Cross Connects

The building blocks of connectivity to carriers, clouds, partners, and networks that deliver critical paths to your workloads and applications.

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What is a Cross Connect?

Data center cross connects are the foundation of data center connectivity, enabling you to establish secure, high-speed connections between your equipment and the broader digital ecosystem. These physical fiber connections provide direct pathways to carriers, cloud providers, networks, partners, and other customers within Iron Mountain's owned and operated Meet-Me Rooms. With minimal latency and maximum security, cross connects serve as the critical infrastructure that powers your digital operations and ensures reliable access to the networks and services your business depends on.

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The benefits of an Iron Mountain Cross Connect

Iron Mountain's cross connects deliver unmatched connectivity advantages across our global data center network, with single-mode fiber as our standard infrastructure. With our carrier-neutral ecosystem, you gain access to hundreds of carriers, cloud providers, and SDN partners including Epsilon, IX Reach, and Megaport. Connect seamlessly to major Internet exchanges like AMS-IX, Any2, DE-CIX, EQIX, LINX, and NL-IX.

Key Benefits:

Minimal latency

Short physical distances between your equipment and providers ensure optimal performance

Maximum security

Direct fiber connections with no third-party intermediaries keep your traffic secure

Rapid deployment

Fast, reliable provisioning through our self-service customer portal

Flexible pricing

Choose between pay-per-use for temporary needs or contracted rates for long-term commitments

Global consistency

Same high-quality service experience at every Iron Mountain operational data center

Campus-wide connectivity

Connect between buildings on multi-building campuses

Pricing Options:

Pay-Per-Use

Perfect for temporary cross connect needs with no minimum term and portal-based commissioning

Contracted

Discounted rates for ongoing connectivity requirements with committed volume pricing

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Want to learn more? Contact a data center team member today!

Full Network Suite

Cross Connects

Establish low latency, direct & private connections in our meet-me-rooms between your equipment and other networks, carriers, or cloud providers within our data centers. We offer flexible purchase models that enable you to stay connected to the networks of your choice, including month-to-month plans and committed-term options with monthly rates.

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Metro Wave

Extend your reach beyond your core data center with cost-effective optical capacity. Metro Wave enables connections to cloud providers, regional PoPs, strategic partners, carriers, peering exchanges and more across metro areas. Choose from either dedicated waves or unprotected waves for high-performance network services.

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Virtual Cross Connects

Achieve the benefits of physical cross connects through software-defined networking. Virtual cross connects, also known as Private Network Transport, provide flexible, on-demand connectivity that can be provisioned and modified quickly through our digital platform, perfect for dynamic network requirements and multi-cloud strategies.

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DIA & IP transit

Access enterprise-grade internet connectivity with our Direct Internet Access services. With guaranteed bandwidth, symmetrical upload and download speeds, and 24/7 technical support, our DIA solutions ensure your business maintains continuous, high-performance connectivity to the global internet, available in increments between 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps.

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Peering & internet exchanges

Optimize your network traffic and reduce costs with our Peering and Internet Exchange services. By establishing direct connections with content and service providers, you can bypass traditional transit providers, improving latency, controlling routing paths, and enhancing overall network efficiency.

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Cloud On-Ramp

Simplify your multi-cloud strategy with dedicated, secure connections to major cloud service providers. Our Cloud On-Ramp services deliver private, high-bandwidth links to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms, enhancing performance while reducing the complexity and security concerns associated with public internet connections.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a cross connect and a virtual cross connect?

Fiber cross connects are physical fiber optic cable connections between two points within a data center, while virtual cross connects use software-defined networking to create logical connections that can be provisioned and modified dynamically through digital platforms.

How does a cross connection network enable connections between buildings on a campus?

Iron Mountain's campus-wide cross connects enable secure connections between buildings within our multi-building data center campuses, providing seamless connectivity across your entire infrastructure footprint.

What's the difference between pay-per-use and contracted cross connect pricing?

Pay-per-use offers flexibility with no minimum term and portal-based provisioning, billed at premium rates for temporary needs. Contracted pricing provides discounted rates for long-term commitments with the same contract terms as your existing agreement.

How quickly can data center cross connects be provisioned?

Cross connects can be provisioned rapidly through our self-service customer portal. Provisioning times vary based on complexity and location, but our streamlined process ensures fast deployment with minimal downtime.

What carriers and cloud providers can I connect to?

Iron Mountain's carrier-neutral ecosystem provides access to hundreds of carriers, cloud providers, and SDN partners including Epsilon, IX Reach, Megaport, PacketFabric, and major internet exchanges like AMS-IX, DE-CIX, EQIX, LINX, and NL-IX.

What data centers are cross connects available in?

Cross connects are available at every operational Iron Mountain data center around the globe. Our full cross connect offering provides consistent customer experience and service quality across our entire global network, ensuring you can access the same reliable connectivity solutions whether you're deployed in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, or other regions worldwide.