VMware

Windstream Enterprise and VMware Partner on SASE to Simplify Security and Deliver a Superior Customer Experience

Windstream Enterprise (WE), a managed communications service provider, announced a partnership with VMware to bring Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to mutual customers faster. The solution fuses Windstream Enterprise’s Cloud CoreTM 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“The integration of the Cloud Core and VMware SASE makes it easier for customers to transition from outdated legacy networks to the next era of networking and security. This partnership gives us the ability to quickly expand our feature set as VMware develops additional innovative cloud-delivered features and functionality.”

Mike Frane, vice president of product management, Windstream Enterprise

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.”

“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.”

About Windstream:
Windstream Holdings is a privately held Fortune® 1000 communications and software company. Windstream offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. The company also provides premium broadband, entertainment, and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and small and midsize businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states.

Spotlight

Other News
Virtual Desktop Tools, Virtual Desktop Strategies

Leostream Enhances Security and Management of vSphere Hybrid Cloud Deployments

Business Wire | January 29, 2024

Leostream Corporation, the world's leading Remote Desktop Access Platform provider, today announced features to enhance security, management, and end-user productivity in vSphere-based hybrid cloud environments. The Leostream platform strengthens end-user computing (EUC) capabilities for vSphere users, including secure access to both on-premises and cloud environments, heterogeneous support, and reduced cloud costs. With the Leostream platform as the single pane of glass managing EUC environments, any hosted desktop environment, including individual virtual desktops, multi-user sessions, hosted physical workstations or desktops, and hosted applications, becomes simpler to manage, more secure, more flexible, and more cost-effective. Significant ways the Leostream platform expands vSphere’s capabilities include: Security The Leostream platform ensures data remains locked in the corporate network, and works across on-premises and cloud environments, providing even disparate infrastructures with the same levels of security and command over authorization, control, and access tracking. The Leostream platform supports multi-factor authentication and allows organizations to enforce strict access control rules, creating an EUC environment modeled on a zero-trust architecture. Multivendor/protocol support The Leostream platform was developed from the ground up for heterogeneous infrastructures and as the connection management layer of the EUC environment, the Leostream platform allows organizations to leverage vSphere today and other hypervisors or hyperconvergence platforms in the future as their needs evolve. The Leostream platform supports the industry’s broadest array of remote display protocols, including specialized protocols for mission-critical tasks. Consistent EUC experience The Leostream platform enables IT to make changes to the underlying environment while ensuring the end user experience is constant, and to incorporate AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or OpenStack private clouds into their environment without disruptions in end-user productivity. By integrating with corporate Identity Providers (IdPs) that employees are already familiar with, and providing employees with a single portal they use to sign in, the Leostream platform offers simplicity to users too. Connectivity The Leostream Gateway securely connects to on-prem and cloud resources without virtual private networks (VPNs), and eliminates the need to manage and maintain security groups. End users get the same seamless login and high-performance connection across hybrid environments including corporate resources located off the internet. Controlling cloud costs The Leostream Connection Broker implements automated rules that control capacity and power state in the cloud, allowing organizations to optimize their cloud usage and minimize costs, such as ensuring cloud instances aren’t left running when they are no longer needed. The Connection Broker also intelligently pools and shares resources across groups of users, so organizations can invest in fewer systems, reducing overall cost of ownership. “These features deliver a streamlined experience with vSphere and hybrid or multi-cloud resources so end users remain productive, and corporate data and applications remain secure,” said Leostream CEO Karen Gondoly. “At a time when there is uncertainty about the future of support for VMware’s end-user computing, it’s important to bring these options to the market to show that organizations can extend vSphere’s capabilities and simultaneously plan for the future without disruption to the workforce.” About Leostream Corporation Leostream Corporation, the global leader in Remote Desktop Access Platforms, offers comprehensive solutions that enable seamless work-from-anywhere environments for individuals across diverse industries, regardless of organization size or location. The core of the Leostream platform is its commitment to simplicity and insight. It is driven by a unified administrative console that streamlines the management of users, cloud desktops, and IT assets while providing real-time dashboards for informed decision-making. The company continually monitors the evolving remote desktop landscape, anticipating future trends and challenges. This purposeful, proactive approach keeps clients well-prepared for the dynamic changes in remote desktop technology.

Read More