Telefónica Tech and Cisco join forces to evolve their converged network and security offering

Today at the RSA Conference, , Telefónica’s digital business unit, and ® (NASDAQ: CSCO), a global leader in networking and security solutions, announced a strategic alliance and an innovative global managed service, which includes SD-WAN, security and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architectures.

This new service, designed to address the needs of both large companies and SMBs, will consist of an integrated connectivity and security offer to connect enterprises across data centers, branch offices and remote employee locations.

The connectivity portion of the managed service will leverage the full portfolio of Cisco SD-WAN solutions, along with the Cisco Meraki cloud-managed platform and wireless solutions. Customers can pair these connectivity solutions with Cisco security technologies, including Cisco Umbrella, advanced firewalls, anti-malware, intrusion protection, and zero-trust access controls.

In addition, following Telefónica Tech’s convergence strategy of networking and security services, a cloud security module with Cisco Umbrella will be included in the services. In this way, the portfolio services based on Cisco SD-WAN capabilities will be complemented with cloud security functionalities easing and protecting the experience of employees when accessing the Internet or business applications, regardless of their location.

With this launch, a new offer will be introduced within the existing flexSITE service which will include Meraki cloud-managed Wi-Fi, LAN and security solutions, starting in Spain and then expanding into other European and Latin American markets. Its main advantages will be the ease in the implementation and deployment of the network, visibility, and management of the security layer in real time.

Rames Sarwat, Director of Cybersecurity and Cloud Products and Services at Telefónica Tech, says: “This alliance reinforces the work done with Cisco for years and will allow Telefónica Tech’s capabilities as a managed services provider within the Cisco ecosystem to evolve. We seek to meet the current needs of our customers, facilitating from the same solution any connectivity and security challenges they may face in the era of hybrid work”.

“The shift to hybrid work has accelerated the need for businesses to connect and protect employees and their devices anywhere,” says Shailaja Shankar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Security Business Group. “Telefónica Tech’s new managed service will offer customers an innovative, managed service, combining Cisco’s SD-WAN and cloud security solutions in a way that simplifies connectivity and security for office workers and telecommuters. Cisco remains committed to digitalization through the CDA program, named ‘Digitaliza’ in Spain, promoting innovative services like this.”