Hosted vs. Dedicated Connections

PacketFabric offers two kinds of hybrid cloud connectivity services: Hosted and Dedicated.

Hosted

A virtual circuit to a port that is already connected to a cloud service provider (CSP) edge device. This a shared port, meaning that other clients might also have virtual circuits running through that port.

Best for: Sub 10 Gbps capacity needs, rapid provisioning (you can be passing traffic within minutes), more flexibility and simplicity.

Dedicated

A port in a cloud on-ramp facility that is ready but not yet connected to a CSP edge device. Once it is provisioned and the cross connect is installed, you can provision multiple virtual circuits from that port to other end points in the PacketFabric network.

Best for: Over 10 Gbps capacity needs, maximum control and security, connecting to multiple end points.

Feature comparison

  • Header row
    • Feature
    • Hosted
    • Dedicated
  • Row 1
    • Supported cloud services
    • AWS Direct Connect
      Google Cloud Partner Interconnect
      Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
      IBM Cloud Direct Link
      Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect
      SalesForce Express Connect
      Markley
      Webair
    • AWS Direct Connect
      Google Cloud Dedicated Interconnect
      Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Direct
  • Row 2
    • Speeds
    • No more than 10 Gbps, but the increments depend on the CSP
    • 1 Gbps
      10 Gbps
      100 Gbps
  • Row 2
    • Shared port
    • Yes
    • No
  • Row 2
    • Provisioning time
    • <10 minutes, depending on the cloud
    • Typically no less than 72 hours, depending on the cloud and the colocation on-ramp facility
  • Row 2
    • PacketFabric terms
    • Monthly
    • Monthly
      12, 24, 36 months
  • Row 2
    • Number of customer-facing end points
    • 1
    • 1+
  • Row 2
    • Responsible for the cross connect fee in provider facility
    • PacketFabric
    • Customer
  • Row 2
    • Responsible for port fees paid to the cloud
    • Customer
    • Customer

Hosted

In a Hosted connection, you provision a virtual circuit to a shared port in a cloud on-ramp facility. This shared port is already connected to a cloud edge device via cross connect.

By “shared” port we mean that multiple customers can land virtual circuits on that port as capacity allows.

hosted

Pricing

For pricing estimates, see our Pricing page under “Hybrid Cloud Connectivity Pricing.”

For a Hosted connection, the price includes the following:

  • The virtual circuit from your PacketFabric access port to the shared egress port (the PacketFabric port in the on-ramp).
  • The cross connect between the PacketFabric egress port and the cloud edge.

The price does not include:

  • Your PacketFabric access port (that is billed as a separate service, see the pricing page linked above).
  • Any fees charged by the cloud to use their networking services. Those fees are managed within your cloud account.

Dedicated

With a Dedicated connection, you provision a port in a cloud on-ramp facility. The port is physically located on PacketFabric equipment, but is yours exclusively to use (it is not shared with other customers’ virtual circuits).

When you request a dedicated connection from the CSP, they will send you an LOA, which you will then provide to PacketFabric. We will use the LOA to set up a cross connect between your Dedicated port and the CSP edge.

You can then build any number of virtual circuits (up to around 4,000) from your Dedicated cloud port to other end points within PacketFabric. These end points can be your own ports in different facilities or a member of our marketplace.

dedicated

Pricing

For pricing estimates, see our Pricing page under “Hybrid Cloud Connectivity Pricing.”

For a Dedicated connection, the price includes the following:

  • The port in the cloud on-ramp facility.

  • Any virtual circuits that land on the Dedicated cloud port.

    In other words, you are not billed for the individual virtual circuits that land on your dedicated port.

The price does not include:

  • Your PacketFabric access port (that is billed as a separate service, see the pricing page linked above).

  • The cross connect between the PacketFabric egress port and the cloud edge.

    The cross connect fee varies by on-ramp facility. When ordering the Dedicated port, we include the cross connect fee in your billing summary at the bottom of the page. However, we do not start billing for the cross connect until it is in place and the port is operationally up.

  • Any fees charged by the cloud to use their networking services. Those fees are managed within your cloud account.

Updated on 01 Nov 2022