Business applications and the workforce are moving out of the enterprise perimeters, especially as more people work from home or anywhere. As enterprises worldwide pursue digital transformation initiatives, they increasingly embrace cloud-delivered models and services to meet their objectives. With employees and customers dispersed across geographic locations and different cloud providers, there is unrelenting pressure on enterprise networks to become more agile, flexible and easier to deploy and manage.
With that in mind, VMware has expanded its integration with Equinix. VMware SD-WAN Edge is now available on Equinix Network Edge, a network functions virtualization (NFV) infrastructure platform optimized for the instant deployment and interconnection of network services. The virtual VMware SD-WAN Edge on Equinix fabric is an easy-to-consume solution for enterprises, service providers and partners empowering remote workforces. It reduces disruption and increases business continuity efforts for companies at the digital edge.
Optimize Multicloud Connectivity with Equinix and VMware
With cloud-delivered VMware SD-WAN, there are two options for customers connecting to cloud: via hosted VMware SD-WAN Gateways or via virtual VMware SD-WAN Edges in the cloud, depending on the customer use cases. With VMware SD-WAN Edge available on Equinix Network Edge, connecting to multiple service providers at the same time and enabling transit is simplified. Instead of installing virtual Edge clusters on different cloud providers, admins can deploy one virtual Edge on Equinix.
As we announced in September, the VMware SD-WAN solution now available on Equinix’s Network Edge is an enterprise-grade virtual SD-WAN edge service that helps enterprises manage their own direct peering relationships with the cloud service providers of their choice via Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric® (ECX Fabric®) or Equinix Marketplace. With this solution, services are only a few clicks away.
The other key benefit with VMware SD-WAN Edge on Platform Equinix is the high-performance and private Equinix global network. With all these virtual Edges deployed on the Equinix fabric, users can take advantage of the Equinix global network to connect users across regions. The application traffic is fully secure on the first mile through the Equinix private network. In the mid and last mile, secure VMware SD-WAN is implemented through built-in capabilities or by integrating with third-party security solutions.
Fast and optimized connectivity to multicloud
Customers can select, configure, and connect VMware SD-WAN Edges closest to their users, clouds and networks—the digital edge—in minutes instead of weeks or months. Once instantiated through Equinix Network Edge, these VMware SD-WAN Edge instances can be managed and monitored by VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator.
VMware SD-WAN enables different connectivity options to the cloud
The VMware SD-WAN Edges on Equinix are easy to configure and can be deployed on ECX Fabric via Equinix Marketplace in a matter of minutes. Once created, these VMware SD-WAN Edge instances can be managed and monitored by the VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator just like any other edge in the network.
The VMware SD-WAN portion of the integration delivers optimized routes from branch sites to Platform Equinix, which then provides low-latency interconnectivity to an ecosystem of multiple cloud applications. The integration between Equinix and VMware SD-WAN enables organizations to securely connect to cloud applications through the best possible route with the lowest latency, delivering scale and a great user experience, no matter where sites are located. With Equinix fabric as the backbone, the VMware SD-WAN Edges on Platform Equinix can be connected through a private, high-performance network spanning region and multicloud environments.
You can also spin up Network Edge services and ECX Fabric virtual connections to network providers and cloud providers via a single pane of glass using the ECX Fabric Portal. In addition, you can interconnect multiple VMware SD-WAN regions via the ECX Fabric across multiple metros worldwide over 10 Gbps connections.
Interconnecting multiple VMware SD-WAN regions/metros via the ECX Fabric worldwide
VMware and Equinix have been collaborating since 2013 to enable hybrid cloud infrastructures, helping Global 2000 enterprises and partners address the increasing volume and complexity of application workloads and data. With the virtual VMware SD-WAN Edge on Equinix fabric, the partnership goes beyond the data center to the WAN, optimizing end-to-end connectivity.
Expanding on the VMware secure access service edge (SASE) strategy, Equinix and VMware will also enable provisioning and accessibility of VMware SASE PlatformTM components via Network Edge, ECX Fabric and other connectivity options available through a single pane of glass on the VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator portal.
Learn More
- If you missed our conversation on theCube at VMworld 2020, check out the the Q&A on how VMware and Equinix virtualize the network edge.
- Read our Solution Overview, VMware SD-WAN with Equinix.
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