Windstream Enterprise today added VMware’s secure access service edge (SASE) platform to its managed service portfolio.

The partnership combines VMware’s Velocloud SD-WAN and SASE products with the Arkansas-based managed service provider's Cloud Core backbone network, which stretches more than 170,000 miles and connects nearly every major metro in the U.S.

According to Mike Frane, VP of product management at Windstream, the integration makes it easier for existing customers to transition to modern network architectures and also allows the service provider to expand its feature set as VMware builds out its SASE platform.

Coined by Gartner in late 2019, the SASE product category stitches together elements of SD-WAN, edge compute, and security into a single cloud-delivered package.

VMware was an early adopter of SASE. It claims more than 150 points of presence (PoPs) from which its SD-WAN and security functionality — in collaboration with Menlo Security — are delivered. Today’s announcement expands VMware’s reach to include the entirety of Windstream’s Cloud Core network.

According to Windstream, the combined service provides an alternative to traditional MPLS WAN links; offers higher performance, reliability, and visibility for applications traversing the company’s network backbone; and consolidates security policy regardless of the user’s location or device.

VMware is far from the only vendor to announce partnerships with middle-mile service providers, like Windstream, to expand their SASE reach.

This spring, Versa Networks announced a partnership with Apcela, which promised to improve the performance of latency-sensitive applications, particularly in environments where MPLS links weren’t practical.

Similarly, Cisco partnered with Google Cloud to use its private backbone network for middle-mile connectivity.

And not to be left out, in March, domain name service and content delivery network operator Cloudflare dipped its toes into the transport business. Its Magic Transit service integrates with existing SD-WAN appliances and allows users to route traffic between any of the company’s 250-plus data centers.