US enterprise services provider Verizon Enterprise Solutions has converted five of its US data centers to carrier-neutral facilities, giving a greater choice and flexibility to its enterprise and government clients.

Verizon said customers purchasing colo services from its data centers in Boston, Denver, New York, Manassas, Virginia and Seattle will have the option of selecting their own third-part network provider for carrier diversity and redundancy.

Before the conversion to carrier-neutral the data centers featured dual-carrier network connectivity with Verizon serving as the primary carrier and an alternate, pre-selected carrier providing backup network services.

Verizon said its customers would be able to benefit from universal internet connectivity as well as:
- Enhanced carrier diversity and redundancy.

- Ability to fully leverage existing relationship with network service providers.

- Streamlined processes and low cost associated with carrier management.

- Expanded business continuity options to maintain the accessibility and availability of mission-critical applications and data.

With the addition of its five converted carrier-neutral data centers, it brings Verizon total colocation facilities to a total of 16 that offer unrestricted interconnection with multiple carriers.

The other US data centers are Culpeper, Virginia, Dallas, Miami, and Santa Clara, California.

International carrier-neutral data centers are located in Amsterdam, Bogota, Colombia, Brussels, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Spain, and Sao Paolo.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions manager of data center interconnection services said businesses and government clients are opting to utilize colocation services rather than building their own data centers.

“By loosening previously restrictive interconnection policies, we are meeting customer requirements for flexibility and choice, thereby enabling an easier migration path to using a third-party provider for critical data center services,” Tal said.