Airtel Africa and Cisco revolutionizes secure connectivity for businesses in Africa with Network-as-a-Service offering 

* At Cisco, we believe that every organization would benefit from simplifying powerful technology

* Together with Airtel Africa, we are reducing networking complexities and securely connecting the world through NaaS

By Duncan Mlanjira

Airtel Africa, on Wednesday February 8, has announced a ground-breaking expansion of its service portfolio in collaboration with Cisco to empower businesses to seamlessly embark on their digital transformation journey by offering Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) solutions across various service platforms.

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Cisco Systems is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate that develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, software telecommunications equipment and other high-technology services and products.

Airtel, the Pan African leading telecommunications service provider says in a statement that in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, it “recognizes the growing need for businesses to accelerate their operations without the additional task of building or managing network infrastructure”.

“The NaaS offerings include an array of services such as enhanced security, surveillance, connectivity, and cloud solutions, all delivered through a secure cloud platform.

“NaaS represents a paradigm shift in how organizations consume network infrastructure, allowing users to operate networks efficiently without the need to own, build, or maintain physical infrastructure.

“This innovative approach reduces the challenges associated with traditional network models, including capital expenses, manual service provisioning, and lengthy issue resolution processes.”

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Airtel Africa adds that the NaaS offerings — powered by Cisco’s cutting-edge Catalyst and Meraki cloud-based platforms, “promise to revolutionize connectivity for businesses of all sizes”.

“The solutions are designed to replace hardware-centric VPNs, load balancers, firewall appliances, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) connections.

“With the flexibility to scale up or down based on demand, rapid service deployment, and reduction of hardware costs, Airtel Africa and Cisco are reshaping the future of business connectivity.”

Oliver Fortuin, CEO of Airtel Business Africa is quoted as saying: “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.

“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.”

Oliver Fortuin

The NaaS offerings will be accessible to all business customers, including small businesses, as well as global customers with operations worldwide as 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.

“At Cisco, we believe that every organization would benefit from simplifying powerful technology,” Vish Iyer, president, Cisco’s service provider of Asia Pacific and Japan is quoted as saying. “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.

Vish Iyer

Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries in Africa, primarily in East, Central and West Africa.

Airtel Africa offers an integrated suite of telecommunications solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.

The Group aims to continue providing a simple and intuitive customer experience through streamlined customer journeys while Airtel Business Africa is a leading pan-African provider of connectivity and ICT services with an integrated portfolio of offerings to enterprises, governments, carriers, over-the-top (OTT) service providers, mobile network operators (MNOs), other wholesale players and small/medium businesses.

It offers a range of products and services, including voice and data solutions, submarine and terrestrial fiber cable capacities, collaboration, cloud, data centers, security, Internet of Things (IoT), network integration, managed services and enterprise mobility.

Through this diverse portfolio, Airtel Business Africa is pushing the boundaries in digital service delivery with a key focus on enhanced end-user experience, round-the-clock infrastructure availability and superior service quality.

Cisco specializes in specific tech markets, such as the IoT domain security, videoconferencing and energy management with leading products including WebEx, OpenDNS, Jabber, Duo Security, and Jasper.

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