Amazon Web Services announced the general availability of AWS Direct Connect in its US West Region on Thursday. AWS Direct will be available in all US West Northern California Availability Zones through Equinix’s San Jose facility. Launched in early August, AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated connection between a company’s datacenter or colocation environment and the Amazon Web Services technical infrastructure. The dedicated connection to AWS enables subscribers to bypass the internet and thereby enhance the security of their inbound and outbound data transfers. AWS is also expected to enable more predictable rates of data transfer, increase bandwidth and cut costs. The service is primarily intended for subscribers with large “data transfer requirements or are looking for more consistent network performance when accessing the cloud.” Amazon plans additional AWS Direct connections in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo and Singapore over the next few months.