Services and Solutions

Network Infrastructure Analytics, Data Center & Cloud Connectivity

The traditional world of Network and Information Technology is experiencing a seismic shift with the rapid growth of Cloud computing. The legacy model of having all of the branches connect back to a central site, typically the company’s data center, for even the most basic applications such as web browsing and email, is being reevaluated.

As businesses embrace the elasticity, scalability and flexibility of the Cloud, they are getting comfortable with consuming the data directly from the Cloud service providers at the 3rd-party datacenters. Some of the core business applications are also becoming candidates for relocation into a private cloud. All these transformations result in the Network becoming an ultra critical component in the operating model of an organization. Diverse connectivity, ultra-high availability network connections are becoming the norm for an enterprise company.

Technology Consulting

We can help with putting the pieces of the puzzle together. With a background in designing and optimizing network infrastructure, we work with the customer to understand their business practices and applications driving the network augmentation and the project. Our consulting practice provides solutions for a broad array of issues across the two service areas. We are an independent, vendor-neutral entity that provides impartial advice and lets the customers choose an option based on their risk appetite.

Network Infrastructure Analytics

Fiber Route Design
Network Diversity Study
High Availability Solutions
WAN: MPLS VPN, VPLS, Wavelength Services, Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SONET, SD-WAN
Optical Network Design & Equipment Selection
Low Latency Financial Exchange Connectivity

Data Center and Cloud Connectivity

Colocation
Data Center Interconnection (DCI)
Data Center Facility Connectivity Study
Public Cloud Connectivity: Amazon Direct Connect, Microsoft Azure Express Route, Google
Cloud Exchange Connectivity
Private Cloud as a Service

Services

With vast experience supporting enterprise customers, we understand the demanding customer environments and the importance of clear communication and complete transparency required to jumpstart projects. Our services include:

Network Assessment & Consulting
Review applications and understand traffic characteristics using performance measurement tools
Architecture & Design
In-depth analysis of the existing infrastructure along with objectives and priorities leading to a particular network configuration
Source & Vendor Management
Compile a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to obtain pricing data, rank supplier solutions and facilitate procurement process
Implementation
Manage the entire installation process for the customer while they focus on the core business operations. Upon completion of testing, coordinate between the supplier and the customer to ensure a smooth cut-over to the new environment

We can help you with your networking needs in the following areas:

Ethernet Services: E-LINE (Point-to-Point), E-LAN (Multipoint-to-Multipoint), E-TREE (Point-to-Multipoint)

VPN Services: Layer-2 (VPLS) and Layer-3 (MPLS IP VPN)

Wavelength Services: Protected and Unprotected (up to 100Gbps); Protocol agnostic: Ethernet, Storage (Fibre Channel, ESCON, FICON)

Dark Fiber Services: Lease and IRU

Video Transport Services: Compressed or Uncompressed Video (SD-SDI, HD-SDI, DVB-ASI, JPEG-2000 and 3G-SDI video formats)

Colocation Services: Space, Power, and IP

Dedicated Internet Access

Low Latency Services: Connectivity to Financial Trading Hubs

Global Financial Exchange Connectivity: Emerging Markets

Cloud Connectivity: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect, Microsoft Azure, Google

Cloud Services: Private-Cloud-as-a-Service (Traditional and OpenStack-powered)

What is Metro DCI?

The tremendous increase in the inter data center traffic and the unique demands posed by the operators have prompted the optical hardware vendors to rethink the problem from a data center operations model perspective. This requires small hardware footprint, very low power consumption, and simplicity of deployment and usage. The culmination of this exercise has resulted in the birth of the Metro DCI.

The key features of Metro DCI hardware platform are the following:

Hyper-density (400Gbps or more in a 1-RU chassis)
Flexible client interfaces (10/40/100 GE)
Low power consumption (< 1 Watt / Gbps)
Up to 80 km without any intermediate line amplifiers
Rapid bandwidth and low latency
Security integration (Layer-1 encryption)
Easy management (multiple API support)
Simple deployment

Network (Line) Interfaces

Two interfaces each operating at 200G for a total of 400G

2 x 200Gbps (16 QAM) coherent transmission

Client Interfaces

Services can be mixed and matched up to the line rate of the network interfaces

4x 100G Ethernet (100GBASE-R4); QSFP28
10x 40G Ethernet (40GBASE-R4); QSFP+
40x 10G Ethernet (10GBASE-R)

Metro DCI Management

There are multiple ways to interact with the Metro DCI platform.

Web-based User Interface (Web UI) via encrypted Transport Layer Security (TLS) or HTTPS
Command Line Interface (CLI) via secure shell (SSH)
Authentication via Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System (TACACS+) or Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)
Local and remote logging using Syslog
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) v2c, v3
Open YANG model based APIs:
CLI, REST, NETCONF

Why should I consider the Metro DCI?

Traditionally, enterprise customers leased metro wavelength services from the telecom carriers or service providers to interconnect the data centers. However, enterprises have now started to reevaluate this strategy and are exploring the option of leasing dark fiber and building their own high capacity, fault-tolerant networks - a move that is expected to yield significant savings on the monthly recurring charges and reduce the overall telecom spend on the services used to interconnect the data centers.

A self-managed Metro DCI network strategy becomes compelling if an enterprise customer's bandwidth needs are increasing at a fast pace. For example, if the bandwidth is doubling every 24 - 36 months and the customer needs to provision extra bandwidth rapidly without having to wait weeks or months for the service provider to install the new circuit. The breakeven period for such an investment could be as little as one year or less and generate tremendous savings on a multi-year basis.

Metro DCI platform allows connectivity between multiple type of locations:

Data Center to Data Center
Enterprise location to Data Center
Enterprise location to Enterprise location

The main advantage of the Metro DCI platform is the reduction in the price per bit with a leading transport capacity and density built into a 1RU platform.

What is Metro DCI Turnkey Solution?

The turnkey solution involves three components:

Metro dark fiber between the Customer’s facilities
Optical Metro DCI hardware
Network monitoring & management of the Metro DCI hardware and the metro dark fiber

How can we help? We bring all these three pieces together in order to help the Customer make a decision. LNK GROUP is uniquely qualified to help design your optical Metro DCI network. Each network architecture and design project engagement include the following series of steps:

Identify the business applications driving the project - First we learn about your environment and determine how to leverage optical metro DC platform to meet your business goals
Current configuration - Document the details of the existing network configuration including bandwidth, equipment handoffs, terminating equipment, etc.
Identify the business applications driving the project - Understand the actual applications on the network and their latency and bandwidth requirements
Determine redundancy and failover requirements
Research metro dark fiber connectivity options - Generate a fully diverse, physical infrastructure solution connecting the customer's facilities. List the telecom carriers that can provide the dark fiber and meet the diversity requirements
Optical Metro DCI hardware - Present options that meet the requirements and the pros and cons of each solution. Compare and contrast the solutions of the Metro DCI hardware vendors
Network Management Options for the Metro DCI hardware - (Self-Managed versus Metro DCI hardware vendor managed solution)
Cost comparison - Calculate costs of each option and compare it to the traditional solutions to understand the ROIt

Key Features of Dark Fiber

Is your data growing at greater than 50% per year and leasing wavelength over wavelength from carriers becoming very expensive? Dark fiber is the answer for you! Choose from Metro to Regional dark fiber routes.

You can use dark fiber to connect your offices, as well as your data centers.

Infinite Bandwidth
Access to unlimited bandwidth - the only limiting factor is the electronics at the end of the fiber spans

Superior Performance
Low latency solution - subject only to the fiber distance between the locations

Inexpensive
Fixed cost - regardless of the number of the bits transmitted. On a price per bit basis, dark fiber offers the lowest cost solution for many enterprise companies as the amount of bandwidth justifies the cost

Security
Private network - provides unparalleled security as the Customer's traffic does not traverse any service provider's data networks

Network Reliability
Solid reliability with a path diversity network design

Flexibility
Adjust your bandwidth up or down based on your needs. No need to engage the service provider to add extra capacity

Africa and India Network Connectivity

Sourcing solutions to Africa and India can be a daunting task as it involves extensive research and information gathering which is necessary for vendor assessments, pricing exercises, and technical solution reviews. All this data must be gathered to ensure that the solution meets the business objectives.

We can shoulder the responsibility and help you by covering all aspects of the procurement process; we work with global network operators with extensive domestic footprint within these regions and thus can ensure that the solution meets the technical and pricing requirements as well as ensuring that the projects remain on schedule. We compare and contrast solutions from competing vendors and illuminate all the options that are available to the Customer for making a sound decision; thus, allowing the customer to focus on the big picture - larger initiatives driving the project.

We can help with the following:

International network connectivity to the African continent (MPLS, IP, TDM, Ethernet IPL)
Domestic network connectivity within the African continent (MPLS, IP, TDM, VSAT, Ethernet)
Data Center Colocation within the African continent
International network connectivity to Indian sub-continent (MPLS, IP, TDM, Ethernet IPL)
Domestic network connectivity within India (MPLS, IP, TDM, Ethernet)
Data Center Colocation within India

How can we help?

We will perform the following:

Identify the best technical solution, list the providers, compare and contrast the technical and pricing solutions
Negotiate contracts
Project manage the solution to ensure a smooth implementation
Coordinate a smooth cut-over to the new environment

Contact us and discover how we can benefit you and shorten the entire sales and implementation cycle.

Edge Data Centers and Cloud Migrations

With the growing adoption of public cloud hosting, many enterprises have moved a significant portion of their applications out of customer-owned data centers and into an elastic, incredible capacity, public cloud environment. Depending on the nature and lifecycle stage of the business, some firms are considering to transfer some of their public cloud hosted apps back to edge data centers in order to optimize latency performance, simplify expenses with deterministic costs, and have complete control over the hardware.

Need help with security, compliance, and monitoring?

LNK Group LLC partners provide a white glove service that addresses all that scope plus so much more. The following areas are addressed:

Design
Monitoring
Recovery
Patching
Tech Support
Back-ups
Security

This allows your IT resources to focus on higher priority business requirements and grow your business.

Contact us and discover how we can benefit you and shorten the entire migration cycle.

Global Network Connectivity

Leverage our expertise when working on network connectivity projects. With years of experience working with domestic and international carrier network operators, we can help you quickly get up to speed on what options exist in the market. Our specialty is working with regional and local network providers who can customize the solution to meet your network requirements.

Unique fiber routes, low-latency fiber solutions, network diversity, and network resiliency are things that we work on a regular basis for our enterprise customers to ensure that their network has the highest availability and can withstand multiple network outages.

For SASE/SD-WAN projects, we can assist you with the global procurement of the underlay network without the enterprise customer having to deal individually with multiple local network operators. We can help design the correct solution for challenging areas like China.

Contact us and discover how we can benefit you and help you with your network connectivity requirements.