RackConnect Global FAQ
What is RackConnect Global?
RackConnect® Global is a software-defined, multi-cloud interconnection platform that links Rackspace Technology customers with other Rackspace data centers, third-party data centers, and third-party clouds through direct, private, low-latency, virtual connections. All traffic flowing between every endpoint avoids the public Internet and instead rides the Rackspace private backbone.
Why should I care about avoiding the public Internet?
The average enterprise uses at least five different multi-cloud platforms. A typical mix includes the following offerings:
- On-premises private clouds
- Colocation
- Hosted private cloud
- Public cloud
- Multiple Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Data stored and processed in each must flow from one to the other rapidly and securely. Over two-thirds of data traffic travels east-west between clouds rather than north-south to the end-user. This flow of information is susceptible to intrusion. If an adversary can make their way into the east-west traffic, there's a good chance they could make their way quickly across the network and into your platforms.
How does RackConnect Global work?
RackConnect Global is an *ecosystem of ecosystems*. Rackspace has linked the leading interconnection exchanges and cloud providers to our proprietary backbone. After you connect with the Rackspace backbone through a Rackspace data center or edge location (backbone routers in third-party connectivity-rich colocation sites), you can spin up virtual connections across the Rackspace footprint as well as Megaport and the Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric. These virtual connections enable Rackspace to provide multiple paths for connecting with all your cloud and colocation providers wherever they are across the globe for an integrated hybrid cloud experience.
For more details, see https://www.rackspace.com/cloud/hybrid/rackconnect/global.
Who is the audience for RackConnect Global, and what pain points does it alleviate?
Any company that uses a Rackspace service (such as colocation, dedicated hosting, server virtualization, private cloud, managed public cloud, or application services) and at least one other IT service provider should find RackConnect Global of tremendous value. The private, secure, low-latency solution saves traffic flowing between all connected environments—Rackspace and third-party—from riding the insecure and bogged down public Internet. In addition, compared to procuring long-term individual point-to-point connections from a telecommunications carrier between each of your clouds, RackConnect Global Any-to-Any connectivity is significantly more cost-effective, more flexible, and easier to implement.
What are the primary use cases?
RackConnect Global is the primary mechanism for linking multiple Rackspace services across different locations. It also enables customers to link services deployed in Rackspace data centers with third-party cloud environments regardless of whether Rackspace manages them. Customers also frequently use RackConnect Global to tether Rackspace services with third-party colocation facilities and network carriers.
RackConnect Global is of particular value for facilitating multi-cloud strategies. Because the public cloud scalability and elasticity make it incrementally more expensive, it’s prudent to deploy as much of the workload as possible within a static private cloud environment and only *burst* into the dynamic public cloud when you require additional resources. RackConnect Global is ideal for ensuring private clouds and borrowed public cloud resources across any number of providers all function together as a seamless and secure environment from an end-user standpoint.
In what regions is the service available?
We have RackConnect Global-enabled data centers and edge locations located across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, as shown in the following table:
Location name | Type | Data center operation | Address | Locally interconnected exchanges |
---|---|---|---|---|
DFW3 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 1251 Integrity Dr, Richardson, TX 75081 | |
DWF30 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix DA1, 1950 North Stemmons Freeway, Suite 1034, Dallas TX 75207 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, Megaport |
FRA1 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | Lyonerstrasse 28, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Megaport |
FRA2 | Rackspace data center/Edge location | Rackspace/Equinix | Equinix FR2, Friesstrasse 26, 60388 Frankfurt, Germany | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
HKG2 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix HK3, 6/F Shibusawa Building, 1 Wang Wo Tsai St, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong | Megaport |
HKG2 | Rackspace data center/Edge location | Rackspace/Equinix | Equinix HK3, 6/F Shibusawa Building, 1 Wang Wo Tsai St, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
HKG5 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 33 Chun Choi St, Sai Kung, New Territories, Hong Kong | |
IAD3 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 44461 Chilum Place, Ashburn, Virginia 20147 | |
IAD30 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix DC2, 21715 Filigree Court, Building F Ashburn, VA 20147 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, Megaport |
LON3 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 115 Buckingham Avenue, SL1 4PN Slough, United Kingdom | |
LON31 | Edge location | Telehouse | Avenue, London E14 2AA, United Kingdom | Megaport |
LON32 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix LD5; Slough Trading Estate, 8 Buckingham Ave, Slough SL1 4AX, United Kingdom | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, Megaport |
LON5 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | Unit 1, Power Avenue, Manor Royal, RH10 9BE Crawley, United Kingdom | |
MCI1 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 10828 NW Airworld Dr., Kansas City, MO 64153 | |
NYC1 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 200 Campus Dr., Franklin, NJ 08873 | |
NYC2 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 125 Belmont Dr., Franklin, NJ 08873 | |
NYC30 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix - NY9; 111 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 | |
ORD30 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix CH4, 350 E Cermak, Chicago, IL 60616 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, Megaport |
SEA80 | Edge location | Equinix | 2020 Fifth Ave.5/F, Seattle WA 98121 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
SIN2 | Rackspace data center/Edge location | Equinix | Equinix SG3; 26A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Singapore 139963 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
SJC2 | Rackspace data center | Rackspace | 150 S. First Street, Suite 101, San Jose, California 95113 | |
SIN31 | Edge location | Equinix | Crescent, Ayer Rajah Industrial Park, Singapore, 13996 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
SJC31 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix SV1, 11 Great Oaks Blvd. San Jose CA 95119 | Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric |
SYD30 | Edge location | Equinix | Equinix - SY3, 47 Bourke Road, Alexandria, NSW, Australia | Megaport |
What are the connectivity options for users to establish a connection with RackConnect Global?
Users can connect external environments by using the following methods:
- Physically cross-connect with Rackspace edge location routers within same colocation environment
- Become a participant on the Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric or Megaport cloud
exchange - Procure a local loop from a telecommunications carrier to the most proximate RackConnect Global-enabled Rackspace data center or edge location
What speeds does RackConnect Global support?
RackConnect Global supports connectivity speeds of 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10 Gbps.
Is the traffic secure?
Yes. Use RackConnect Global to transfer data securely without going over the Internet, by using a private circuit that others don't share—for an additional layer of protection for your business data and apps. The service does not provide encryption of any sort. It's purely an MPLS VPN connection. The traffic rides through the Rackspace backbone (the network that interconnects Rackspace regions and provides connectivity outside of Rackspace) without hitting the Internet path and is inherently secure.
Does the service have an SLA?
Yes. RackConnect Global includes a 99.99% Connectivity Uptime Guarantee, industry-leading SLAs, and the commitment to 24x7x365 service and support that’s at the core of what we do. Rackspace guarantees that the termination endpoint for the RackConnect Global Service virtual circuit can accept connections 99.99% of the time in any calendar month, provided that there are two or more virtual circuit termination endpoints at the Rackspace data center location. You can read the agreement at https://www.rackspace.com/information/legal/rackconnect-global-regionlink.
Updated 10 months ago