The Challenge
For a provider like GCX, simplifying customer access to its networking, cloud and managed services is a critical element of its proposition. "We're customer led, so we go where our customers need us to be," says Mark Russell, Managing Director of GCX International. “Over the past 10 years, we have seen many customers moving their compute from on-premise into data centres, creating a real explosion of the data centre market.” GCX has reached out to Interxion to further support its customers’ needs with the flexibility to colocate their own infrastructure at a convenient data centre, and use cross connects to access the GCX services they need.
Back in 2000, GCX was looking to expand across Europe. "Back then," says Russell, "almost all colocation data centres were operated by carriers. That model didn't appeal to us, as it didn't feel like a level playing field." Which is why the company chose Interxion.
Interxion was a rarity. They were a network-neutral data centre operator that positively welcomed a community of carriers into its facilities.
Mark Russell
Managing Director of GCX International
The Solution
Interxion's network-neutrality also benefits GCX customers. It means that they can integrate multiple carriers for additional reach and resilience, and GCX can manage other carriers on behalf of their enterprise customers, to help them achieve their desired SLAs.
"Over time, an increasing number of mutual customers have benefited from Interxion's broad European footprint allowing them to easily find a conveniently located data centre — or multiple data centres if they operate widely across Europe. And these are highly secure and available colocation environments, that keep pace with the rapid changes in IT."
One of those advances is Cloud Connect, developed by Interxion to simplify access to multiple cloud platforms for customers. GCX is taking advantage of the service in Interxion's Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid and Marseille campuses, by enabling its customers secure and reliable access to leading public or private cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services, Softlayer, Microsoft Azure and Google through its cloud connectivity solution, CLOUD X Fusion. Enterprises are benefiting from up to three times better application performance and reduced security risk with application traffic transferred over a private network than over the Internet.
GCX now has a presence at almost every Interxion data centre campus, and counts enterprises from almost any sector such as manufacturing, logistics, retail and finance, as well as other carriers, among its customer base, using GCX services at Interxion data centres. Increasingly, GCX's presence in Interxion data centres is attracting companies who are keen to capitalise on the digital revolution that is taking place in Asia and the Middle East.
Russell explains: "What we call the 'emerging markets corridor' is a huge untapped market for companies in Europe and the US that offer games, social media and other online services. The region is home to more than two billion internet subscribers, and is where 70% of the world's smartphone growth over the next five years is expected to take place. India, Hong Kong, Kuwait and Egypt are among the countries driving growth in the region, with India being the jewel in the crown. It has a rapidly growing population of tech-savvy youngsters with a rising disposable income, who are ready to embrace everything the digital world has to offer."
When you take GCX's extensive networking and commercial presence in Asia (especially India) and the Middle East, and put it together with Interxion's extensive presence across Europe, you have the perfect combination for companies wanting to tap this opportunity.
"For companies operating out of Europe, the combination of Interxion and GCX is hard to beat," says Russell. "Between us, we deliver the well-connected gateways that make it easier for them to do business in the emerging markets corridor, or indeed anywhere else in the world."