CenturyLink today launched a second managed SD-WAN offering. The company will now sell Cisco’s Viptela-based SD-WAN service.

CenturyLink launched its managed SD-WAN offering using Versa Networks SD-WAN in 2016. As a managed service provider, for both the Cisco and Versa technology, CenturyLink will provide its customers with all the hardware, software, and controller infrastructure for SD-WAN. It also will provide a dedicated portal where customers can create and control their enterprise overlay networks.

CenturyLink will sell the Cisco Viptela vEdge series routers and the company's 5000 series virtualized network platform. The telco will combine it with its private networking assets including MPLS and its public networking assets such as dedicated internet access, broadband, and wireless connectivity.

According to Eric Barrett, senior director of product management at CenturyLink, expanding its SD-WAN offering to include more vendors was always a part of the roadmap. It provides “vendor redundancy and choice in our offerings,” he said.

This isn't the first time CenturyLink has worked with Cisco.  The company also offers its customers Cisco Meraki gear for managed WiFi networks, SD-WAN, phone services, security, video surveillance, and WAN/LAN monitoring capabilities.

This existing partnership and with Cisco’s acquisition of Viptela and Cisco’s “loyal enterprise installed base” made the addition of the managed SD-WAN service an “obvious choice," said Barrett.

CenturyLink recently expanded the global footprint of its SD-WAN service, making it available in over 30 countries around the world. Now, the managed SD-WAN services can connect to 2,200 owned and third-party data centers and more than 100,000 on-net buildings.