TOP-IX Fabric offers a robust, high-performance solution for companies wishing to interconnect with major cloud service providers. Alongside consolidated peering options, direct access is now available, guaranteeing even more secure and high-performance connections.
The evolution of cloud access via TOP-IX Fabric aligns perfectly with the Network as a Service (NaaS) paradigm. This model allows companies to consume network functionalities, such as secure and high-performance connectivity to cloud providers, as an on-demand service (otherwise known as on-ramp), instead of having to build and maintain complex physical infrastructures.
Through TOP-IX Fabric, consortium members and their client companies can benefit from NaaS in several ways:
- Flexibility and Agility: network resources, such as direct cloud connections, can be dynamically activated/configured and deactivated, allowing companies to quickly adapt to changes in their business needs.
- Reduced Operational Complexity: network infrastructure management is outsourced to service providers, reducing the operational burden on companies and allowing them to focus on their core business.
- Cost Optimization: by moving from a “Capex” (capital expenditure) investment model to an “Opex” (operational expenditure) one, companies only pay for the network resources actually used, improving cost control.
- On-Demand Security and Performance: NaaS offered through TOP-IX Fabric guarantees dedicated and secure connections, with the ability to scale bandwidth and optimize latency based on specific application needs, without the need for complex hardware investments.
- Access to a Wider Market: through this service, local Cloud operators can extend their services more efficiently and securely to customers and partners in a de facto global market; for example, they can act as “Edge” nodes for centralized services, bringing processing and storage closer to consumption points, reducing latency and improving the user experience.
TOP-IX’s approach to providing Network as a Service (NaaS) access to the cloud is based on an intrinsically federated model. This means that the overall service is not provided by a single centralized entity, but is achieved through the collaboration and interconnection of multiple actors:
- TOP-IX as an Enabler: TOP-IX provides the Fabric, the neutral and high-performance interconnection infrastructure that acts as an aggregation point. It enables direct and secure connectivity between end-users (local businesses) and cloud service providers.
- Strategic Partnerships: through collaborations with global leaders such as Megaport and Equinix (with others potentially to follow), TOP-IX extends its reach, integrating their vast networks and data center ecosystems. This allows for efficient access to a wide range of cloud providers and geographical locations.
- Role of Consortium Members and Local Providers: TOP-IX consortium members and local connectivity providers play a crucial role in this federation. They are the “bridge” that brings Fabric connectivity to local businesses, offering the last mile and value-added services to their customers. This model allows local providers to enrich their offerings, providing direct cloud access without having to invest in complex infrastructures and direct partnerships with every single cloud provider.
- Benefits of Federation: this federated architecture guarantees greater resilience, scalability, and capillarity of the service. It allows for leveraging synergies between different actors, optimizing investments and ensuring that local businesses can access enterprise-grade cloud network infrastructure through their trusted providers, benefiting from the expertise and reach of a wider ecosystem.
This collaborative and distributed model is fundamental for extending the benefits of cloud access and NaaS efficiently and sustainably throughout the local territory and can be expanded at a national level through collaboration with other Internet Exchanges or Interconnection Platforms that share its principles.
