DE-CIX is a Microsoft ExpressRoute connectivity provider

DE-CIX has long been a Microsoft partner and we offer private, secure connectivity to Microsoft Azure services from all major DE-CIX locations globally. Additionally, our global infrastructure allows customers to extend their reach to Microsoft Azure regions and ExpressRoute locations worldwide, regardless of where they are located.

What is Azure ExpressRoute?

Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute allows you to connect your existing network infrastructure with the Microsoft cloud without going over the “public” Internet. The benefits of connecting via ExpressRoute include reduced network costs, predictable latency, higher security, and guaranteed bandwidth. 

ExpressRoute is the recommended and preferred way to connect and consume Microsoft IaaS and PaaS Services. For SaaS – like Microsoft 365 – there is a dedicated Microsoft Azure Peering Service, because ExpressRoute is not designed to fulfil the requirement of a geographically dispersed design as is recommended for SaaS.

How connectivity providers help 

Using Azure ExpressRoute requires physical connectivity in a specified colocation facility between your infrastructure and Microsoft’s. However, this requires enterprises to be physically present in these designated colocation facilities, which usually is not the case. 

Connectivity providers like DE-CIX can help to extend ExpressRoute connections to additional colocation facilities where Microsoft has no own presence, whilst keeping all the benefits of the service. With the ecosystem of DE-CIX DirectCLOUD-certified ISPs and data center partners, ExpressRoute circuits become available wherever needed – including at enterprise on-premise locations and in private data centers. Connecting via partners, you will still bypass the “public” Internet and get all the benefits of the service.

How it works

There are two ways to set-up the connectivity between the enterprise and Microsoft. First, if you are collocated in a data center where DE-CIX also has presence – our premium enabled sites – you just need to buy access to DE-CIX and you can simply use DirectCLOUD to connect to Microsoft. This option usually makes sense if you have very high bandwidth requirements or a large number of ExpressRoute circuits.

The second and the more common option is when a DE-CIX certified ISP or data center partner acts as a single point of contact for enterprises and provides (last mile) connectivity between your on-premise location and the closest DE-CIX premium enabled site, and from there on to Microsoft.

Regardless of which set-up you use, DE-CIX and our partners guarantee to provide high availability by avoiding any single points of failure.

Simplified management via self-service portal 

Both direct customers and DE-CIX partners benefit from our self-service portal, which offers provisioning in a matter of minutes, without the hassle of a long provisioning cycle. You can set up connections or cancel them whenever you want to, and add new ones as you need them. The DE-CIX portal also provides you with full visibility into the performance of your DirectCLOUD connections.  

If you have any questions about connecting to Microsoft Azure, DE-CIX’s consulting team is happy to answer even your trickiest ones. Contact them today by filling in our form.