strategically. Staying competitive requires access to network solutions that simplify this complexity and enable you to meet clients’ needs for security, agility, performance and compliance.

We are pleased to announce that Equinix Fabric Cloud Router (FCR), our on-demand virtual routing service that provides flexible, private connectivity between public clouds, colocation and other Equinix services across our software-defined global network, is now available for sale by our channel partners.

While partners have long utilised Equinix Fabric^® to deliver high-speed, low-latency Layer 2 virtual connections across various destinations, Fabric Cloud Router further simplifies multicloud networking with Layer 3 Routing as a Service. This allows enterprises to connect applications and data seamlessly across multiple clouds and on-premises environments while minimising the costs and complexities of managing physical routers—all within the Equinix Fabric ecosystem.

Rapidly deploy connectivity across multiple cloud environments

The virtual, on-demand capabilities of Fabric Cloud Router are game-changing, especially considering the speed at which enterprises today need to discover, test and implement solutions for critical business needs. There will be times when your customers require you to solve a networking challenge in near-real time—without the luxury of waiting weeks or months for equipment to be ordered, configured and deployed.

Demand for rapid routing across multiple cloud providers can arise in various scenarios. For example, in a business continuity situation where a network failure or power outage occurs, traffic must be rerouted to a backup site quickly. Or perhaps a customer is setting up a new branch office or temporary site and needs to scale their network connections quickly across several cloud providers. Other cases may include post-merger or acquisition scenarios where networks need to be integrated across different clouds—or when creating isolated environments for testing and development that can scale as needed. If your customer is already using Equinix Fabric, you can activate Fabric Cloud Router functionality quickly through the Equinix Fabric Portal, enabling them to achieve these outcomes in minutes.

Equinix Fabric along with FCR can help you deliver:

• High-speed, low-latency connections for seamless and secure connectivity to multiple cloud providers
• Routing as a Service that enables direct routing over a private network with built-in resiliency
• Broad cloud compatibility to support connections with multiple cloud providers like AWS Direct Connect^®, Azure ExpressRoute^®, Google Cloud Interconnect and Oracle^® FastConnect
• Multiple connections per virtual router to power flexible scaling up to 50 Gbps
• Elastic bandwidth consumption from 10 Mbps to 50 Gbps, allowing customers to pay for only what they need
• Increased adaptability and agility with versatile connection types including clouds, Equinix Fabric ports and multipoint connectivity with IP-WAN

Now partner-ready for resale and referral partners

Equinix Fabric Cloud Router is now available for channel partners to integrate into their networking solution offerings. As of August 2024, Technology Service Distributors (TSDs) and subagents can earn referral commissions on FCR and other Equinix digital services, such as Equinix Fabric (including virtual connections), Precision Time^®, Network Edge and Equinix Metal^®.

In addition, resale partners can take advantage of 50% off on an FCR Standard Package until the end of 2024. Now is a great time for you and your customers to test FCR using our FCR Lab Package, which will allow you to create a free non-production test environment in minutes.

Alongside FCR, Equinix is introducing Network Edge, a virtual network function (VNF) solution ideal for partners looking to offer access to a marketplace of high-performance virtual network services at the digital edge. Network Edge provides quick access to leading network brands like Cisco, Juniper, Versa, Fortinet, VMware, Palo Alto, Check Point and more. It enables partners to rapidly deploy the same technologies and solutions that customers are already using on-premises. Certified network staff can leverage this solution to generate additional service revenue by deploying and managing Network Edge VNFs efficiently, reducing implementation time and boosting operational efficiency.

Reach out to your Partner Sales Manager or email partnercentral@equinix.com for more details on how you can leverage the on-demand capabilities of Fabric Cloud Router and Network Edge to optimise your customer’s network infrastructure.

¹ “Distributed Cloud Series: The Mainstreaming of Cloud-native Apps and Methodology,” Enterprise Strategy Group, a division of TechTarget, July 2023