Global communications infrastructure provider, Zayo Group, has formed a strategic alliance with Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions company Netskope. Through this partnership, Zayo’s Managed Edge portfolio will include Netskope’s Security Service Edge (SSE) capabilities, offering clients of Zayo network security solutions from edge to core to cloud.
The necessity for such integration has never been more urgent, stated Zayo. According to a Gartner projection, 80 percent of businesses would have adopted a unified approach employing a SASE/SSE architecture for web, cloud, and private application access by 2025. However, networking, security, and performance optimization need to work together harmoniously in order to properly benefit from SASE.
Netskope, mentioned as a leader in the 2023 Gartner SSE Magic Quadrant, would provide enhanced management and security solutions to Zayo’s Managed Edge service – to protect against network threats, comply with regulatory standards, and foster productive hybrid work environments.
Michael McKerley, Senior Vice President of Managed Services at Zayo, said, “Every month, Zayo is on the front lines, protecting organizations of all sizes from data breaches, ransomware, outages, and disasters by fortifying their networks across core, edge, and cloud.” He emphasized how Netskope’s leading secure service edge products and Zayo’s vast independent fiber network, personalized administration, and AI-driven network observability work in concert to provide a strengthened SASE solution that meets even the strictest cybersecurity requirements.
Co-Hosted Gateways to SD-WAN
As more and more enterprises move to cloud technology, Dave Rogers, Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Channel Sales at Netskope, stressed the need of sophisticated data security and secure access. He said, “A meticulously architected SASE solution balances security with productivity, eliminating the need for compromises.” Mr. Rogers was excited about the collaboration with Zayo, saying that the goal is to provide superior managed SSE capabilities that are necessary for a SASE deployment to be successful.
Zayo has added co-hosted gateways to its software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) to enhance its Managed Edge services even further. These gateways connect disparate sites and legacy network equipment by creating a direct, private, and secure channel into the cloud. With this improvement, Zayo’s Managed Edge is now presented as a complete, co-managed, end-to-end networking solution with broad connectivity, security, monitoring, and administration capabilities.
This collaboration is important for reasons more than just increased security. It permits the smooth integration of off-net buildings onto Zayo’s fiber network by integrating old and modern network technology. Furthermore, because of Zayo’s co-hosted gateways, it would offer lower network costs by reducing cloud egress fees and doing away with the need for costly network expansions.
Additionally, by seamlessly integrating with Zayo‘s fiber network to provide private, continuously accessible business network connections, these gateways are designed to maximize network performance and guarantee stable application and cloud service operations.
