Value of the Cloud

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cloud icons connected in a digital interface that hovers over servers in a large server room

ICN’s secure, reliable, and sustainable cloud platform.

Is your organization looking to leverage the cloud? The answer is yes.

What is the Cloud?

For those who are unfamiliar with the term "cloud," it refers to a virtual location where servers, networks, storage, development tools, and apps can be accessed directly or via the Internet. 

Cloud adoption continues to grow, and many customers are seeing the value of securing sensitive data and reducing network latency by using our cloud connect solution. With our cloud connect service, customers are noticing benefits, such as reducing infrastructure costs, network support, and improved efficiencies.
 

What is ICN’s Direct Cloud Solution?

ICN makes it easy to have access to hundreds of network, communication, security, and cloud providers all from a central location by providing a single plane of control for performance, security, and reliability.  This is accomplished by providing direct connects over our closed infrastructure to national, regional, and local content service providers. Our customers can use the cloud connection for application integration, mobile services, Internet of Things (IoT) apps, storage, etc. According to IT Business Edge, resiliency and redundancy are top factors for selecting a cloud security provider. In fact, our private network is highly valued for its redundancy.
 

Extra features of ICN's cloud connect service:

  • ICN is the transport to that cloud provider.
  • ICN is NOT the cloud provider. Interested customers must have a connection to a public Cloud to utilize this service.
  • Two (2) routes to the Cloud are available.
    • Chicago Equinix: ICN connects to 250+ cloud providers.
    • Denver CoreSite: ICN connects to AWS, but plans to connect to multiple providers in the future.


Does ICN Offer a Hybrid Cloud Solution?

Yes. Using our colocation service, customers can reserve cabinet space for servers and other computing hardware, while also receiving a direct connection to the cloud. With colocation, a hybrid solution is cost-effective, and also allows customers to remain in control of their applications.
 

What Cloud Content Providers Can Customers Connect To?

Our solution utilizes separate Internet Exchange Points for diversity; with the two points being in Chicago and Denver. These connections bring our network edge closer to content providers, such as Microsoft (Azure), Amazon (AWS), Google Cloud, Oracle, and 250+ more.


Why Customers Connect to the Cloud with the ICN:

  1. Improved network performance happens when the cloud is utilizing a separate connection, which helps reduce latency in the network. Best practice is not to share a cloud connection with a regular Internet connection used for everyday work.
  2. A private direct connection, is a safer network and gives customers more control versus on the public Internet. With our direct transport connection, the chance of security threats also decreases.
  3. Network scalability provides the ability for customers to connect physical and virtual infrastructure by adding and/or reducing bandwidth in order to meet demand and manage costs.
  4. Lowers expenses by reducing the amount of data that needs to be transferred over the public Internet.
     

Turn to the ICN for Assistance. If you think a cloud solution is right for you, reach out to your ICN Account Consultant.