Use case IP Visie and NL-ix

Etten-Leur based IP Visie provides internet and cloud access, data and VoIP services to a large variety of customers. The company has an excellent reputation as a leading provisioner and has won the KPN best fiber access reseller award twice. Customers not only choose them for the quality of their service levels, but they also want fast delivery timeframes.

IP Visie started working with NL-ix in 2011, and they now use a wide range of NL-ix services. Most of IP Visie’s customers are Dutch and they are generally based in the Netherlands, so their focus is on Dutch-based NL-ix services rather than international ones.

“We run a lot of NL-ix VLANs,” says Jasper Graafmans, Technical Consultant with IP Visie. “The number has grown significantly over the years. Normally there are two reasons for VLAN deployment; interconnecting customers to our network, and as a backup to DWDM fiber running between two of our own data centers. We also use NL-ix Joint Transit services for global internet connections for all of our customers. This is not something we explicitly give to customers – they use it indirectly. This is typical of the way in which we use NL-ix services. The products we buy from NL-ix quickly become an integral part of the IP Visie infrastructure.

Better Cloud

“One of our most popular services is Cloud Connect – a direct VPN connection to the cloud platform the customer wants. We have used NL-ix for our ExpressRoute customer connections to Microsoft Azure in Rotterdam for quite a while now. Customers need and appreciate this service because of the speed and security it delivers, and provisioning and service levels are both extremely reliable.”

DDOS Defence

IP Visie also uses some of the exchange mounted specialist NL-ix applications, including the anti-DDOS service offered by NL-ix partner NAWAS.

“The availability of NAWAS on the NL-ix is a real differentiator for us,” says Jasper. “If a customer is under attack we reroute the traffic away from their server, get the attack traffic scrubbed off and then we reroute it back over the Clean IX to the customer. Speedy detection and response is key and we have automated this - normally the problem is detected and solved by us in a matter of minutes, well before the customer even sees it. This service is the reason we work with a lot of schools and colleges – it is surprising how often servers get attacked just before exams! In fact, Clean IX has opened up the whole segment to us.

Trusted to Deliver

There is one story that illustrates our working relationship with NL-ix nicely. It relates to our own infrastructure but the implications for the quality of our customer service are pretty clear. We use DWDM links to connect our data centers, and we had found ourselves waiting and waiting - several weeks in fact – for a fiber connection between two facilities. We asked NL-ix if they could set up a VLAN to run the data center connection, and they delivered it in under a day. It’s a small example, but it shows that when we want a problem solved fast we think of NL-ix.

“It has been a great relationship from the beginning. The NL-ix service range supports our full portfolio, and network design and management are very reliable. They are a long-term strategic partner, aligned with the way we do business and part of what we offer. The NL-ix team is always very helpful, and they offer excellent support. So, looking back on the relationship, it has all been good. It started well, and it has continued just as well since then.”