Recently, Equinix introduced the Equinix Fabric Cloud Router (FCR), a virtual routing service that enhances multicloud networking while improving performance, security and cost-efficiency. Equinix FCR with AWS Direct Connect is available in AWS Marketplace, allowing organizations to establish private, dedicated connections across their cloud infrastructure. By procuring Equinix FCR in AWS Marketplace, organizations benefit from streamlined procurement processes, consolidated billing with their existing Amazon Web Services (AWS) account, and seamless integration that reduces deployment complexity while enabling faster time-to-value for multicloud connectivity solutions.
According to a TechTarget Enterprise Strategy Group survey, 94% of organizations work with multiple cloud providers—some choosing different providers for specific capabilities, while others make these choices based on merger and acquisition considerations. For organizations building their workloads across different cloud environments, secure, reliable connectivity is a major benefit. Equinix FCR, working with Direct Connect, is designed to provide low-latency connectivity between AWS and other cloud infrastructure at various speeds in a reliable manner. This post explains how FCR enables cloud connectivity, examines key benefits and use cases, and helps you to get started with deploying this solution.
FCR using Direct Connect in AWS Marketplace provides:
FCR provides Layer 3 connectivity at configurable speeds when merging systems across different clouds. This helps in scenarios involving mergers and acquisitions. Using Direct Connect, FCR deploys without hardware management overhead. For applications that need to access data in different clouds, FCR provides consistent performance and low-latency private connectivity across cloud providers. The service reduces data transfer costs while simplifying infrastructure management. When working with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models across clouds, FCR enables high-performance data transfer through Equinix’s private network. This helps optimize costs while maintaining training schedules. For petabyte-scale migrations between clouds, Equinix FCR provides secure private connectivity through AWS Marketplace deployment. The service works with AWS DataSync to reduce transfer costs through compression and optimized data movement, benefiting from the lower data egress charges offered by Direct Connect.
To set up and provision a new Fabric Cloud Router, you need to have the following prerequisites:
This section walks through the steps to sign up for an AWS account, an Equinix free trial in AWS Marketplace, and to set up and provision a new Fabric Cloud Router through the Equinix Customer Portal.
You can sign up for a public AWS Marketplace Free Trial, which allows you to try out a Fabric Cloud Router at the Standard service tier level at no cost during the 7-day trial period. You can provision up to 2 x 200 Mbps Fabric Virtual Circuits (VCs).
Figure 1: Try for free in AWS Marketplace
In the Offer type window, choose Subscribe to free trial as shown in the following figure.
Figure 2: Subscribe to free trial
To create a new Cloud Router, follow the instructions at Creating a Fabric Cloud Router in the Equinix Fabric Cloud Router documentation. After you set up a Fabric Cloud Router, you can view and manage its connections as described in the Fabric Cloud Router documentation.
To create a Fabric Cloud Router connection, use the subscription keys from your welcome email.
The following steps show you how to establish connectivity between Direct Connect and your Fabric Cloud Router using a subscription key. Using a cloud router connection, you can connect to AWS services through a private network connection.
Figure 3: Create a Fabric connection
3. On the A Service Provider card, choose Connect to a Service Provider and search for Amazon Web Services.
Figure 4: Link the connection to AWS
4. On the AWS Amazon Web Services card, choose Select Service, then choose Create Connection.
5. In Enter Your AWS Information, choose a connection type as shown in the following figure:
Figure 5: Enter your AWS information and choose a Connection Type
6. Enter your AWS Account ID and choose Next.
7. To retrieve your AWS account identifier, sign in to the AWS Management Console and choose your username in the top right corner. When you copy your account ID into the field, make sure to remove the hyphens, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 6. AWS console to fetch account
From the AWS Destination dropdown list, choose your metro. Make sure to use the same destination for both Connections selected and choose Next.
Figure 7: Connection review page
After completing these steps, the configuration establishes a Fabric Cloud Router instance with Direct Connect connectivity. The configuration provides private, dedicated connections that support flexible bandwidth options based on the selected tier. Monitor and manage your connections through the Equinix Customer Portal.
Equinix Fabric Cloud Router, a third-party solution available in AWS Marketplace with AWS Direct Connect, provides a streamlined approach to multicloud networking. In AWS Marketplace, organizations can establish secure, private connections between cloud environments without managing physical infrastructure. The service supports various use cases—from post-merger system integration to large-scale data migration—while helping optimize performance and costs. To explore how FCR can support your cloud connectivity requirements, try the 7-day trial in AWS Marketplace.
Learn more about Equinix FCR with Direct Connect.
Dhanil is a Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS. He works closely with networking, security, and AI partners to build solutions and capabilities to enable and simplify their migrations and operations in the cloud. He holds an MS in telecommunications from the University of Colorado Boulder and has a passion for computer networking. Outside of work, Dhanil is an avid traveler and enjoys cheering Liverpool, FC.
Phil Griston is the AWS Alliance Director at Equinix. Prior to this, Phil has held partnership leadership roles at both AWS and Oracle Cloud.
Gene McColm is the Senior Principal Solutions Architect for the AWS Alliance at Equinix. For more than 10 years, he has worked with AWS, Equinix, and customers to ensure optimal design and deployment of hybrid cloud infrastructures
