
Network performance is crucial for many organizations that want to provide the best customer services and help their employees with a fast and reliable network. Improving network connection is always a great addition to your IT infrastructure, and it can be achieved through cross-connections. But what are cross-connections?
Cross-connections are hardware (cables, cords, and jumpers) that connect separate units of the facilities within a data center. A cross-connection can be viewed as a direct point-to-point connection between two hardware assets in a data center. Cross-connections usually consist of a physical cable running directly from one server to another. They are maintained by a single data center or across multiple data centers and can be used for many purposes:
- Trading companies may use hundreds of cross-connections between servers to ensure trades are made as quickly as possible.
- Cloud providers use cross-connects to connect networks and Internet services providers (ISPs) within the same building – often for a single company.
- Some companies use cross-connects to make sure their business is connected to global networks so they can take advantage of redundancy and pricing.