All About Cloud Regions, Zones, and On-Ramps

Today, I'm breaking down three fundamental components of cloud networks.

Cloud Regions. Regions are territories (generally, a metro area) that comprise one or multiple cloud zones.

Cloud Zones. These are typically individual data centers in a geographic region or on a campus. A local zone is an extension of a cloud region that offers a subset of standard cloud services that tend to be more latency sensitive. Local zones are accessible at cloud on-ramp locations.

On-Ramps. These are the points of interconnection between enterprises and cloud service providers (CSPs), often found in colocation facilities in the most interconnected cities.

Cloud On-Ramps by Top Metros

Some CSPs tie on-ramps to specific regions in their own internal network. Usually there is a loose geographic correlation between the on-ramp locations and CSP data centers.

In the map below, you’ll see a glimpse of the connectivity landscape as of Q1 2024.

Global Cloud Data Center and On-Ramp Locations

For a more interactive view, head over to our free Cloud Infrastructure Map.

This resource shows where cloud interconnection services are present, offering a top-level view of cloud regions, local zones, and on-ramps across eight major cloud service providers. Users can filter results by cloud provider or individual cloud service.

Visit cloudinfrastructuremap.com to explore cloud regions, locate cloud on-ramps, and uncover local zones.

And that's just the free version. Cloud and WAN Research Service subscribers also have access to:

• Data center operators' cloud exchanges and on-ramps
• Global internet exchange point cloud exchanges and on-ramps
• Network service providers’ WAN services and dedicated cloud connections locations