At ESpanix, we have always believed that Internet resilience is not just a matter of capacity, but of intelligence and proximity. Today, we take a decisive step towards that vision with the launch of ESpanix Shield, a new service to protect against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that changes the rules of the game for our community of more than 200 connected networks.
Unlike traditional solutions that require diverting traffic to external cleaning centres, ESpanix Shield detects and mitigates attacks directly within our infrastructure in Spain. This means that traffic from your networks remains on its optimal route, with zero added latency and, crucially, without leaving national jurisdiction.
Why change the model?
DDoS attacks have evolved. They are no longer just isolated high-volume incidents; they are continuous, hybrid, and increasingly sophisticated campaigns that combine volumetric floods with application-layer attacks. For operators or large enterprises, the threat is twofold: service downtime and the operational cost of managing constant incidents.
The classic “scrubbing” (cloud cleaning) model solves the volume issue, but introduces significant complexities:
- External dependency: Traffic travels to third-party infrastructures, often outside the EU.
- Latency: The round trip adds delays that are unacceptable for critical services.
- Operational complexity: Requires complex and coordinated BGP/GRE configurations during the incident.
ESpanix Shield eliminates these bottlenecks. By integrating protection at the edge of our network, we neutralise the threat before it consumes your resources or degrades your quality of service.
Nokia’s vision on critical infrastructure
Collaboration with Nokia has been fundamental in developing this solution, which is based on Nokia Deepfield Defender technology. To understand the strategic impact of this deployment, we listened to Jeff Smith, Vice President and General Manager of Nokia Deepfield:
“Internet exchanges are critical infrastructure — and for Spain, ESpanix is where the national internet comes together, which also makes it the smartest place to stop DDoS attacks. With Deepfield Defender, ESpanix detects and removes attack traffic in seconds, directly in the network and inside the country. This deployment shows how internet exchanges across Europe can turn security into stronger resilience for their members and a new source of value at the same time.”
Commitment to sovereignty and simplicity
From our perspective, ESpanix Shield represents the materialisation of our commitment to digital sovereignty. By keeping all mitigation traffic within our six data centres in Madrid and Barcelona, we guarantee that your data and security remain under national control, complying with the most stringent GDPR and ENS standards.
As summarised by Javier Achirica, CTO of ESpanix:
“Integrating a detection and mitigation solution into our infrastructure maximises security while simplifying its operation. By isolating only unwanted traffic within Spain, we eliminate dependence on third-party cleaning centres. This allows our members to enjoy robust, transparent defence without requiring specific technical knowledge, adding a new dimension of value to the connection with ESpanix.”
Who benefits from ESpanix Shield?
This service is designed to protect the stability of our neutral node and guarantee the availability of critical services for:
- Operators and ISPs: Protects your transit links and reputation.
- CDNs and Content Providers: Ensures content delivery is not interrupted by attacks targeting specific node members.
- Enterprises (Banking, Industry, Public Sector): Offers a sovereign security layer for corporate portals, transactional platforms, and essential services, aligned with NIS2 and ENS regulations.
Available now
ESpanix Shield is already operational in our Barcelona and Madrid hubs. It is a managed, optional, value-added service that requires no complex changes to your networks.