Equinix (EQIX.Q), a company that specializes in data centers, has announced today the acquisition of bare metal automation platform, Packet.
The transaction will accelerate Equinix’s strategy to help companies deploy hybrid multicloud architectures without complications.
“The Packet acquisition represents a bold move to accelerate our strategy for helping enterprises quickly and seamlessly deploy hybrid multicloud architectures on Platform Equinix. By combining Packet’s innovative and agile bare metal automation technology with our dynamic data center and interconnection platform, we can offer our customers an alternate, agile way to deploy and consume private digital infrastructure. This approach will make it easier for our customers to extract greater value from our rich ecosystems, superior global reach and the interconnection platform,” says Zachary Smith, chief product officer for Equinix.
Lost yet? Let’s get started.
WTF is a hybrid multi-cloud architecture?
Looking around on the internet for a sufficient explanation of what multi-cloud architecture is frustrating. It yields responses from people who assume you know the answer to the question you’re asking, and immediately start blowing smoke up your ass to sell you the next great addition to make all of your cloud computing dreams come true. This can be annoying even for those of us who are cognizant of cloud computing, because there are differences between multi-cloud, and hybrid multi-cloud architectures that aren’t entirely obvious.
Paraphrased from IT-speak into regular English, of course, the closest definition seems to be this:
Multi-cloud architecture is a cloud environment that includes storage for on-premises private cloud resources and third-party public cloud resources, and the interchange between them. That’s basically it. It’s a network that connects your office network with a global network. Don’t listen to the hype: it doesn’t do your taxes for you, it won’t wash your dishes, and it won’t fix your marriage.
Here’s a moderately helpful image to further complicate the matter:
As part of the $335 million transaction, the company will operate the existing Packet business as “Packet, an Equinix company.” Packet will continue developing solutions for enterprise customers that combine bare metal automation tech with the ecosystems, global reach and interconnection fabric of Platform Equinix.
Equinix intends to create advanced solutions for enterprises to deploy digital infrastructure on a global scale with performance and integration with the public cloud. Businesses will be able to customize their IT infrastructure using the physical or virtual consumption model of their choice, letting them reach everywhere, interconnect everyone and integrate everything that matters to their business.
We’re going to need another subhead, aren’t we? Yes. Yes we are.
WTF is bare metal automation technology?
This one was easier to find. The company was nice enough to offer an explanation.
Bare metal is a new category of digital infrastructure, enabling businesses to deploy workloads on secure, single-tenant hardware, distributed geographically for proximity and performance. Focused on hardware-only automation, bare metal allows companies to select and deploy their own choice of operating system or virtualization software in hybrid multicloud environments. A proven leader in bare metal automation, Packet’s proprietary technology automates physical servers and networks without the use of virtualization or multitenancy.
Aren’t you glad you asked?
Either way, competitive organizations need speed, agility control and flexibility when managing their hybrid multicloud workloads, and the Bare Metal platform will give it to them, letting them deploy low-latency services either by owning it outright or by leasing it as a -as-a-service offering to reduce resource requirements.
—Joseph Morton