New offering integrates premium network technology and security within a high-touch managed service for enterprises that demand a future-ready digital IT infrastructure

Windstream Enterprise (WE), a leading IT managed services provider, today unveiled Secure Flex Premium, a comprehensive suite of advanced technology solutions powered by Fortinet^® (NASDAQ: FTNT) that provides a fully customizable cybersecurity infrastructure aimed to address the current and future network security needs of each unique customer. Through a bespoke technology package built upon one’s existing on-premises, hybrid or cloud environment, Secure Flex Premium provides large enterprise clients with one solution—backed by a dedicated team of managed services experts—to manage, control and optimize their complete and desired IT ecosystem.

Today’s CIO and CISO teams are in the midst of an infrastructure evolution and are tasked with business-critical initiatives including connecting work-from-anywhere users, maximizing agility, managing the process of moving applications to the edge or the cloud, and securing against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. What’s more, these larger businesses are struggling to stitch together disparate point solutions, which leads to increased complexity and vulnerability within an enterprise’s digital environment.

Secure Flex Premium removes the complexity out of managing a sprawling IT ecosystem by providing a dedicated single-tenant architecture, powered by enterprise-grade cybersecurity and networking technologies from Fortinet, which can be readily implemented on top of one’s existing infrastructure. Delivered by Windstream Enterprise’s IT Managed Services team, Secure Flex Premium leverages Fortinet’s unique AI-powered cybersecurity platform, the Fortinet Security Fabric, and Fortinet’s secure networking solutions to enable clients to meet these business-critical demands, accelerate digital transformation initiatives, and provide complete visibility and control into their unique IT landscape.

“Creating and managing a fully integrated network and security solution is more challenging than ever, and keeping pace with the fast-evolving cyberthreat landscape can be a 24/7/365 undertaking for an organization and its IT and cybersecurity teams,” said Art Nichols, chief technology officer, Windstream Enterprise. “By joining forces with Fortinet, we’re helping to mitigate the risks, resource drain and headaches that come with those responsibilities by giving them a single, best-in-breed network and security solution that creates a stronger security layer than ever before.”

Components of Windstream Enterprise’s Secure Flex Premium powered by Fortinet include:

• Comprehensive cybersecurity enabled by the Fortinet Security Fabric: A scalable security approach provides automated and synchronized protection across all users, devices, applications and end points to achieve a more consolidated security posture, with outcomes like enhanced capabilities for detection, more efficient responses, consistent policy enforcement, posture and playbook management and more adaptive and granular access control—all of which lead to better security. The Fortinet Security Fabric platform spans the digital attack surface to enable comprehensive real-time cybersecurity and networking capabilities to protect customers’ devices, data and applications.
• Dedicated single-tenant solution: Secure Flex Premium is designed exclusively for each client to ensure a higher degree of control and customization over their entire IT environment. This means that the hardware, storage and network are dedicated to a single client—allowing each enterprise's security infrastructure to match its unique environment and security posture requirements.
• Tailored technology coupled with Windstream Enterprise’s deep expertise with Fortinet: Secure Flex Premium seamlessly integrates into a client’s existing technology infrastructure to build a multidimensional security solution—comprising components like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), End Point Protection (EPP), SD-Branch and SD-WAN, along with the comprehensive portfolio of Fortinet solutions. With Windstream Enterprise as the managed services provider, enterprises remove the challenges and risk of managing disjointed point solutions from multiple vendors.
• Management flexibility and end-to-end support: Customers can either self-manage their environment, co-manage it, or have the solution fully managed by Windstream Enterprise’s IT Managed Services team. Additionally, customers can tap into this extension of their team for site surveys, design planning, and implementation support, all of which help enterprises address the current IT talent shortage.
• Seamless integration with a white glove experience: With access to an entire suite of networking, security and collaboration tools managed by Windstream Enterprise, customers gain a single-point-of-contact solution with experienced, expert customer service.

“Businesses in industries with particularly strong security requirements, such as financial services and healthcare, need assurance that they’re getting not just best-in-class network and security technologies, but support for those technologies from an experienced, knowledgeable and accessible managed services team,” said John Maddison, chief marketing officer, Fortinet. “With Fortinet and Windstream Enterprise, that’s exactly what they will get, with a solution that gives them as much control as they want over their IT environment and the security capabilities that are integrated in it.”

“Customers can have the utmost confidence in this solution because Windstream Enterprise and Fortinet have collaborated for years, giving us unique insight into Fortinet’s technology and expertise,” said Mike Flannery, president, Windstream Enterprise. “Windstream has invested in this relationship from both a technological perspective and through refining our processes and techniques, resulting in customers having the ultimate high-quality experience.”

For more information, please visit windstreamenterprise.com/secure-flex-premium.

ABOUT WINDSTREAM

Windstream Enterprise drives business and government agency transformation across the U.S. through managed cloud communications, networking and security services. Windstream Enterprise is one of three brands managed by Windstream. The company’s quality-first approach connects customers to new opportunities and possibilities by delivering a full suite of advanced communications services. Windstream also offers fiber-based broadband to residential and small business customers in 18 states as well as customized wavelength and dark fiber solutions to carriers, content providers and hyperscalers in the U.S. and Canada. Windstream is a privately held company headquartered in Little Rock, Ark. Additional information about Windstream Enterprise is available at windstreamenterprise.com or windstream.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at @Windstream.

ABOUT FORTINET

Fortinet is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere you need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet's solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. FortGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

Category: Enterprise

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