Hong Kong's PCCW Global has launched what it is billing as the industry's first software-defined interconnection platform powered by a Tier 1 global IP network.
The new platform, Console Connect, has been made immediately available to customers across its IP network footprint, which spans 150 countries worldwide.
The platform will allow customers to link data centers to each other - and to a partner ecosystem of major cloud service providers - in seconds and on-demand through the use of software-defined interconnect automation software.
The platform's automated provisioning and routing requires customers to set up just one port and one cross-connect before being able to connect business-critical applications and cloud partners with the click of a button.
Customers will also be given the tools needed to manage multiple secure direct connections, monitor connection performance, and view bandwidth allocation and utilization, while scaling bandwidth up and down as needed.
Console Connect will also serve as a social platform for knowledge sharing and growing a customer's network and business.
“Console Connect enables access to some of the major cloud service providers across the globe for customers to access through the platform, including AWS, Azure, and Alibaba,” PCCW Global president of mobility and digital solutions Ronnie Klingner said.
“By the third quarter this year, we aim to have all major cloud service providers on board as well as additional major SaaS providers.”
Klingner said a key point of differentiation for the service is the global reach of the company's Tier 1 IP network.
“We go to many parts of the world that others do not. Owning the network enables us to offer unique flexibility on bandwidth and terms. PCCW Global is very diverse with presence all over North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and most markets in Asia,” she said.
“We are not starting from scratch. PCCW Global already serves a significant multinational customer base. It is far easier for our existing customers and partners to join Console Connect’s platform, compared to other companies who may not yet have the scale of our global network. We are already here.”
First published in Computerworld Hong Kong