The Old Network Is Gone, the New Network Is Now

Cyxtera Technologies • September 06, 2022 • 3 minute read

Hybrid IT, Connectivity in Interconnection

The modern network has changed dramatically in the past decade. What used to be a LAN connected to a nearby server is now a VPN or a plain vanilla internet connection going to an unspecified cloud data center. And while employees can now work from anywhere and at any time, these ad hoc enterprise networks are far from perfect.

High-profile breaches, such as Accenture’s $50 million ransomware breach in 2021 and Verizon’s 2017 breach exposing 6 million accounts, have caused many organizations to reconsider their cloud-only strategies. In fact, approximately two-thirds of cybersecurity professionals list data loss and data privacy as their biggest cloud security concerns, while nearly 80 percent have experienced a cloud data breach in the past 18 months. Data breaches can be extremely costly, not just in terms of lost data but in legal fees, downtime, and damage to reputation.

The ripple effect

By now, enterprises are discovering that what was once the poster child for unlimited data storage and compute is not without flaws, flaws which are exponentially amplified when managing a multi-cloud environment. Distributed cloud architectures can introduce complexity, slower networks, and reduced performance. And these challenges are compounded by the difficulty of cloud migration, which often involves downtime, slow data transfer, and security configuration issues.

Even minor performance issues can have a ripple effect. Studies have shown that even a 100-millisecond delay in page load time can lead to a 7-percent drop in conversion rates. For companies for which website transactions are their bread and butter, this can significantly impact the bottom line.

Luckily, organizations don’t have to gamble with either network performance or security. Instead, they can reap the benefits of a secure hybrid strategy, utilizing Cyxtera’s fast networks, high-performance connections, and efficient, multi-network cloud-connect solutions.

Private connections = secure data

One of the most important advantages of hybrid IT is it allows organizations to keep sensitive data on-premise where it can be better protected — especially important for companies in highly regulated industries or those that must comply with data sovereignty laws. Interconnection gives enterprises greater control over their hybrid environments.

With public internet, data is vulnerable to attack from hackers and other cybercriminals. A private connection, however, provides a more secure and reliable way to transmit data and helps protect businesses against data breaches and other security threats. By storing sensitive or mission-critical data in centers with direct, private connections, enterprises can leverage the cloud for connectivity as needed while simultaneously improving the performance, security, and reliability of their networks.

Interconnection your way

Direct connectivity to internet-backbone networks and major cloud providers such as what Cyxtera offers, eliminates the volatility of public networks, thereby improving network performance and reliability.

Companies that prefer digital connectivity can opt to utilize:

• Digital Cross Connect to seamlessly extend their colocation environment to network and technology providers on the Cyxtera Marketplace, including enterprise storage, SD-WAN, and disaster recovery services.

• IP Connect to rapidly provision fault-tolerant connectivity via multiple Tier 1 IP backbones and deploy fast, primary, or backup IP connections in minutes.

• Cyxtera Cloud Connect to create direct, secure connections to leading public clouds, and sub-3ms latency to providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Meanwhile, those preferring physical connectivity can leverage:

• Cross Connect to easily build 1:1 connections between their environment and any endpoint via Cyxtera’s Meet Me Room, secure locations within our data centers where interconnection services deploy and ecosystem members connect.

• Metro Connect to create direct, secure connections between any Cyxtera location, major carrier hotel, or interconnect point within a metro area.

• Cloud On-ramps to establish direct connections to leading cloud providers such as Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud and more.

With 300-plus unique service providers, including cloud on-ramps, and more than 1,400 deployments, Cyxtera enables enterprises to build secure, direct, and dynamic connections to scale digital business and accelerate growth. WIth Cyxtera’s carrier-neutral, densely connected global data center footprint and thriving partner ecosystem, enterprises can establish on-demand connections to the network, cloud, and technology service providers they need.

Learn how you can achieve the benefits of hybrid IT and interconnection. Contact sales@cyxtera.com today.

Views and opinions expressed in our blog posts are those of the employees who made them and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Company. A reader should not unduly rely on any statements made therein.