The agreement with Equinix means that businesses in Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres will be able to use AT&T’s switched Ethernet service with network on demand.
AT&T said the service offered at Equinix will enable intelligence across cloud service providers, and brings connectivity and expanded interconnection opportunities closer to where businesses operate.
“This is a critical move for many customers as they continue on their digital transformation and look to adopt technologies that require optimal speed and performance,” said Roman Pacewicz, chief product officer at AT&T Business.
“Our work with Equinix lets us deliver the physical infrastructure and network connectivity options to support our customers’ evolving business needs.”
This expansion lets AT&T customers use the extensive cloud density available at Equinix facilities, using applications such as augmented and virtual reality that require high bandwidth and low latency for optimal performance.
“Cloud and data centre services must offer the scalability and reliability that IT managers require, while helping enterprises rapidly scale their operations globally,” said Charles Meyers, Equinix’s president for strategy, services and innovation. “AT&T’s network expansion is coming at the right time for our customers. As businesses are increasingly adopting the cloud, we are providing customers with the agility, connectivity and interconnection opportunities they need to compete and grow their businesses on a global scale.”
AT&T switched Ethernet service with network on demand is currently available at Equinix IBX data centres in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Silicon Valley and more.
The Tech Mahindra deal will allow it to offer AT&T’s FlexWare to its global clients as well as use it internally. AT&T said that “FlexWare is a transformative, global network infrastructure solution” that “reduces hardware requirements and streamlines operations so companies become more agile and responsive to their IT and business needs”.
Tech Mahindra senior vice president Ashish Julka said: “AT&T FlexWare is a state-of-the-art product which we believe delivers significant value to enterprise customers in their network transformation journey.” He added: “This is another significant milestone in our strategic relationship with AT&T.”
The companies said that “the platform makes it easy to set up and manage virtual network functions on a single device reducing dependence on physical network appliances. This helps businesses become more agile and save costs.”
Tech Mahindra intends to combine AT&T FlexWare with its system integration and services portfolio, and offer the solutions to its global clients.
At AT&T, Pacewicz said: “AT&T FlexWare enables intelligence at the edge that will help businesses analyse, protect and refine their networks. And it’s adaptable. You can easily revise for future changes and incorporate new technologies to stay ahead.” The Tech Mahindra deal “will make the platform available to more businesses globally”.