Navigating the Digital Landscape: DE-CIX’s Strategy and Solutions for Southern India and Beyond

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Mr Sudhir Kunder, Chief Business Officer, DE-CIX India

Q. How does DE-CIX plan to engage with potential customers in the southern region of India?

DE-CIX India takes a proactive approach to engaging with potential customers in the southern region, strategically identifying opportunities and grasping market dynamics. With a clear vision in mind, we’ve effectively ramped up customer acquisition and streamlined business processes. This has resulted in the establishment of two additional Interconnection Platforms in Hyderabad and Bangalore, complementing the existing ones in Hyderabad and Chennai.

We recognised the importance of Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai, which either have landing stations or are in close proximity of landing stations, totaling seven international cables landing there. Our focus remains on vital sectors within the digital landscape, such as Fintech, E-health, Gaming, Edutech, Automobile, Health Care and Manufacturing and Distribution. These sectors demand seamless, fast, reliable, resilient, and secure connectivity, and we’re dedicated to meeting their unique requirements.

Our engagement strategy includes targeted outreach initiatives and active participation in events like the DE-CIX Interconnection Conclave, CNC Expo Hyderabad, and Digital Space India Chennai. Through collaboration with key stakeholders and involvement in industry-specific events, we aim to gain deeper insights into the diverse connectivity needs across various sectors in the southern region.

To bolster our presence, we strategically operate in four prominent Data Centers: Bharti Airtel Santhome, ST Telemedia Chennai, Sify Tidel Park and Digital Connexion Datacenters. Additionally, we’re in advanced discussions with other National and International Data Centers, with further announcements expected soon.

Q: How does Azure Peering Services optimise routing for Azure-bound traffic, and how does this contribute to reducing latency and improving overall network performance?

A: Azure Peering Services optimise routing for Azure-bound traffic through direct connections between Microsoft’s global network infrastructure and Interconnection Platforms. By establishing these direct links, Azure Peering minimises the number of network hops and potential points of congestion that data might encounter on its way to Azure services. This optimised routing ensures that data takes the most efficient path, reducing latency by 90% and improving overall network performance and reducing 50% of trouble tickets.

Furthermore, Azure Peering leverages Microsoft’s extensive network presence across the globe, strategically placing peering locations to minimise latency for Azure users regardless of their geographical location. This means that whether a user is accessing Azure services from North America, Europe, Asia, or elsewhere, the traffic can be routed efficiently, contributing to a consistent and reliable user experience.

Overall, Azure Peering Services play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of Azure-bound traffic by optimising routing, reducing latency, and leveraging Microsoft’s robust global network infrastructure.

Q: What strategies and technologies are emerging to address latency challenges in real-time applications, such as interconnection Platform, online gaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality?

A: Interconnection platform like DE-CIX India are instrumental in enhancing the performance of real-time applications such as online gaming, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). For online gaming, where every millisecond can make a significant difference in gameplay, reducing latency is paramount. Interconnection platforms provide direct connections between gaming servers, ISPs, and players, minimising the distance data needs to travel and ensuring faster response times. This translates to smoother gameplay, reduced lag, and an overall improved gaming experience for players.

Interconnection platforms enable VR and AR content providers to deliver high-definition, low-latency content to users by optimising data delivery paths and reducing network congestion. This ensures that users can seamlessly interact with virtual environments or overlay digital information onto the physical world without experiencing delays or disruptions.

Furthermore, interconnection platforms facilitate the integration of CDN services and edge computing nodes, enabling content providers to cache and process data closer to end-users. This proximity reduces latency for content delivery and real-time rendering, enhancing the fluidity and responsiveness of VR and AR experiences. Overall, interconnection platforms play a critical role in optimising network performance and reducing latency for online gaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality applications, ultimately enhancing user satisfaction and engagement.

Q: Considering the evolving tactics in DDoS attacks, what challenges do organisations face in mitigating these threats, and how does an Interconnection Platform, such as DE-CIX India, specifically address these challenges?

A: Organisations face significant challenges in mitigating DDoS attacks due to the evolving tactics employed by attackers. These challenges include the increasing frequency and sophistication of attacks, the difficulty in distinguishing legitimate traffic from malicious ones, and the potential for collateral damage to network infrastructure and services.

Interconnection Platform offer a robust solution to these challenges through their distributed peering and traffic exchange points. By strategically distributing peering locations worldwide, DE-CIX India enables traffic diversion and filtering closer to the source of the attack. This minimises the impact of DDoS attacks by preventing malicious traffic from reaching the target organisation’s infrastructure.

Moreover, DE-CIX India facilitates collaboration among network operators and provides access to DDoS mitigation services, allowing organisations to benefit from shared expertise and resources in combating DDoS threats effectively.

Overall, DE-CIX’s Interconnection Platform plays a vital role in mitigating the challenges posed by evolving DDoS attacks, providing organisations with the tools and capabilities needed to protect their network infrastructure and services effectively.

Q: What are the unique security challenges associated with 5G networks, and how can they be mitigated by Interconnection Platform?

A: The advent of 5G networks introduces unique security challenges due to the increased attack surface, reliance on virtualised network functions, and the proliferation of connected devices. Interconnection Platforms can play a crucial role in mitigating these challenges by providing advanced security features and facilitating secure connectivity between different network domains.

One of the primary security challenges in 5G networks is the expanded attack surface resulting from the massive increase in connected devices and IoT endpoints. Interconnection Platforms can mitigate this risk by implementing traffic filtering capabilities. By enforcing strict authentication and authorisation policies at interconnection points, these platforms can prevent unauthorised access and mitigate the risk of malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities in 5G networks.

Another significant security concern in 5G networks stems from the reliance on virtualised network functions (VNFs) and software-defined networking (SDN) architectures. Interconnection Platforms can enhance security by implementing secure virtualised environments and leveraging network segmentation techniques to isolate critical network functions. By isolating and securing VNFs within virtualised environments, Interconnection Platforms can limit the impact of security breaches and prevent lateral movement by attackers.

Additionally, the dynamic and distributed nature of 5G networks introduces challenges in ensuring end-to-end security and data integrity. Interconnection Platforms can address these challenges by providing secure and encrypted connections between different network domains and service providers. By facilitating secure interconnection points and encrypted data transmission, these platforms can protect sensitive data and ensure the confidentiality and integrity of communications traversing 5G networks.

Overall, Interconnection Platforms play a vital role in mitigating the unique security challenges associated with 5G networks by implementing advanced security measures, enforcing strict access controls, and facilitating secure connectivity between different network elements. By leveraging Interconnection Platforms, organisations can enhance the security posture of their 5G networks and mitigate the risks associated with the evolving threat landscape.

Q: How can enterprises effectively reduce costs associated with internet latency by transitioning from conventional bandwidth internet services to solutions like DirectCLOUD Connectivity and MAPS?

A: Transitioning from conventional bandwidth internet services to solutions like DirectCLOUD Connectivity and MAPS (Microsoft Azure Peering Service) offers enterprises several opportunities to reduce costs associated with internet latency while improving network performance and reliability.

One significant advantage of DirectCLOUD Connectivity and MAPS is the provision of dedicated, high-speed connections to cloud service providers (CSPs), Microsoft O365 and Azure Cloud by bypassing the public internet and leveraging direct connections, enterprises can minimise latency and packet loss, resulting in faster data transfer and improved application performance.

Additionally, these solutions often offer flexible pricing models, allowing enterprises to scale bandwidth and capacity based on their specific requirements. This eliminates the need for costly over-provisioning of network resources and ensures optimal utilisation of IT budgets.

Furthermore, DirectCLOUD Connectivity and MAPS providers typically offer service level agreements (SLAs) guaranteeing uptime, performance, and reliability. This provides enterprises with peace of mind and financial assurance, knowing that their critical applications and services will remain accessible and responsive, even during peak usage periods or network disruptions.

Overall, by leveraging DirectCLOUD Connectivity and MAPS solutions, enterprises can achieve significant cost savings by reducing internet latency, optimising network performance, and ensuring reliable connectivity to cloud and content services.