Zayo DynamicLink combines network ownership with software-defined delivery.
Zayo has been building out its networking infrastructure and delivery platform over the last two decades. Today the company is expanding its network delivery capabilities with the debut of its DynamicLink network-as-a-service solution.
Zayo defines NaaS more specifically than most vendors. The company views it as the ability to access a network and perform any logical provisioning in real time once that initial connection is established. This means turning up circuits, scaling bandwidth and configuring services without manual intervention or lengthy provisioning cycles.
The company brings substantial infrastructure to this challenge. Zayo operates a communications network spanning 19.1 million fiber miles and 147,000 route miles across 400 global markets. The network reaches 28,000 on-net locations and 1,200 on-net data centers.
“We want to make communications infrastructure available at software speed,” Bill Long, chief product and strategy officer at Zayo, told Network World. “Instead of having to order like 10 different services to do very bespoke things, we said, order a single port and then put the power into the user’s hands to be able to do that all themselves.”
Technical architecture: Logic in the core
DynamicLink’s core technical distinction is where it performs network functions. The platform does not rely on customer premise equipment to deliver services. Instead, all logic executes on infrastructure in Zayo’s network.
Zayo partnered with Israeli startup Inside Packet to build the service delivery platform. The company deployed white box hardware throughout its data centers and points of presence nationwide. These service nodes perform multi-terabyte single packet processing at line rate speeds.
At customer locations, only a lightweight demarcation device is required. This equipment creates a clean handoff point but contains no processing logic or intelligence. All routing, security, traffic management and network services run on the pre-deployed hardware in Zayo’s facilities.
“We’ve basically taken the logic out of those boxes that used to sit on premise, sucked that into the core of the network, and then put it on hardware that can do extremely fast multi-terabyte level, single-packet processing. You know, line rate, speed performance,” Long explained.
Service model: One port, multiple functions
DynamicLink’s commercial model centers on port-based pricing. Organizations purchase ports at locations where they need connectivity. This includes headquarters, branch offices, colocation facilities, cloud on-ramps or any location Zayo’s network reaches.
Each port provides flexible capacity that can be allocated across different services. A single 10 Gbps port might simultaneously support point-to-point Ethernet between facilities, dedicated internet access and cloud connectivity. Customers reconfigure these allocations through a self-service portal.
“If you have a dynamic link port, that, if you have, like, a dynamic link in three different locations, let’s say it’s at a headquarters location and two of your data centers, you can use that to have a point to point Ethernet,” Long said. “If you want to use those 10 gigs at one location to go out to the internet, you can use it to go out to the internet.”
Previously, each of these functions required ordering a separate service. An organization wanting dedicated internet access ordered a DIA port. Point-to-point Ethernet between data centers required two separate ports. Each service involved manual provisioning and fixed configuration.
DynamicLink consolidates this model. Customers order ports, then allocate capacity as needed without additional service orders or installation visits. DynamicLink includes security functions without requiring separate appliances. Available services include web filtering, DDoS protection and zero trust network access. The platform also provides built-in monitoring across connections.
Geographic reach and third-party networks
The platform operates across Zayo’s owned infrastructure but extends beyond it when necessary. When customers need connectivity at locations not directly on Zayo’s network, DynamicLink can incorporate third-party connections.
This includes Type 2 off-net sites where Zayo purchases local access from another provider. The platform manages these connections through the same interface as on-net locations. Customers see unified configuration and management regardless of the underlying physical path.
DynamicLink aims to provide consistent management across an organization’s entire network footprint. The platform handles both the long-haul connectivity Zayo owns and the last-mile connections required to reach any location.
AI eases network service deployment
A key part of the DynamicLink service is an agentic AI capability.
Network operators can provision services using natural language commands instead of traditional configuration screens. For example, an administrator can request “I need to create a connection between my office in Denver and AWS in Seattle.” The agent gathers required parameters like bandwidth specifications, presents the proposed configuration and executes the provisioning after approval. The same interface handles troubleshooting. An administrator reporting slow performance receives analysis of traffic patterns, identification of potential causes and specific remediation suggestions.
The goal is to help overworked network admins to be able to do more faster, even as the nature of distributed networks gets increasingly complicated. The implementation includes safeguards requiring double confirmation before network changes. The agent first confirms the proposed configuration matches intent, then requires explicit confirmation to commit changes. After taking action, it directs users to verify changes.
“Network engineers are getting harder and harder to find,” Long said. “Their ability to go and accomplish the things they want to accomplish is getting more and more difficult.”
