LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Windstream Enterprise (WE), a managed communications service provider, today announced a partnership with VMware to bring Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to mutual customers faster. The solution fuses Windstream Enterprise’s Cloud Core^TM network and VMware SASE Points of Presence (PoPs) to deliver an optimal and more secure application experience to remote access users.

“The integration of the Cloud Core and VMware SASE makes it easier for customers to transition from outdated legacy networks to the next era of networking and security,” said Mike Frane, vice president of product management, Windstream Enterprise. “This partnership gives us the ability to quickly expand our feature set as VMware develops additional innovative cloud-delivered features and functionality.”

The unification of Cloud Core with the hosted VMware SASE PoPs allows Windstream Enterprise to deliver a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) with optimum performance on its own cloud-based services such as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), OfficeSuite UC^® and managed security in addition to native MPLS integrations. Windstream Enterprise’s Cloud Core architecture maximizes the reliability and performance of its cloud services while streamlining the extension of services to include VMware SASE cloud services, including VMware Cloud Web Security (CWS) and its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution, VMware Secure Access.

“The global footprint of VMware and our partner PoPs delivers cloud-based networking and security services that effortlessly scale with customers’ needs,” said Mark Vondemkamp, vice president of edge operations and services, VMware. “The services delivered through our PoPs will be quickly and seamlessly consumed by both Windstream Enterprise and our end users to deliver a leading-edge SASE solution.”

By bringing Cloud Core and VMware SASE closer together, customers benefit from:

• Advanced SASE solution that enables hybrid SD-WAN and MPLS networks
• Maximum control over the quality and experience provided by the application since the applications never leave the Cloud Core network
• Unparalleled visibility, personalization and control via Windstream Enterprise’s award-winning WE Connect portal
• Centralized and consistent security policies for all remote workers, regardless of location or device

The solution supports today’s need for a highly distributed remote workforce. Once a mere 6 percent of the pre-pandemic workforce,¹ work-from-anywhere has surged to 62 percent over the course of last year.² Today’s organizations require immediate and uninterrupted access to critical network and cloud-based resources in order to support the swift pace of digital business transformation and the rise in hybrid work.

One of the most effective technologies being used increasingly by businesses to address these shifts is SASE, which is set to explode with growth. According to Gartner, “By 2024, at least 40% of enterprise will have explicit strategies to adopt SASE, up from less than 1% SASE at year-end 2018.”³

“There is a need to enable secure connectivity from anywhere, on any device. This integration allows businesses to simplify security to protect all users, devices, applications, services and data,” said Layne Levine, president of Windstream Enterprise. “The end result is a highly differentiated customer experience.”