Interconnection platform for real-time configuration and management of a cloud-based services exhange

A method comprising:

• executing, by a cloud-based services exchange using one or more management devices, an interconnection platform to present a software interface reachable by networks associated with a plurality of customers, wherein the software interface is accessible to the customers and enables machine-to-machine communication from the application to the interconnection platform presenting the software interface;
• and
• by the interconnection platform in response to receiving a request from an application, accessing a plurality of interconnection assets of a network data center to satisfy the request,
• wherein the network data center includes respective ports to which a plurality of networks connect to the network data center, each of the networks having a different network address space and associated with a different one of a plurality of customers and cloud service providers, and
• wherein the plurality of interconnection assets within the network data center connect, through a switching fabric of the network data center, each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more of the networks associated with the cloud service providers, the plurality of interconnection assets including a respective set of one or more virtual circuits, that each represents a path through the switching fabric of the network data center, for each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers and providing network connectivity within the network data center between the networks associated with the customers and cloud services executing within the networks associated with the cloud service providers.

A cloud-based services exchange comprising:

• a network data center that includes respective ports by which a plurality of networks connect to the network data center, each of the networks having a different network address space and associated with a different one of a plurality of customers and cloud service providers;
• and
• an interconnection platform configured for execution by one or more management devices, wherein the interconnection platform is configured to manage a plurality of interconnection assets within the network data center to interconnect, through a switching fabric of the network data center, each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more of the networks associated with the cloud service providers,
• wherein the plurality of interconnection assets comprises a respective set of one or more virtual circuits, that represent a path through the switching fabric of the network data center, for each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers and providing direct network connectivity within the network data center between the networks associated with the plurality of customers and cloud services executing within the networks associated with the plurality of cloud service providers,
• wherein the interconnection platform comprises a software interface configured to receive a request for dynamic allocation of a virtual circuit to directly interconnect, within the data center, a first one of the ports assigned to a one of the customers and a second one of the ports for assigned to one of the cloud service providers,
• wherein the software interface is accessible to the customers and enables machine-to-machine communication from customer applications to the interconnection platform presenting the software interface, and
• wherein, in response to the request, the interconnection platform automatically configures the interconnection assets to include the virtual circuit between the first port of the data center and the second port of the data center.