Cloudflare has expanded its partner program while announcing a new connectivity with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

The firm’s PowerUp Partner Program has been updated to include solution bundles targeting application complexity, cybersecurity risks, while adding connectivity between multiple cloud platforms.

Partnerships with the likes of IBM Cloud, Kyndryl, and Rakuten Mobile have also been expanded. Rakuten is Cloudflare's first MSSP partner in Japan, with the collaboration delivering a boutique zero-trust security service for corporate clients in the country.

The IBM relationship, meanwhile, sees Cloudflare services such as DDoS mitigation, bot protection, and application acceleration integrated into the IBM Cloud portal. The duo also integrated with IBM's QRadar security intelligence platform for threat visibility and IBM Security Services to implement zero trust strategies for clients.

“This past year, we have introduced innovative tools, launched impactful incentives, and expanded enablement to help our partners equip more businesses with the security, performance, and reliability of Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud platform,” said Tom Evans, chief partner officer at Cloudflare. “Partners are actively turning to us to help customers consolidate at scale. Now, our new solution bundles will help them capitalize on this opportunity,” said Tom Evans, chief partner officer at Cloudflare.

“Together, with IBM Cloud Internet Services powered by Cloudflare, we have been delivering solutions to enterprises worldwide, including large banks and insurance companies,” said Nataraj Nagaratnam, IBM fellow and CTO for AI security and architecture. "We are proud to be collaborating with Cloudflare as we strive to deliver solutions that can withstand the evolving Internet and threat landscape.”

“By combining Cloudflare's connectivity cloud platform of solutions with our managed services, we’ve been empowering our clients' digital transformation with a one-stop solution for network and security for corporate clients across all sectors in Japan,” added Kazuhiro Suzuki, co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile.

Cloudflare and OCI

Cloudflare also shared that its connectivity cloud offering will be available natively on OCI for customers worldwide, with Oracle’s flagship cloud platform directly leveraging Cloudflare’s services across hybrid, multicloud, and OCI-hosted applications.

The move expands on the relationship between the pair dating back to 2021, when Oracle joined Cloudflare's Bandwidth Alliance, a group of cloud and hosting providers committed to reducing data transfer costs.

The initial move eliminated egress fees from OCI Object Storage for mutual customers in North America, with newly minted Oracle co-CEO Clay Magouyrk, then executive VP for OCI, commenting that the original alliance proved Oracle’s focus “on providing customers with choice on their cloud journey" while addressing a pricing strategy "ripe for change.”

The new Oracle/Cloudflare tie-up is said to enable hybrid and multi-cloud architectures for customers, while helping them accelerate public-facing applications and AI inference performance through reduced latency, strengthen AI and API security, and help address compliance across digital environments.

”Through our partnership with Cloudflare, we will enable organizations to protect cloud and AI workloads while enhancing resilience and performance across hybrid and multicloud environments. Together, we will give businesses the confidence to innovate and grow, knowing their applications and data are protected every step of the way,” said David Hicks, group vice president, ISV Ecosystem, Oracle North America.

“We all see how AI is transforming the way organizations and their employees operate, and we need to pay equal attention to how AI is expanding our threat landscapes. Organizations need a comprehensive platform that delivers flexibility, performance, and security. Our integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure will help ensure businesses everywhere, across any cloud environment, can run their workloads on a unified platform with security and speed at the forefront,” added Cloudflare’s Evans.