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An illustration of the DataBank ATL-1 data center, part of the Coda mixed-use development in Atlanta's Technology Square. (Image: DataBank)

This week we conclude our special reportseries on virtual interconnection by exploring why data centers must rethink interconnection to evolve.

Data centers must evolve to become points of connectivity between cloud servers, endpoint devices and partner ecosystems. Software-defined IT infrastructure can meet the demands of new applications at the edge. Automated provisioning and management reduce the burden on existing IT staff and smoothly accommodate changes to the business.

In the digital business age, networks must be 100% available and able to accommodate unpredictable capacity needs. Virtualized networks are evolving to incorporate application awareness features that automate traffic routing decisions based on the needs of the application rather than the decisions of human operators.

Major cloud computing providers are rolling out edge strategies, but most are not yet able to support a global network of local data centers. They will rely upon interconnection services provided by local colocation providers and telecommunications providers for some time to come.

Local availability zones provide access to fiber networks and carrier-neutral interconnection hubs to connect metro regions to each other and to link local zones to those in other regions.

Regional providers already have the facilities and relationships to support edge build-outs and interconnection. Their data centers can scale to meet capacity demands and, in most cases, are fully compliant with local regulations. Local availability zones provide access to fiber networks and carrier- neutral interconnection hubs to connect metro regions to each other and to link local zones to those in other regions.

Hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises looking to build out distributed networks should look for the following features:

Interconnection virtualization will be an increasingly vital part of distributed infrastructure. It will permit such capabilities as limitless scale, automated workload migration between data centers and cloud services, the flexibility lets customers choose the best service providers for each use case scenario, instantly upgradable bandwidth, automated initiation of connections with new partners and services, data exchange at the edge without the need for round- trips to a central cloud and a managed services framework that combines all these features into a platform deployed with cloud-like simplicity.

The organizations that lead the Great Decentralization of business will be those that can most swiftly effectively free themselves from the shackles of legacy infrastructure and embrace data-driven decision-making. Interconnection and virtualization will support the agility they need to build the platforms upon which ecosystems can flourish.

Download the full report, How Virtual Interconnection Supports Distributed Digital Business, courtesy of DataBank for exclusive content on the short-comings of legacy IT infrastructure when it comes to accommodating the fluidity needed by distributed organizations.

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Data Centers Must Rethink Interconnection in Order to Evolve - Data Center Frontier