Key points

• Reduced latency and improved performance between cross-region manufacturing operations and AWS cores using Zenlayer’s long-haul SDN
• Enabled easy scalability without new hardware or colocation buildouts via Zenlayer’s hosting services
• Streamlined CI/CD workflows across global cloud environments and optimized cloud access leveraging Zenlayer’s premium IP Transit and Cloud Connect

 

About the customer

Industry: Industrial technology services
Needs: Global scalability without CapEx, cross-border connectivity, latency reduction, hybrid cloud integration, simplified infrastructure management
Zenlayer services used: IP Transit, Managed Hosting Service, Cloud Connect, Cloud Networking

The customer is a Fortune 500 company with over $6 billion in annual revenue that specializes in maximizing profitability for manufacturing, software, and engineering firms by centralizing IT and streamlining operations. As a global, multi-cloud enterprise with rapid, continuous software development cycles, the customer needed a better way to connect its manufacturing operations in China with cloud environments across Europe and the US.

Recognizing our expertise in deploying and managing global enterprise digital infrastructure, the industrial tech firm turned to our services to help solve their long-standing cross-border network challenges previous providers were unable to resolve.

 

The challenge: enabling fast, reliable cross-border connectivity for global manufacturing and cloud innovation

The customer faced significant issues with its existing cross-border networking setup. Using one of China’s biggest telecommunication service providers, the tech firm experienced poor service quality that hindered performance and productivity.

As they operate globally with a massively distributed infrastructure spanning on-premises, cloud, and development pipelines, the company sought out a solution that could improve connectivity from their manufacturing sites in China to AWS cores in Europe and the US. However, high latency plagued their cross-border connections, which impacted workflows, reduced development efficiency, and impacted customer experience.

Compounding matters, the tech firm wanted to avoid relying solely on public cloud due to high costs. Instead, they needed flexible, scalable, and high-performance infrastructure that would not necessitate building out their own colocation footprint or purchasing hardware for each new site.

 

Accelerating performance via Zenlayer’s global network

To address the customer’s latency and cross-border networking issues, we deployed our long-haul SDN to efficiently route traffic between their resources in China and their public cloud cores in Oregon, and Frankfurt, Germany.

Leveraging thousands of kilometers of fiber from Shanghai to Oregon and Beijing to Frankfurt, we significantly cut their network latency, enhancing performance and boosting the efficiency of real-time collaboration between manufacturing teams and global cloud resources. This resulted in improved developer experience, accelerating their software innovation cycles.

 

Simplifying infrastructure with hosted metal services

We delivered highly available managed hosting with two fully redundant servers in Shanghai and Beijing. This solution helped the customer acquire much-needed data center space and compute power without having to buy additional hardware, establish new PoPs, or set up colocation.

Deploying their virtual SD-WAN devices on our hosted bare metal, the tech firm was able to build a custom network over our global private backbone for which the first mile from their metro premises vertically integrated with Zenlayer’s premium Internet blend.

 

Enabling seamless hybrid cloud with IP transit and Cloud Connect

Using Zenlayer’s premium local IP transit and Cloud Connect—private onramps to public clouds—the customer can now securely route traffic from manufacturing locations through our virtual SD-WAN and onto the public cloud.

This architecture lets the firm’s users in China interface seamlessly with AWS VPCs and services worldwide without the usual latency spikes inherent with public networks and traditional cross-border connections. At the same time, this solution empowers their continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines to operate with greater speed and efficiency.

 

Looking ahead

With Zenlayer’s support, the industrial tech firm can now scale their global infrastructure with confidence. As they continue to expand their hybrid cloud environment and refine their software development pipelines, our flexible, high-performance backbone and edge infrastructure will continue to deliver the low-latency connectivity, operational agility, and seamless cloud integration they need to succeed not just in Europe and Asia, but around the world.

 

Simplify and accelerate expansions with a one-stop shop

Leveraging our global private backbone, managed hosting services, and premium local networking, the industrial tech services leader significantly improved performance across its cross-border cloud and manufacturing operations. With a scalable, low-latency network foundation in place, the company can now accelerate software innovation and support global collaboration with ease.

If you’re looking to expand your business’s global footprint, streamline operations, or accelerate apps or services to improve user experience, talk to a Zenlayer solution expert today!

For instant provisioning, check out zenConsole — our self-service platform that lets you deploy around the world in minutes.