New York based system integrator Kyndryl is working with “connectivity cloud” company Cloudflare to “design, build, manage, and modernize” enterprise networking systems for global clients. Ther pair have expanded a relationship, started a year ago, to bring managed wide-area network (WAN) as-a-service and zero trust security into corporate networking systems. The new arrangement sees them collaborate “across all technology stacks”, they said.
Basically, Cloudflare’s so-called “connectivity cloud” service (“capabilities”) is being integrated and offered (“activated”) as part of Kyndryl’s network and edge services – in the name of “security and resiliency”, and also, related to Nokia and HPE supplied private 5G, to “reduce spend on private network links and appliances”. They are focused on “helping enterprises streamline connectivity to multiple clouds and data centers,” they said – including by removing physical hardware from enterprise premises, to migrate connectivity to software and the cloud.
A statement said: “Since partnering, enterprises have turned to Cloudflare and Kyndryl for complete network modernization, protections, and performance solutions – across sectors worldwide.” They referenced “a supply chain distribution provider in the US, a leading financial institution in Spain, and a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in India”. The last of these is even named – as Chennai-based automotive maker Ashok Leyland.
Kyndryl has taken service from Cloudflare, during the course of their partnership – to “transform its network services and provide cloud cybersecurity protection, including DDoS mitigation”. Cloudflare protects Kyndryl’s “internet properties”. Kyndryl is running a “self-service model” of the Cloudflare system to make changes without incurring charges. Kyndryl has seen a reduced IT costs, higher web traffic, and better data load balancing, it claims.
It will resell the Cloudflare platform to “shepherd” customers through “digital maturity and network modernization”, it said, by optimising network security, data access, and application performance, and also by reducing spend on “global network capabilities” and raising automation to relieve “IT teams from manual work”. Zero-trust functions will “extend network security to offices and data centers by replacing traditional WAN”, they added.
They said: “Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud eliminates the need for hardware and traditional networking equipment. With Kyndryl’s expertise in technology stack migration combined with Cloudflare’s global network services, customers [can] seamlessly integrate environmental sustainability… Organizations migrating from on-prem network hardware to Cloudflare’s cloud-based services can decrease related carbon emissions between 78 percent and 96 percent.”
Vinod Gopinathan, chief information officer at Ashok Leyland, said: “From dealer management to vehicle tracking, we need to run our 50+ Internet applications with zero or minimal disruption and enhanced security. Kyndryl’s managed services with Cloudflare’s DDoS protection and mitigation solution enables Ashok Leyland to focus on our pursuit to technology innovation, advanced engineering, and enhanced connectivity.”
Paul Savill, global practice leader for network and edge computing at Kyndryl, said: “We are enabling enterprises to migrate to next-generation networks and capitalize on advanced cloud features to achieve greater agility and innovation… We will be helping our joint customers secure, streamline, and simplify their IT infrastructure, all while reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies.”
Matt Harrell, global head of channels and alliances at Cloudflare, said: “Enterprises can fully lean on [Cloudflare and Kyndryl] to migrate their networks and innovate across the cloud. Working hand-in-hand with customers, we’ve seen the demand and impact from Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud and cybersecurity for business environments, right in hand with Kyndryl’s consulting and managed network services. Since partnering with Kyndryl, we have been able to scale Cloudflare’s services at a new level. [We] can support any enterprise now across their entire network stack.”
