- Airtel Africa and Cisco have partnered to introduce a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offering.
- The NaaS solutions eliminate the need for businesses to own, build, or maintain physical network infrastructure, providing enhanced security, surveillance, connectivity, and cloud solutions through a secure cloud platform.
Airtel Africa has partnered with Cisco to introduce a new Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offering. This partnership is set to change how businesses in Africa approach their digital transformation journey, providing a seamless and secure solution that empowers organizations to accelerate operations without the burden of managing traditional network infrastructure.
The NaaS solutions offered by the telecom giant comprises of a range of services, including enhanced security, surveillance, connectivity, and cloud solutions—all delivered through a secure cloud platform. Airtel Africa’s NaaS offerings, powered by Cisco’s Catalyst and Meraki cloud-based platforms, eliminate the need for businesses to own, build, or maintain physical network infrastructure. This approach handles the challenges associated with traditional network models, such as capital expenses, manual service provisioning, and lengthy issue resolution processes.
Airtel Africa and Cisco aim to reshape the future of business connectivity with NaaS solutions designed to replace hardware-centric VPNs, load balancers, firewall appliances, and MPLS connections. The flexibility to scale based on demand, rapid service deployment, and reduced hardware costs are key benefits.
The NaaS offerings will be accessible to all business customers, including small businesses, as well as global customers with operations worldwide. Airtel Africa and Cisco Systems are committed to facilitating a smooth digital transition for businesses, providing them with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly connected world.
What They Said
“As Africa transitions digitally, businesses will require a fusion of connectivity, mobility, security, and cloud into a service offering for every business irrespective of geographical spread or operational needs,” remarked Oliver Fortuin, CEO of Airtel Business Africa. “Airtel Africa NaaS also allows a managed service option, enabling Airtel Africa to fully manage the daily operational requirements of supporting such infrastructure as growth accelerates.”
“At Cisco, we believe that every organization would benefit from simplifying powerful technology,” said Vish Iyer, President, Service Provider, Asia Pacific and Japan, Cisco. “Together with Airtel Africa, we are reducing networking complexities and securely connecting the world through Network-as-a-Service. This innovative approach is a great option for businesses wanting to shift to a cloud operating model without a heavy lift. Our partnership with Airtel Africa marks a pivotal moment as we pledge to deliver the majority of our cutting-edge technology portfolio to businesses across the continent in the most simplified, flexible manner imaginable: cloud-driven, cloud-delivered, cloud-managed, offered as-a-service, and, above all, fortified with unparalleled security.”
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