Arrcus Brings Clouds Closer to the Edge for Latency-Sensitive 5G Applications
February 28, 2023
Arrcus announced a collaboration with Equinix with the launch of the FlexMCN Multi-Cloud Network solution deployed on Equinix Metal. The solution provides a global hyperscale overlay network connecting Equinix bare metal at the edge to public and private clouds and leverages the rich interconnection ecosystem available with Equinix Fabric. This is critical as 5G applications that require low latency prompt enterprises to relocate high-capacity compute, data and bandwidth resources closer to end users and applications.
“We are thrilled to work with Equinix to provide enterprises with a secure, scalable solution for 5G applications and services,” said Shekar Ayyar, chairman and CEO of Arrcus. “Our FlexMCN solution, combined with Equinix’s interconnected digital infrastructure will deliver the next generation of digital applications and services that enterprises want while enabling telecom service providers to better monetize their 5G infrastructure.”
5G requires a distributed, cloud-native network to function effectively. That has given rise to multi-access edge compute (MEC) infrastructure that can be deployed as mini clouds – each with its own compute, storage and networking. The Arrcus FlexMCN solution brings the cloud closer to the edge by enabling secure overlay connectivity across these MEC mini clouds, seamlessly interconnecting isolated compute workloads to create a global unified cloud. Equinix’s bare metal servers provide the compute capability needed at the MEC.
“Enterprises are accelerating their digital transformation and continue to adopt Equinix’s interconnected edge compute, advanced networking, fully programmable and on-demand digital services infrastructure solutions, which are available across the globe,” said Zachary Smith, global head of edge infrastructure at Equinix. “Arrcus makes that value proposition for enterprises and 5G even stronger.”
The FlexMCN Multi-Cloud Network solution deployed on Equinix Metal addresses network slicing use cases, a key driver of 5G adoption. The on-demand, highly scalable Equinix solution paired with Arrcus’ FlexMCN for fully programmable, secure cloud networking is valuable for such 5G-based applications as intelligent transportation, industrial automation and AR/VR applications like remote surgery and entertainment that require extremely low latency and high bandwidth.
The FlexMCN solution consists of ArcEdge as a secure data plane software, coupled with ArcOrchestrator, to dramatically simplify and expedite the setup of cloud operations. By leveraging ArcOS for robust routing, FlexMCN enables the deployment of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud networking across cloud domains, and secure connectivity for workloads across cloud instances.
Hosted in the cloud or on premises, ArcOrchestrator can deploy an ArcEdge data plane virtual router on an Equinix server and establish secure connectivity from MEC to public and private clouds. This adds value by enabling enterprises to deploy latency-sensitive services at the MEC on Equinix as-a-service infrastructure and connect to branch, cloud, colos, data centers, edge and SaaS resources from a single pane of glass using FlexMCN ArcOrchestrator.
