BT has established a partnership with VMware to support multinational clients in their cloud-first strategy to networking, security, and edge computing. BT will provide VMware Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) as a worldwide managed service to its clients under the terms of the agreement, integrating BT’s broad networking capabilities and in-depth security experience with VMware technology.
The new managed service will assist clients in accelerating their digital transformation by providing employees with flexible, more secure, and reliable access to cloud-based applications and services deployed in public and private clouds, SaaS, or at the enterprise edge, regardless of where they are located. It would encourage the use of cutting-edge digital technology and workstyles, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and hybrid working.
The debut of the BT-managed service builds on the firms’ solid cooperation. BT already provides a VMware SD-WAN-based managed solution.
BT will provide comprehensive end-to-end networking and security support as part of the single-vendor ecosystem managed solution, securing access to applications and data across private, hybrid, and multi-clouds. Clients would be able to adopt a comprehensive SASE strategy with less complexity, which can be especially appealing to companies trying to modernize both networking and security operations.
“Many organizations are deploying cloud networking with SD-WAN technology,” said Scott Cowling, Director, Software Defined Networks at BT. “SASE takes this approach to the next level with an architecture that enables delivery of networking, security, and edge compute services from the cloud. Launching our managed VMware SASE solution will help customers address networking and security challenges seamlessly as one.”
BT PoPs and VMware PoPs
VMware’s comprehensive SASE solution is supplied through the cloud and includes:
- Network performance benefits of SD-WAN
- Integrated security services delivered from the cloud
- The ability to support contemporary distributed applications, all of which can benefit from artificial intelligence for IT operations, or AIOps, for faster problem resolution
VMware and its SASE service provider partners have developed a worldwide network of over 150 Points-of-Presence (PoPs) to provide these capabilities as a service. Clients would benefit from a better end-user experience on the VMware platform since BT will peer its network PoPs with VMware PoPs.
URL filtering, in-line cloud access security broker (CASB) to secure user activity, content filtering to limit attack surfaces, and content inspection to defend against malware assaults are all elements of the new BT-managed VMware SASE service.
BT will provide VMware Secure Access to clients that want to embrace hybrid workstyles. This zero-trust network access service would allow only trusted devices and remote workers to access enterprise applications hosted on-premises or in the cloud.
Over the next few months, VMware and BT aim to collaborate to add new capabilities to the managed service.
“Leading service providers like BT have modernized their networks so they can deliver a new category of services to enterprise customers,” said Craig Connors, vice president and general manager for VMware’s SASE business. “SASE has emerged as the blueprint for modern networking and security, and we are pleased BT has selected VMware SASE to simplify their customers’ multi-cloud journey.”
