By Contributing Editor, Kathy Xu

Screen Shot 2016-07-22 at 1.20.28 PMData Center POST recently sat down with DE-CIX North America’s Vice President, Ed d’Agostino to discuss what the company hopes to accomplish at HostingCon Global 2016. The largest gathering of the hosting and cloud services community in the world, this year’s event will take place July 24-27 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

DE-CIX is a leading global Internet exchange operator, providing the most advanced 100G interconnection platforms in the world, as well as access to over 100 networks, shorter routes to networks in the New York / New Jersey metro area, full control over IP transit, and enhanced Internet performance quality. Today, more than 800 customers from over 60 nations use DE-CIX’s platforms to lower costs, reduce latency, and increase IP performance and resilience.

Data Center POST, Kathy Xu (DCP-KX) Question:  How has DE-CIX North America stayed competitive in today’s marketplace?

DE-CIX North America, Ed d’Agostino (DE-CIX-ED) Answer: Providing peering exchange service is the foundation of our business. Many other companies that offer this are data centers for which peering is a value added service rather than a primary offering. Consequently, because it’s our core service, we are able to build better exchanges and provide enhanced support for our customers. Networks who join DE-CIX exchanges know that they will be well-supported by a high-performance exchange with fast-growing connectivity.

Additionally, DE-CIX is a carrier and data center-neutral organization. We become a partner to our data center customers, providing services that complement their offerings and generate value for their customers. DE-CIX operates on an open partnership model that is readily supported by most data center operators.

Finally, DE-CIX fully embraces the reseller model, which plays a critical role in the development of our peering communities. The DE-CIX Partner Program, GlobePARTNER, strives to provide easier access for new members to DE-CIX. With remote peering, our customers are able to peer with all connected networks without the need for a physical presence.

DCP-KX Q: We understand that DE-CIX has built six new Internet exchanges internationally. How does DE-CIX determine where to build Internet exchanges?

DE-CIX-ED: When determining where to build, we attempt to identify geographic regions that are underserved by current Internet exchange operators. In addition, we gather input from our customers regarding areas in which they would like to see our services offered and explore those various locations.

DCP-KX Q: What are some new and upcoming developments you can share with our readers?

DE-CIX-ED: We have had tremendous success in the New York area with over 120 unique networks connected to our platform, making us the fastest growing exchange in the market. To continue this progress, we are currently developing our second U.S. exchange in Dallas and expect to launch before the end of this month.

In addition, it’s worth noting the high level of success that we are now experiencing in Madrid. This market previously did not have an existing exchange, however, in under two months of operation we have signed more than 50 individual networks.

DCP-KX Q: What do you hope to accomplish at HostingCon Global this year?

DE-CIX-ED: Ideally, I would like to identify and meet new potential customers and partners for exchanges, especially within the New York and Dallas markets. I’m also looking forward to catching up with some of our existing customers in attendance. HostingCon is a great place to generate brand awareness and will be an excellent opportunity for us to meet with various media to help them gain a better understanding of our services and the value we add to our customers and network communities.

DCP-KX: Thank you for your time and best of luck at HostingCon 2016!  Readers, if you are interested in learning more about DE-CIX, please visit https://de-cix.net/.