Latisys Partners With Ascenty to Enter Brazilian Market

Here’s our review of some of this week’s noteworthy links for the data center industry:

Latisys and Ascenty Partner.  Latisys announced a strategic partnership with Ascenty, a rapidly emerging metro fiber and data center services provider in Brazil. Under terms of the agreement, Latisys gains access to the Brazilian market and will leverage Ascenty’s Sao Paolo IT Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform and local operations to support its enterprise customers. This strategic relationship expands the addressable market for Latisys in international markets and does the same for Ascenty’s entrance into the US market. Both Latisys and Ascenty build high density data centers that serve as a platform for colocation, managed hosting and cloud services. “There are real challenges that go with international expansion,” said Pete Stevenson, Latisys CEO, based on his significant international experience. “For large IT service providers, it’s a big decision in deciding whether or not to spend capital in a foreign market where the operator has no experience. We think it’s more efficient to manage the execution risk by partnering with a strong local partner so we get speed to market and local operating knowledge for current and future customers that have deployment needs in Brazil."

Equinix adds AWS Direct Connect to Seattle.  Equinix (EQIX) announced the availability of the AWS Direct Connect service in the Equinix International Business Exchange data centers in Seattle (SE2 and SE3). AWS Direct Connect enables customers to connect their infrastructure directly to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Equinix opened the SE3 Seattle data center earlier this year. Equinix customers can also use AWS Direct Connect to access the AWS GovCloud (US) region from all existing AWS Direct Connect locations in North America. "By leveraging AWS Direct Connect inside Equinix data centers, customers can take advantage of the cost savings and performance benefits of hybrid environments," said Chris Sharp, general manager, cloud and content for Equinix. "As we continue to support expansion of the AWS Direct Connect service to new markets, we are removing barriers to adoption and enabling customers to deliver on the promise of cloud computing."

ViaWest partners with Wayin.  ViaWest announced its partnership with Wayin, the online social engagement company. The partnership allows both companies to utilize each other’s IT services and join forces to promote and support the thriving Colorado business community and technology expertise. As part of this partnership, Wayin will implement ViaWest’s KINECTed Cloud service to host its employee and social engagement platforms, Wayin Enterprise and Wayin Hub, thereby connecting users globally in real time. In addition, ViaWest is launching Wayin’s enterprise engagement solution, which enables the human resource department to gather employee feedback and sentiments on various questions, surveys and company initiatives. “With ViaWest’s long history in this region, we know we have a dependable partner to pool resources,” states Tom Jessiman, CEO of Wayin.  “ViaWest’s best-in-breed infrastructure powers our applications and we have immediate access to live technical experts when needed. As both companies are Colorado-based, ViaWest shares our commitment to serving the Colorado business community, making the partnership a truly collaborative effort.”