IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl and cloud specialist Cloudflare have announced a new global strategic alliance to streamline and secure customers’ connectivity to multiple clouds and data centers.
An expansion of the pair’s existing partnership, this latest collaboration combines Kyndryl’s networking and security services and expertise with Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud.
The duo revealed Cloudflare’s capabilities will be incorporated into Kyndryl’s key practice areas, which include network and edge, as well as security and resiliency.
In an announcement, Kyndryl said the aim is to increase customers’ security across their networks, enhance the performance of business-critical applications, and provide seamless access to business data.
Customers will be able to leverage global networking capabilities for flexible working environments to help reduce tech debt and reliance on legacy architecture, with Kyndryl set to advise and assist enterprises as they shift their workloads to Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud.
The partnership will also extend network security to offices and data centers by replacing traditional WAN setups, while customers will be able to utilize sustainable networking and integrate environmental sustainability directly into their business model for a potential reduction of related carbon emissions of between 78% and 96%.
Paul Savill, global practice leader of network and edge computing at Kyndryl, said this combined expertise will enable enterprises to leverage advanced cloud features to drive agility and innovation.
“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Cloudflare, an industry leader in cloud networking,” he said. “With Kyndryl’s expert managed and consulting services, we will be helping our joint customers secure, streamline and simplify their IT infrastructure, all while reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies.”
Kyndryl and Cloudflare have long-running ties
Kyndryl and Cloudflare are no strangers to collaboration, having first partnered in May 2023 to help customers modernize their enterprise infrastructure with end-to-end services, including managed WAN as a service and Cloudflare Zero Trust.
The collaboration has also seen Cloudflare help transform Kyndryl’s network services and provide cloud protection such as DDoS mitigation, as well as protect Kyndryl’s internet properties. As a result, Kyndryl itself has seen a reduction in IT infrastructure costs, accelerated web traffic, as well as improved performance for data load balancing, the pair revealed.
Now, with this latest expansion, the companies said they are focused on driving further innovation across all technology stacks to design, build, manage, and modernize customers’ vital systems.
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“Working hand-in-hand with customers, we’ve seen the demand and impact from Cloudflare’s leading connectivity cloud and comprehensive cyber security for business environments, right in hand with Kyndryl's industry-leading consulting and managed network services,” commented Matt Harrell, Cloudflare’s global head of channels and alliances.
"Since partnering with Kyndryl, we have been able to scale Cloudflare’s services at a new level. Our global strategic alliance can support any enterprise now across their entire network stack, regardless of where they stand in their cloud journey.”
