CELSA optimizes cloud connectivity and user experience

CELSA reduces latency and network costs

CELSA Group, a multinational long steel manufacturer, leverages Equinix Fabric® software-defined interconnection to connect regional hubs, clouds and users across a high-performance, scalable and resilient network backbone.

Connectivity for a complex cloud architecture

CELSA Group™, a leading European multinational producer of long steel products, wanted to improve its global wide area network (WAN) performance to deliver a better user experience. Also, it needed to lower latency and reduce overall network costs.

Many of CELSA’s workloads were running in the public cloud. However, because of its industrial environment, some workloads needed to stay on-premises.

Given this hybrid multicloud architecture, CELSA needed to modernize its backbone network and cloud connectivity.

A foundation for cloud modernization

CELSA structured its solution with Equinix around three key digital transformation initiatives.

First, to optimize its network, the company replaced its global MPLS network with dedicated internet access (DIA) links via Equinix Internet Access. In addition, CELSA connected its regional headquarters over point-to-point (P2P) Level 2 lines to Equinix data centers. In both cases (internet and P2P), CELSA interconnected its infrastructure in all Equinix data centers using Equinix Fabric software-defined interconnection at the edge in the following regional metros: Stockholm, London, Paris, Warsaw, Barcelona and Madrid. It then reduced its network complexity by orchestrating SD-WAN connectivity in all sites, including in Equinix data centers.

CELSA also enabled a hybrid multicloud architecture by connecting Equinix regional hubs via Equinix Fabric globally and leveraging dedicated cloud on-ramps for direct and secure access to cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google) using AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute and Google Interconnect respectively. In addition, this hybrid multicloud architecture provided access to the company’s SAP ERP environment. By eliminating “tromboning” cloud traffic to users across its MPLS network backbone, the company reduced latency and significantly improved cloud workload performance using Equinix Fabric virtual connections.

Finally, to achieve geo-redundancy, the company leverages Equinix Barcelona and London IBX locations to serve as business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) sites.

CELSA leveraged SIRT, Celsa’s managed services partner, along with the Equinix Global Solutions Architect (GSA) organization to design the end-to-end digital infrastructure and hybrid multicloud solution. The new design enabled CELSA to create four cloud availability zones across all of its European locations: Nordics, United Kingdom / Ireland, Eastern Europe, Central Europe and Iberia Headquarters.

This design also provided the company with the flexibility to connect each regional hub via Equinix Fabric or a network service provider (NSP). Users in each of the regions now have full connectivity to consume the cloud service provider (CSP) applications and CELSA digital infrastructure services via an internet access gateway enabled by Equinix Internet Access.

Creating value through cloud consolidation

CELSA’s interconnected digital infrastructure and hybrid multicloud architecture consolidated its network, cloud, SaaS and IT services, reducing its computational infrastructure and networking costs. Equinix provided a high-performance, scalable and resilient ecosystem for building and interconnecting foundational digital infrastructure and modernizing its network backbone from MPLS to SD-WAN.

Benefits

Flexible, software-defined interconnection

An agile interconnection model allows CELSA to aggregate network and cloud connectivity.

Cost-effective network optimization

SD-WAN helped scale virtual connections and lower network costs by up to 40%.

Cloud workload acceleration

Placing compute and per-country cloud connectivity at the edge lowered latency by 10x.

Greater geo-redundancy

Redundant regional hubs and cloud connectivity ensure application and operational BC/DR.