With DE-CIX North America’’s renewal of its OIX-1 Certifications for its Internet Exchanges (IXs), OIX, a non-profit industry organization, continues to play a crucial role in promoting open standards and neutral interconnection services in the internet exchange (IX) landscape. DE-CIX’s renewals in North America, highlights the growing importance of standardization and neutrality in the industry.

Over the past decade, OIX has significantly raised the bar for interconnection and ecosystem standards for IXs and data centers. The organization has established a solid framework of best practices for operators, contributing to a transformation of the IX landscape in the United States. This shift has led to an increasing demand for open standards and data center and carrier neutrality.

The impact of OIX’s efforts is evident in the current market structure. Neutral IXs, which are operated by third parties rather than data center operators or carriers, now account for 80% of all US IXs and 70% of the top 50 largest IXs in the country. This trend underscores the industry’s move towards more open and neutral interconnection services.

Furthermore, the certifications, awarded by the OIX Association, underscores DE-CIX’s ongoing commitment to open standards and neutral interconnection services. This achievement is particularly significant in the current landscape, where neutral IXs have seen substantial growth, now accounting for 80% of all US IXs and 70% of the top 50 largest IXs in the country.

Chris Grundemann, Chairman of OIX, emphasized the organization’s mission, stating, “OIX’s goal is to promote an open and distributed interconnection ecosystem.” He added that the support from various IX operators for OIX certification is critical to achieving this mission.

The IXP OIX-1 certification, specifically designed for Internet Exchanges, serves as a validation that an IX meets the strictest criteria defined by a committee of global industry peers. This certification process ensures that certified infrastructures adhere to the highest standards for interconnection, resiliency, and reliability.

IXP OIX-1 Certification is specifically designed for Internet Exchange Points.  DC OIX-2 is the first ever global certification for Data Centers desiring to serve as points of network interconnection. And, Edge OIX-3 is the premier standard and certification for Edge Data Centers, providing a common framework for identifying Edge Data Center characteristics. It’s a straightforward eight-step process for companies to apply for certification.

As OIX celebrates its ten-year anniversary, it reflects on a decade of significant achievements in enhancing internet peering and interconnection. The organization’s work has been instrumental in ensuring efficient global connectivity for diverse stakeholders, including internet exchange providers, data center providers, carriers, and content and cloud service providers.

Looking forward, OIX’s role in fostering a more interconnected and reliable internet ecosystem positions it as a pivotal player in the global internet infrastructure landscape. As the demand for reliable and neutral interconnection services continues to grow, OIX’s standards and certifications are likely to become increasingly important in shaping the future of internet infrastructure worldwide.

For more information, visit: www.oix.org.