NextDC to deliver private connections Microsoft Azure
NextDC will provide private, high-speed connections to Microsoft Azure and soon Office 365.
The Australian data-centre-as-a-service providers will offer the connections via Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute for the first early access customers at its M1 Melbourne data center, and is the first stage of the company's national roll-out of the service.
"The response to the ExpressRoute announcement in February has been very exciting," says Craig Scroggie, NextDC CEO.
"Combined with our subsidiary AXON System's newly launched switching fabric, it will create new opportunities for existing Microsoft customers and encourage more enterprises to access these Microsoft cloud solutions via ExpressRoute in Australia.
ExpressRoute connections at M1 are through a private connection rather than a general internet-based connection, so users will enjoy latency levels potentially as low as one millisecond, Scroggie says.
They are provisioned on demand through the AXONVX (virtual exchange) switching fabric, which increases connectivity security while still allowing access to the multitude of network service providers at work in NextDC data centers. Toby Bowers, business group lead, cloud and enterprise, Microsoft Australia adds, "The AXONVX switching fabric is promising to make it easier than ever for customers to enable secure, private connections from their on-premise networks to Microsoft Azure via ExpressRoute.
The rollout of the ExpressRoute service at NextDC's M1 Melbourne data center will be followed by NextDC data centers nationally in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra.
Ross Ortega, principle product manager, networking, at Microsoft Azure says, "We believe that direct connectivity to the cloud via Azure ExpressRoute will help empower Australian customers to build highly effective hybrid cloud solutions to increase business agility while lowering cost.
The announcement comes as NextDC inks a $35 million deal with the Federal Government for the provision of data center services.
