Microsoft and DE-CIX join forces to combat workplace lag with MAPS

A recent DE-CIX survey found that German workers lose an average of 46 minutes per week due to buffering and slow internet, adding up to nearly a full workweek of lost productivity per year.

A separate UK study estimated that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) lose 250 hours per week to loading times, lagging software, and connectivity failures.

The problem isn’t just about internet speed. In the US, a report on IT infrastructure found that 82% of IT professionals focus on increasing bandwidth while underestimating packet loss and poor network routing, which can significantly degrade the performance of cloud applications.

With more businesses relying on SaaS tools like Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, inefficient data routing on the public internet is directly impacting productivity. MAPS, developed by Microsoft and delivered through partners like DE-CIX, aims to solve this by optimising connectivity and reducing latency.

Unlike traditional cloud access, which routes data through multiple public internet "hops", MAPS establishes a direct, high-priority link between enterprises and Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

This bypasses congestion, ensuring more predictable latency, fewer disruptions, and smoother application performance—particularly during peak demand.

MAPS also offers built-in security advantages. By avoiding the public internet, it reduces exposure to Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, keeping business-critical applications secure.

For IT teams, MAPS is relatively straightforward to deploy. Businesses need only an Autonomous System Number (ASN) and standard routing equipment, making it accessible even for companies without extensive network management expertise.

One of MAPS’ biggest draws is its cost-effectiveness. Traditional cloud connections often come with hidden data transfer fees, but MAPS does not incur cloud egress charges for Microsoft 365 applications.

For businesses with heavy reliance on these services, this means lower and more predictable costs, alongside improved performance.

While Microsoft provides the MAPS framework, its success depends on strong interconnection networks, which is where DE-CIX plays a crucial role.

As one of the world’s largest Internet Exchange operators, DE-CIX provides businesses with high-performance access to MAPS, ensuring low-latency, high-speed connections to Microsoft’s cloud.

The company’s global interconnection platform allows enterprises to integrate MAPS seamlessly, reducing IT complexity while enhancing network efficiency.

Currently, MAPS is available via DE-CIX in Europe, Scandinavia, the US, Turkey, and India, giving businesses across these regions access to faster, more reliable cloud performance.

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