Why 100G AWS Direct Connect Enhancement is Not Just Good News, It’s Good for Business
CoreSite recently announced on-net availability of AWS Direct Connect supporting 100 Gbps Dedicated Connections in four key markets – Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia and Santa Clara. While these CoreSite data centers already supported AWS Direct Connect, enhancing to on-net, 100 Gbps connections means they now have the capacity required to handle the data generated in emerging edge applications such as autonomous vehicles and broadcast media distribution, as well as elevate the user experience in financial services trading and market information systems.
Beyond that, why is this good news? Data center providers often say they can help an enterprise “grow business.” It’s a welcome value proposition. It also raises the question – how, specifically? I’ll answer that, starting with examples showing how high-bandwidth connectivity and key data center locations can enable reaching new markets and capitalizing on business opportunities.
Media and entertainment is an industry where viewer experience defines success, and success depends on rethinking the business model
The workflow for media and entertainment (M&E) enterprises includes stakeholders ranging from content creators and post-production editors to distribution companies that need to share huge files. In Los Angeles back in the day, and that day is not very long ago, those files went via sneaker net. Today, a new business model is possible. With colocation providing 100G interconnection, M&E companies can download and be working on files in minutes when it’s their turn in the process. Those companies might be “frenemies,” competitors that are happy to collaborate when the opportunity arises, which include M&E companies in other locations such as New York. Not only can they grab a piece of the business, they can move files with 60% to 70% lower data egress rates than using public internet using AWS Direct Connect or CoreSite’s Open Cloud Exchange®. The ability to securely distribute that data for broadcast to cities where the population density means high viewership, and more eyeballs translates into more revenue. I’ll save discussion on gaming for a future post; suffice to say the global growth opportunity is approximately 10% annually.
Regional high-bandwidth connectivity isn’t only about the applications at the edge, but also expanding “traditional” services into new geographies
Atlantech Online launched their business 25 years ago by providing voice (VoIP) and business internet services. Located in the mid-Atlantic region, Atlantech initially engaged CoreSite to tap into our DC2 colocation as a point of presence. Of course, Atlantech wanted to grow, and began looking for another PoP to make that happen. “Instead of focusing our phone service in-region, we decided to sell nation-wide. The L.A. location enabled us to reach that goal,” explains Tom Collins, director of enterprise sales and marketing at Atlantech, whose Online CloudConnect solution includes AWS Direct Connect.
I point this out because I think it’s easy to get enamored with disruptive technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and automation. Rightfully so – they are fascinating. On the other hand, enhancements to technologies that are the beams supporting data center and cloud platforms can create cost-savings, agility and innovation driving growth for all sorts of enterprises.
And here I am, back to “business growth”
As a solutions architect, one part of my job is to show you how enhancements such as private 100G connectivity enables you to better integrate digital strategies and deploy high-performance hybrid applications. Another part is to prove the value of doing so by grounding the innovation in concrete results for your enterprise, regardless of industry and location.
When you are ready to explore how CoreSite’s high-density, hyper-connected, high-performance colocation facilities and data centers can help your business grow, contact us.