Lumen Technologies today launched Lumen SASE Solutions, an all-digital integrated service for the purchase, configuration, and management of enterprise secure access service edge (SASE).

The service deploys SASE software across the fiber provider’s network by leveraging the Lumen Platform, enabling users to “enjoy [applications] at incredible rates of performance,” Darren Wolner, senior director of SASE product management, told SDxCentral. 

[caption id="attachment_121082" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Darren Wolner, Lumen Technologies[/caption]

Fortinet and VMware are the first partners to supply Lumen with software, on-premises equipment, remote access clients, and cloud security gateways for SD-WAN and information security services.

As part of the new service IT decision makers can visit the online, self-service Lumen Marketplace to learn about SASE, select from vendors, and find streamlined product configurations. Wolner explained that once a customer has purchased a SASE solution, they have the “flexibility” to either manage it on their own or have Lumen oversee the deployment, implementation, and ongoing management of their customized product with the Lumen SASE Manager.

The manager within the control center portal enables enterprises to configure their solution by location and user, add new sites, users, and services, as well as receive alerts and manage tickets.

“We’re allowing [customers] to choose the level of management that they want, and we think that’s a huge benefit,” Wolner said. 

The Lumen Marketplace also offers solutions including edge, bare metal, Fiber+, and DDoS services. Lumen plans to provide additional network, security, edge, and collaboration solutions in the coming months, according to a company announcement.

Lumen continued its edge expansion this month by rolling out a virtual machine (VM) option that allows customers to scale their compute, storage, and networking resources based on need – a move that built on the fiber provider’s recent European expansion.

“By Lumen investing in the cloud edge and 60-plus locations across the U.S., this enables all the software that customers want to use to be housed and hosted closer to them,” Wolner noted. 

Wolner said Lumen will continue to add leading SASE partners throughout 2022 and 2023, hinting the company is in “a bunch of conversations” that will lead to news “at some point in the near future.” 

That said, Wolner indicated that customer feedback for Lumen SASE Solutions will inform the company’s next moves. 

He added, “In the spirit of saying yes and wanting to support their businesses, we’re going to listen to our customers and hear what they have to say, and we’re going to use that information and consider what we hear very seriously as we make choices moving forward.”