Software-defined cloud interconnect (SDCI) is a network service that lets an organization create private connections between cloud providers, data centers, colocation sites and sometimes offices, over a provider’s own network, and turn them up, resize or remove them through a web portal or API. Instead of ordering a separate physical circuit to each cloud, you connect once to the provider’s network and then create virtual connections to many destinations as needed. SDCI is a form of network as a service (NaaS) focused on cloud connectivity and interconnection.
At a glance
- One physical connection, typically a port in a data center, gives access to many clouds and locations over private virtual links.
- Connections are provisioned through a self-service portal or API, often in minutes to hours once the port exists.
- Bandwidth on each virtual connection can usually be raised or lowered without new hardware, depending on the provider.
- Traffic between clouds and sites stays on the provider’s private network instead of the public internet.
- Offered by data center operators, network carriers and specialist interconnection providers, with different footprints and features.
What problem it solves
Connecting privately to a single cloud provider traditionally means ordering a dedicated circuit to that provider’s on-ramp, waiting weeks or months, and paying for capacity sized for peak demand. Organizations using several clouds, several regions and a few data centers end up with a tangle of separate circuits, each with its own contract, lead time and bandwidth limit, or they send cloud-to-cloud traffic back through a central data center or over the internet.
SDCI collapses that into a shared, software-controlled fabric. Once connected, you can link to a new cloud region, create a cloud-to-cloud path, or add bandwidth for a migration, through a portal instead of a new circuit order. That makes multi-cloud networking more practical and lets network capacity follow how cloud usage actually changes.
How it works
Physical access. You connect to the provider’s network with a port, usually in a carrier-neutral data center where you already have equipment, using a cross-connect. Some providers also deliver access to offices over leased lines or let you connect from a virtual router in a cloud.
The provider’s fabric. The provider runs a private network linking many data centers and the on-ramps of major cloud providers. This is the interconnection backbone that carries your traffic between locations.
Virtual connections. Through the portal or API, you create virtual circuits from your port to a cloud provider, another data center or another of your ports, and choose the bandwidth of each. The cloud side must accept the connection in the cloud provider’s own console.
Routing and virtual network functions. Many SDCI services offer virtual routers hosted in the provider’s network, so you can route between clouds directly without your own hardware in the middle. Some also host virtual firewalls or SD-WAN gateways.
Billing. Charges typically combine port fees, per-connection bandwidth fees and optional virtual devices. Some services offer hourly or monthly terms, which suit temporary needs such as migrations.
Our cloud connect, interconnection and network as a service pages cover how buyers compare these options.
When it matters for buyers
- Adopting a second or third cloud. SDCI is often simpler than adding a dedicated circuit for each provider and region.
- Cloud-to-cloud traffic. Data moving between providers can stay on private paths, with more predictable latency than the internet.
- Migrations and temporary projects. Short-term, high-bandwidth connections can be added and removed as needed.
- Moving into colocation. Choosing a facility where the SDCI providers you want are present simplifies future connectivity.
- Contract reviews. Fixed circuits sized for peak cloud traffic can sometimes be replaced with flexible virtual connections.
Questions to ask vendors
- In which data centers, metros and cloud on-ramps are you present, and which are near our locations?
- How long does a new port take, and how long does a new virtual connection take once the port is live?
- How is bandwidth priced, and what are the minimum terms for ports and connections?
- Can we change bandwidth on a connection without downtime, and how quickly?
- Do you offer virtual routers or other network functions, and how are they priced and supported?
- What availability SLA applies to ports, the fabric and each connection, and how is redundancy provided?
- What will the cloud providers charge on their side, including data egress?
How it differs from network as a service (NaaS)
Network as a service (NaaS) is the broader idea of consuming networking as an on-demand, subscription service rather than buying and running your own equipment and fixed circuits. It can cover branch connectivity, WAN, LAN and security as well as cloud links. SDCI is a specific kind of NaaS aimed at private connections between clouds, data centers and interconnection points. It also differs from a single direct cloud connection, which links one location to one cloud over a dedicated circuit; SDCI gives you a shared fabric from which many such connections can be created.