The story of connectivity is defined by constant evolution, and there’s few organizations that have had a better vantage point from which to view and assess this ongoing digital global transformation than TELEHOUSE America. TELEHOUSE is a trusted pioneer of carrier-neutral data center services and a digital transformation partner — but it’s also the creator of the TELEHOUSE NYIIX Peering Exchange. Today, NYIIX stands as one of the largest neutral internet exchange points in the world (with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia), but this result is the culmination of more than two decades of adaptation, innovation and more.
We recently sat down with Akio Sugeno, VP of NYIIX and Internet Engineering at TELEHOUSE America, to get the scoop on what it took to build one of the premier interconnection ecosystems in the world, as well as what’s still to come.
So, how did NYIIX get its start 25 years ago?
Akio Sugeno (AS): It began back in the mid 90’s, when TELEHOUSE was in talks with one of the major IXs of the time about selling rack space. It was a challenging enough conversation that we began to wonder: Why don’t we build our own IX instead of waiting around?
Our CEO at the time approached me with a mandate to investigate what it would take to establish a great interconnection platform, and so I got started. Essentially, I started trying to find solutions after I had already started running. But I built strong foundations for myself — studying, attending industry events, meeting knowledgeable people and ensuring I knew the market demands, requirements, trends and more from the inside out. After about a year, we launched our own IXP, NYIIX, at 33 Whitehall street with 0 members, but that lack of peers didn’t last long. I had to be a sales rep, engineer and operator available 24×7 for a long time while we gained momentum, but looking back on our growth and success makes it worth it.
To what do you attribute NYIIX’s success to date?
AS: It comes down to our team’s constant and never-ending passion to succeed. It’s what got us launched in the first place, it’s what continues to see our growth through, and it’s what today allows us to say we’re one of the largest neutral exchange platforms in the world.
It also helps that NYIIX operates on the strong TELEHOUSE foundations. Today, NYIIX offers interconnection points in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles with over 250 member networks connected and peering with more than 1 Tbps in peak traffic, and that global reach is augmented by customers’ convenient access through TELEHOUSE data centers. This strong link makes consuming our services simple and seamless, and it allows customers to effectively bundle robust data centers and connectivity, two of the main pillars of digital transformation. Although, colocation is not a requirement to peer with NYIIX.
Overall, we would not have come this far without the dedicated cooperation and efforts of a host of dependable teammates and partners across 25 years. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to many individuals not mentioned here for their passion and support.
Why is this 25th anniversary notable for customers?
AS: Across IX market history, so many IXs have popped up and disappeared due to competition or acquisitions. It is a huge milestone to celebrate our 25th anniversary, and it speaks to our ability to keep ahead of market requirements not only with technical services, but great customer care and experiences in the form of partnerships. Our customers’ positive responses and uptake from that combination is what allowed us to keep growing.
Originally NYIIX had only 1 PoP at 33 Whitehall Street. Over the course of NYIIX’s evolution, we’ve added a host of PoPs in the New York and New Jersey metro market and obtained members from all over the world (including North America, South America, Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Middle East.) Now we have 250+ members, 230K IPv4 routes, 45K IPv6 routes, and 180+ route server users. There’s a lot to celebrate on our end, and a lot of opportunities to leverage on the customer end due to our configuration as a public peering exchange.
What’s still to come for NYIIX?
AS: We’re continuing our growth trajectory and strategically expanding and forming partnerships to further improve our ecosystem. NYIIX recently interconnected with LINX NOVA so that both of our ecosystems can mutually benefit from each other and increase connectivity potential alongside geographic reach for all peers. We also had UPIX, a global connectivity service provider, expand its port with us, establishing itself as one of the largest resellers of NYIIX in South America and offering much-needed services to that region.
For us, 25 years is only the beginning of what will continue to be even greater success for ourselves and our customers.
To learn more about NYIIX, visit www.nyiix.net.