Colt DCS targets cheaper cloud-based private data centre with Azure and Amazon

Carrier-neutral Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has added private connectivity for two major public cloud providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure to its three German data centres in Frankfurt, Berlin, and Hamburg.

In addition, German internet exchanges DE-CIX and BCIX will now be available at the global data centre operator’s Frankfurt and Berlin facilities respectively.

“The connectivity services available in our German data centres have been significantly enhanced in response to the demands of our growing customer base. The cloud connectivity service can reduce the costs of provisioning bandwidth, improve consistency in network performance and offer the flexibility to scale usage up and down in line with capacity requirements in real-time,” said Matt Cantwell, director of product and propositions at Colt DCS.

“We are also delighted that DE-CIX and BCIX are also joining our German data centres. Direct connectivity to internet exchanges can be important to many cloud and media service providers so we’re happy to have them in our data centres.”

Colt DCS’ Dedicated Cloud Access service allows customers to consume connectivity services on-demand and in real-time via an intelligent and intuitive online customer portal. The service also enables customers to control flex bandwidth requirements up and down instantaneously.

On-demand allows organisations building hybrid platforms to avoid the high cost of fixed private network connectivity to major cloud providers, or the premium paid to collocate next to cloud gateways. The new service can deliver between 10Mbps and 1Gbps of private connectivity simply with the provision of a cross connect from customers’ racks to the Colt DCS platform. Once the cross-connect and access port is in place, the required bandwidth can be delivered within minutes.

Customers can contract 1Gbps for three years, or use the service at hourly rates as required, with per-hour billing for bandwidth. Furthermore, Colt DCS can provide the same flexible, high-capacity private connectivity to multiple cloud locations around Europe, connected via the same port in any of its London datacenters, without a requirement for additional network purchase.

Cantwell added: “Customers will no longer need to pay a premium for buying colocation services within the same sites as the major cloud services providers. It will also negate the upfront capital costs of provisioning fixed connectivity to cloud platforms. We’re confident that it’s the best possible model on the market, developed to keep costs for our customers to a minimum, without sacrificing performance and delivery.”

The news comes as carriers Versatel and Willy.tel will allow customers to make direct connections to Colt DCS’ Hamburg data centre. In October, Colt DCS announced it was set to build a new 8,000 sq m data centre in Germany after acquiring a Greenfield site close to Frankfurt city centre.