Level 3 Provides New Self-Service Path to AWS

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Level 3 Communications on Wednesday unveiled a new self-serve capability as part of its Cloud Connect Solutions set. It aims to help customers maximize the potential of both the cloud and the networks connecting to it.

The new Ethernet offering, known as eLynk, allows customers to host multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs) on a single Ethernet virtual circuit (EVC) from their data centers to Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the AWS Direct Connect service. Direct Connect helps businesses optimize their cloud-based workloads.

Level 3’s Paul Savill

Paul Savill, Level 3’s senior vice president of core products, tells Channel Partners the new capability reduces the administrative burden on partners and customers by “empowering businesses with the ability to self-serve via API or the MyLevel3 portal.” Customers can access the offering across Level 3’s Metro 2.0 Ethernet footprint of nearly 290 markets in North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Pacific.

“The power of agility in today’s competitive marketplace is not overstated,” he said. “Global businesses need network resources that are flexible enough to be leveraged as a service, with the reliability and security they can rely on to deliver critical business applications. Level 3 eLynk is just another tool in the Cloud Connect Solutions set that simplifies the process of procuring network resources in the cloud and puts greater visibility and control in the end user’s hands.”

Level 3 is an AWS Direct Connect partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN). Level 3 Cloud Connect Solutions uses AWS Direct Connect to provide private connections to the AWS cloud.

Customers can add and remove VLANs to AWS, including the connections to their virtual private clouds via the MyLevel3 portal or API. Customers also can share bandwidth across their Amazon virtual private cloud (Amazon VPC) instances.

“Level 3’s vision is to empower customers to respond to today’s changing business needs by interacting with and creating their own telecom services on demand and in real time based on a holistic view of their network,” Savill said. “Level 3 Cloud Connect Solutions are one example of how Level 3’s secure, agile network solutions are designed to make business easier for both the channel and the end customer.”

Level 3 and CenturyLink are merging in a $34 billion deal that expected to close this fall.