Global telco Vodafone and US cybersecurity specialist Fortinet have announced an expanded global partnership, to extend their converged networking and cybersecurity services to additional countries across Europe and Asia, as well as the US.
The two companies say they are helping businesses confront the growing volume and sophistication of cyber threats by converging networking and security into a single, seamless service.
The service is on offer to large and medium-sized enterprises in Germany, and in other European markets — as well as multinational businesses which can now benefit from Vodafone Business Secure Networking Services.
Vodafone Business recently opened a cybersecurity centre in Düsseldorf, Germany, which will house more than 100 cybersecurity experts for enterprise customers facing online threats.
The Vodafone Business service integrates Fortinet’s software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) and Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) cloud-based security solutions to help organisations secure their networks, regardless of employee location.
A surge in cybersecurity incidences, including malware, data breaches and social engineering, rose significantly in the European Union in the first half of 2024, according to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
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“Cybersecurity is an increasing concern for our customers both in-country and cross-border," said Marika Auramo, CEO of Vodafone Business.
"The breadth and depth of our global partnership with Fortinet means we can provide customers with the benefits of new digital connectivity to more places whilst ensuring that their digital assets, employees, partners and users are protected.”
Joe Sarno, Executive Vice President, International Sales, Fortinet, said as organisations digitise and scale across borders, secure connectivity is no longer optional.
“Our expanded partnership with Vodafone enables us to deliver unified SASE solutions that combine advanced security with exceptional performance so enterprises can confidently connect users, devices, and apps anywhere in the world,” Sarno said.
Under the Vodafone Business and Fortinet partnership, businesses can choose from four management options, including 24/7, co-managed network and security, various service-level guarantees, and professional services including service discovery, design, implementation and training.