• About Us
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Privacy Policy

Data Center Frontier

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing.

  • Cloud
    • Hyperscale
  • Colo
    • Site Selection
    • Interconnection
  • Energy
    • Sustainability
  • Cooling
  • Technology
    • Internet of Things
    • AI & Machine Learning
    • Edge Computing
    • Virtual Reality
    • Autonomous Cars
    • 5G Wireless
    • Satellites
  • Design
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
  • Voices
  • Podcast
  • White Papers
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Companies
    • Data Center 101
  • Jobs
You are here: Home / Colo / Beyond Colo: Equinix Repositions as Digital Infrastructure Company

Beyond Colo: Equinix Repositions as Digital Infrastructure Company

By Rich Miller - September 23, 2020

Beyond Colo: Equinix Repositions as Digital Infrastructure Company

Dense network cabling inside an Equinix interconnection facility in Amsterdam. (Photo: Equinix)

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Equinix is not just about colocation anymore. The company is reinforcing that reality with new branding that positions Equinix as “the world’s digital infrastructure company.”

“It expands our lens and get beyond just colocation and interconnection,” said Jon Lin, the President, Americas for Equinix. “It’s about any of the ways customers can connect to one another, and how companies use digital infrastructure.”

In seeking to move beyond traditional product-based understandings of data center services, Equinix is also looking to forge an identity that encompasses a broader range of offerings, which now includes hyperscale data centers and software-defined connectivity. The company is also pushing into services with its acquisition of Packet and its bare metal cloud services.

Equinix is not alone in this effort, as other leading players are also diversifying and defining platforms that can deliver customer solutions across product categories and geographies. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven home the critical nature of data centers, which function as a lifeline for the global economy being tied together by digital networks.

The repositioning by Equinix is part of a broader evolution for a mature industry asserting its essential place in the world, and the best way to talk about it.

Digital Leadership as a Customer Magnet

So what’s new in the Equinix messaging? The company’s shift will feature “digital leadership,” both for Equinix and its customers.

“Platform Equinix is where digital leaders bring together all the right places, partners and possibilities they need to succeed,” Equinix says in its new positioning language, which was unveiled to analysts yesterday.

This builds on the Equinix’ belief that companies that embrace a digital transformation of their IT operations will have a competitive advantage, and interconnection will play a central role in that process. This message is particularly timely during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many enterprises to lean heavily on digital networks to support a sudden shift to a socially distanced, work-from-home economy.

The repositioning by Equinix is part of a broader evolution for a mature industry asserting its essential place in the world, and the best way to talk about it.

“All of our conversations with customers have reinforced how important it is” to have an agile infrastructure, Lin said. “A lot of them are saying, ‘thank God we did this, or our remote workforce wouldn’t work.’ We’ve been working really hard to accelerate that shift, and there’s a huge segment of enterprises that can benefit from it.”

Free Resource from Data Center Frontier White Paper Library

hybrid cloud
Hybrid Cloud
It's not a matter of choosing or favoring either data center, cloud, or colocation, but selecting the most appropriate tool for the application, workload and desired outcome. A new special report from NTT explores why enterprises are building the most effective ecosystem for their needs by mixing and matching data center, cloud, and colocation.
We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

At the heart of that pitch is the company’s shift from physical network connections to software-defined networking (SDN), offering network capacity that can be configured through a web portal, dramatically simplifying the way data center customers manage their connectivity.

“We see the future as the Equinix Fabric, because it will become the default way people connect with one another in a software-defined, instantaneous fashion,” said Lin. “We expect our customers to find new novel ways to use the fabric.” As an example, Lin said customers are now using the Equinix Cloud Exchange (ECX) Fabric to connect with their supply chain, improving security by reducing the need to provide remote access to third parties.

The Language of Data Center Marketing

Why pay attention to a shift in marketing language? As the largest and most successful colocation provider, Equinix has an outsized voice in conversations about data center services. It was the first data center company to market itself as a platform, which is now a broadly-held aspiration in the industry.

As a colocation specialist, the company historically offered space in cages and cabinets where customers could deploy their own IT equipment. As Equinix moves beyond “power, pipes and ping,” it influences the competitive landscape for other colo providers, further blurring the lines between traditional business models.

To be sure, there are plenty of folks who still pay close attention to the differences between retail colocation, wholesale data centers, and managed services. Heading that list are data center investors, who closely track the different rates of return for different business models, and how they will impact exit strategies and valuation. Public companies like Equinix – which is now a real estate investment trust (REIT) – have more leeway to emphasize a broad portfolio of services with varying rates of return.

The new Equinix marketing reflects an ongoing attempt to reframe how folks talk about data centers. Gartner has advocated retiring the term “data centers,” instead calling these facilities “centers of data” or “centers of data exchange.”

Rest assured, we won’t be changing the name of our publication to “Centers of Data Frontier.” But we’ve been using the term “digital infrastructure” a lot more due to the convergence of data centers with wireless infrastructure, fiber and telecom towers. Several industry conferences have made a similar transition.

“There’s a recognition that we’re trying to expand the conversation beyond colocation and interconnection,” said Lin. “We are the world’s digital infrastructure company. It’s aspirational.”

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tagged With: Equinix

Newsletters

Stay informed: Get our weekly updates!

Are you a new reader? Follow Data Center Frontier on Twitter or Facebook.

About Rich Miller

I write about the places where the Internet lives, telling the story of data centers and the people who build them. I founded Data Center Knowledge, the data center industry's leading news site. Now I'm exploring the future of cloud computing at Data Center Frontier.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Voices of the Industry

Building an Enduring World Begins with Accountability and Defining an Approach for Long-term Success

Building an Enduring World Begins with Accountability and Defining an Approach for Long-term Success TJ Faze, Head of ESG Strategy and Engagement at Vertiv, outlines the company's learnings around its recent ESG efforts.

White Papers

Cloud-Based Gaming Company Case Study

A new white paper from Aligned presents a case study of their multi-year colocation partnership with a global cloud-based gaming company. The report outlines the challenges presented by the client, the solutions provided by Aligned, and three of the key business results achieved by the partnership.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

DCF Spotlight

Data center modules on display at the recent Edge Congress conference in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Edge Computing is Poised to Remake the Data Center Landscape

Data center leaders are investing in edge computing and edge solutions and actively looking at new ways to deploy edge capacity to support evolving business and user requirements.

An aerial view of major facilities in Data Center Alley in Ashburn, Virginia. (Image: Loudoun County)

Northern Virginia Data Center Market: The Focal Point for Cloud Growth

The Northern Virginia data center market is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Data Center Frontier explores trends, stats and future expectations for the No. 1 data center market in the country.

See More Spotlight Features

Newsletters

Get the Latest News from Data Center Frontier

Job Listings

RSS Job Openings | Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting

  • MEP Coordinator - Data Center Construction - Ashburn, VA
  • Data Center Facility Engineer - Chantilly, VA
  • Data Center Site Operations VP - Seattle, WA
  • Senior Electrical Engineer - Data Center - Denver, CO
  • Senior Estimator - Data Center Construction - Denver, CO

See More Jobs

Data Center 101

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Open Spectrum, brings our readers a series that provides an introductory guidebook to the ins and outs of the data center and colocation industry. Think power systems, cooling, solutions, data center contracts and more. The Data Center 101 Special Report series is directed to those new to the industry, or those of our readers who need to brush up on the basics.

  • Data Center Power
  • Data Center Cooling
  • Strategies for Data Center Location
  • Data Center Pricing Negotiating
  • Cloud Computing

See More Data center 101 Topics

About Us

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing. We write about what’s next for the Internet, and the innovations that will take us there. We tell the story of the digital economy through the data center facilities that power cloud computing and the people who build them. Read more ...
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Our Founder

Data Center Frontier is edited by Rich Miller, the data center industry’s most experienced journalist. For more than 20 years, Rich has profiled the key role played by data centers in the Internet revolution. Meet the DCF team.

TOPICS

  • 5G Wireless
  • Cloud
  • Colo
  • Connected Cars
  • Cooling
  • Cornerstone
  • Coronavirus
  • Design
  • Edge Computing
  • Energy
  • Executive Roundtable
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • Hyperscale
  • Interconnection
  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Network
  • Podcast
  • Servers
  • Site Selection
  • Social Business
  • Special Reports
  • Storage
  • Sustainability
  • Videos
  • Virtual Reality
  • Voices of the Industry
  • Webinar
  • White Paper

Copyright Endeavor Business Media© 2022