Cloud Connect
End-to-end controlled private access to where the Cloud lives
The benefits of Cloud Connect
As an increasing number of applications are deployed in the cloud, cloud connectivity has become a business-critical factor for most companies. In the past, connecting to a Cloud Service Provider could only be realised over the public Internet. But with the rise of data-heavy cloud computing and applications, there is a growing demand for secure and reliable network connections. Reaching your private cloud by Cloud Connect is more secure and reduces latency by up to 40%
Benefits of a distributed network
Let's assume you want to connect to Azure North (Dublin). Due to the distributed nature of the NL-ix network, NL-ix can connect you direct to the Azure datacenter at Dublin, entirely over the NL-ix network. This way you keep end-to-end sight and control of your traffic as it all remains on the NL-ix network. Users will also benefit from our transparent, low-latency and geo-redundant network which guarantees fast, stable delivery of cloud services.
NL-ix isn't just about connectivity. They collaborate with us to find solutions and leverage their network beyond the typical Internet Exchange functions. Their B-fabric is particularly impressive and beneficial for our customers
Peter Lisseveld, Solution Consultant and Architect @ Iunxi
Redundancy & Resilience
For redundancy purposes, a second connection is advised (mandatory for Azure). This connection is made over the same network but from a different customer datacenter to a different geographical cloud on-ramp location.
When you need SLA availability of 99,99%, we can offer our Fabric B. This fabric is completely separated from our Fabric A, with different core datacenters, physical routes, and hardware vendors. This ensures the availability not just commercially, but also from a technical point of view.
| SLA availabilities | Standard SLA | Advanced SLA |
|---|---|---|
| Single connection | 98% | N/A |
| Redundant connection | 99% | 99,9% |
| Resilient connection over Fabric B | N/A | 99,99% |
As an official partner of the major leading cloud providers, NL-ix offers direct connectivity that meets the strictest standards of Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Oracle Cloud infrastructure.
NL-ix has a fine-grained footprint throughout Western Europe and can deliver Cloud Connect from any of our 100+ datacenters. So, the chances are that we are already present in the same datacenter as you are. Your organisation can be directly connected to Azure, AWS, Google and Oracle from any of our datacenters, preventing single points of failure (SPOFs) and/or hair-pinning traffic and removing the need for additional Transport.
UNDERSTANDING CLOUD CONNECTIVITY
Cloud solutions essentially extend a company's internal network into the cloud, necessitating the same standards of security and performance.
Explore cloud connectivity, its challenges, and the innovative solutions offered by NL-ix to enhance performance and reduce latency and costs.
Frequently asked Questions
What are the benefits of using Cloud Connect for accessing your IaaS environment compared to the public Internet?
Accessing your IaaS environment via the public Internet requires an encrypted VPN tunnel for security, which increases data size and bandwidth needs. Encryption adds processing steps, causing latency and delaying data delivery. Moreover, the route to the IaaS environment is uncertain over the public Internet, as the path cannot be controlled.
Cloud Connect offers a direct private connection that minimizes latency, guarantees stable performance, and enhances data privacy. It shields your network from potential risks, facilitates Quality of Service (QoS) for crucial applications, and accommodates scalability as demands increase.
What makes Cloud Connect from NL-ix different from other Cloud Connects?
AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud have limited datacenter presence in Europe. NL-ix, with its distributed network across these datacenters, empowers direct data transfer from any of our 100+ datacenters (PoPs) straight to the front door of the datacenter of the Cloud Service Provider, without passing the traffic to any other network in-between.
By maintaining traffic within NL-ix's interconnected ecosystem, there's no dependency on third parties. This ensures efficient and reliable end-to-end data delivery, ensuring optimal performance.
Furthermore, NL-ix is datacenter neutral, offering freedom in changing datacenter in case required.
What is the difference between Cloud Connect and SaaS Connect?
A Cloud Connect is a 1:1 connection towards the the Azure, AWS, Oracle or Google instances hosted in their datacenters. SaaS Connect offers a 1:N environment for SaaS Suppliers and their end-users to establish private, secure connections without numerous individual links. Read more
What is the benefit of the NL-ix B-Fabric for Cloud Connect
NL-ix has been recognized as ‘vital infrastructure’ for the Netherlands. This means NL-ix is obliged to protect its infrastructure against failures and attacks, because of its potential impact on the national economy and safety.
To increase reliability and resilience of the NL- ix network, NL-ix has created a second network fabric that is constructed on geographically distinct fiber routes, utilizing different core datacenters and hardware from different vendors. Making sure that interruptions or attacks on one fabric does not impact performance of the other.
In case absolute resilience is required for the Cloud Connect, it is possible to connect the Cloud Connect both over the main A-Fabric as well as the B-Fabric.
What is the benefit of NL-ix being datacenter neutral?
NL-ix is datacenter neutral, and works with a wide variety of datacenter operators: customers have the freedom to choose, alter or consolidate their datacenter locations. NL-ix supports the relocation of all interconnection services from one datacenter location to another, simplifying the process and providing flexibility and execution power.
What does NL-ix mean with a managed layer 2 Cloud Connect?
A managed layer 2 Cloud Connect is a service that offers a controlled and optimized connection between an organization's network and a Cloud Service Provider's network. This service operates at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model, facilitating direct and secure communication between the two networks.
NL-ix takes responsibility for establishing, monitoring, and managing the connection. This includes provisioning and configuring the necessary networking equipment, monitoring performance, and troubleshooting any issues that may arise. In case of AWS Direct Connect, the customer sets up the correct BGP Peering in order to create a working connection. In all cases, the customer is responsible for the Cloud Service Provider domain.
Where can I find information in regards my Onboarding and Configuration
If you have placed an order at the NL-ix you will receive an 'order confirmation' mail. After the order confirmation has been send, the NL-ix provisioning team gets to work to deliver your order.
When the order has been delivered, for normal products usually within 10 working days after the order confirmation, the provisioning team will send an ‘order delivery’ email. This email contains all details you need to setup your connection. The delivery date is aso the start date of invoicing.
You can find more information in regards the Onboarding and Configuration proces at Support
Find out more
Interested in what Cloud Connect from NL-ix can do for your organisation or looking for a demo?
sales@nl-ix.net or call +31 (0)70 3120710
Or leave your details and we will contact you!
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Oracle FastConnect OCI
NL-ix now offers access to Oracle Cloud Services via FastConnect
Read more -
Service Description
If you would like to find out more about the Cloud Connect services, download the Service Description here
Read more -
Datacenter Interconnect
Plot your journey beyond public cloud to hybrid platforms that enable speed and scale
Read more
For organisations
Organisations with NL-ix Cloud Connect can also get access to our online portal. The portal provides easy insight into the usage of your port(s), traffic characteristics, flows and usage, latencies and historic data for your (multi)cloud environment.
Combining multiple Cloud instances on a single port, or adding Peering, Transit and layer 2 Transport services over the same port enables to save on the monthly cost of patch cables and ports in use. Multiple services over a single port also means a single invoice and easier manageability.
NL-ix is datacenter-neutral, and works with a wide variety of datacenter operators: customers have the freedom to select and/or change their datacenter location. This makes changing datacenter as easy as changing an IP-range.
For Integrators/Resellers
Depending on the needs of your customers, NL-ix supports both a dedicated port (Layer 2 topology) as well as Cloud Connects over a shared port (Layer 3 topology) to which multiple end-users can be connected. The integrator/reseller is responsible for connecting the end-user network to the port.
If you want to offer your customers the best interconnection opportunities available and want to enable them to directly connect to any cloud, any datacenter and/or to have access to Peering and Transit services, NL-ix is a one-stop-shop. And we also offer a range of high-value innovative interconnection services to extend your customer proposition.