Datapipe, Equinix Meld Colo and AWS in Fully Managed Hybrid Environments

Equinix and Datapipe have teamed up to provide hybrid IT solutions that combine managed Amazon Web Services cloud and data center colocation. It has been possible to create such hybrid environments out of Equinix data centers before. What's new is the full managed services offered by Datapipe.

"We’re working on a joint go-to-market with Equinix," said Datapipe vice president Craig Sowell. "We'll build and deploy infrastructure into an Equinix facility, then leverage our knowledge of AWS and Direct Connect. Our expertise is managing multiple platforms."

Datapipe has been managing AWS deployments for customers since 2010. The new offering will include dedicated IT environments within Equinix data centers with private connectivity to Amazon's public cloud.

The companies have not yet revealed which Equinix data centers the service will initially be available in, but the plan is to eventually roll it out across the company's entire global footprint.

"We see our abilities around managed hybrid as real differentiation right now," said Sowell. "There are some providers that do parts, but nobody really does it globally. Partnering with Equinix makes complete sense because they have top-notch data centers."

Demand for hybrid IT services on the rise

The collaboration is aimed at those with compliance needs but who want to leverage the flexibility that comes with pay-as-you-go public cloud services.

"We’re seeing a lot more AWS adoption in the enterprise," said Sowell. "We’re seeing it increase in large enterprise clients for more mission critical apps that require multi-region high-availability architectures."

Equinix said recently that private connectivity services to public clouds represented its fastest growing segment and having a partner who will make leveraging these services easier for customers will only accelerate it.

Datapipe benefits from access to Equinix’s customer base and by being able to bundle colocation space with its offerings.

"Our collaboration with Datapipe on a managed hybrid cloud solution for AWS removes many of the common barriers to cloud adoption,” said Chris Sharp, vice president of cloud innovation at Equinix. “It offers customers the best of both worlds by providing Equinix's secure data center platform, including private access to AWS, along with Datapipe's expertise in designing and managing an optimal IT architecture for enterprises."

Datapipe specializes in compliant managed hosting and cloud services. It recently expanded its government sector capabilities with the acquisition of Layered Tech in August. Layered Tech formed its government business services unit.

Datapipe solves major cloud security concern

The company also recently enhanced its managed security services for AWS around access control, which Sowell believes will be attractive for enterprise customers.

"In many instances you have to hand over root credentials to hosting provider," he said. "Risk-averse clients aren’t comfortable with that. What we’ve done is we’ve defined the model in which we can manage our client's account without any Datapipe employee needing access to those root credentials. We see it as a tipping point for us."

Security remains a major concern for enterprises whose IT leaders consider using public cloud services. In a recent survey of more than 650 global enterprise IT leaders, security, reliability, and performance were listed as the top three drivers for a direct connection to the cloud.

Datapipe has been offering direct connections to AWS from its own data centers in San Jose, Calif., Seattle, Ashburn, Va., New Jersey, London, Iceland, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.