Zayo’s Edge Network Solutions: ‘Big Pivot’ for Company, Partners

Zayo is stepping outside of its traditional comfort zone. On Wednesday, the fiber and connectivity provider unveiled Edge Network Solutions.

Both the platform and the target market represent “a big pivot for Zayo,” as Frank Cittadino, senior vice president of edge services, put it. That’s because Edge Network Solutions go beyond typical telecom connectivity to encompass cloud and edge computing, and it targets the midmarket, via the channel.

In the past, Zayo largely focused on provisioning fiber connectivity to huge buyers. It also didn’t have the most channel-friendly reputation.

That’s all changing. And Edge Network Solutions represents one outcome of Zayo’s recent efforts to make adjustments.

Recall that, in April of this year, Zayo sought to remove channel conflict. The shift came about with the hiring of Lynn Tinney as senior vice president of global partners.

“Zayo’s commitment to the channel isn’t a ‘nice to have’ — it’s a must,” Tinney told Channel Futures a few months ago. “Having a strong Zayo partner landscape is critical to meeting our goals and driving growth.”

That ethos is driving Zayo to develop different offerings for users it has not typically targeted. The new offer stands out as perhaps the first big example of that. Not only does Zayo see big demand from the midmarket, it also wanted to expand its channel reach. It just so happens that the midmarket is a segment where channel partners do especially well.

More on Edge Network Solutions

Zayo developed Edge Network Solutions after buying managed network service provider QOS Networks earlier this year. (Zayo has offered SD-WAN since 2018, though, using Versa, a company with which it still teams.) QOS brought particular expertise in SD-WAN and edge capabilities. Edge Network Solutions still relies on Versa, as well as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, VMware and Cloudbrink, for low latency. This combination lets end users choose the vendors they want, rather than risking lock-in, Zayo said.

All in all, through Edge Network Solutions, Zayo aims to enable midmarket organizations’ digital transformation, hybrid and remote work efforts, and emerging-technology adoption (and largely through the channel).

Zayo’s Frank Cittadino

To achieve those goals, enterprises “need an agile and borderless network that fuels around-the-clock operations,” said Cittadino (who co-founded and served as CEO of QOS Networks). “By connecting the edge to the core to the cloud, we help relieve IT headaches and meet our customers’ business needs now and in the future.”

As such, six components make up Edge Network Solutions. Those are:

• Software-Defined Wide-Area Network (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): These methods enhance application performance. Zayo says the SD-WAN and SASE also connect users and the cloud with unified security and network access, regardless of location or technology.
• Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS): The platform integrates voice, chat, meetings and video.
• Security Options: Approaches include zero trust, edge SASE, cloud access security broker, network firewall and distributed denial of service protection.
• Remote Access as a Service: This allows Zayo to secure enterprise applications, and monitor their performance and responsiveness, from anywhere.
• Managed Circuit Aggregation: Zayo supports access to a range of service options (think LTE or 400G, for example) and locations. The provider puts the various service onto one bill and monitors from one network operations center.

Partner Keys

The key for partners is that they will simply resell Edge Network Solutions. Zayo fully manages customer deployments. That’s an ideal business model for agents and their brokerages. Note, though, that customers will have access to a portal where they can view everything that’s happening on their Edge Network Solutions deployment.

Zayo did not disclose the incentives or percentages partners can expect to earn from Edge Network Solutions sales. However, Cittadino said, called the compensation “orders of magnitude better” than in the past.

Cittadino said Zayo works with all the major public clouds. Edge Network Solutions will be available in 400 data centers around the world.

“If you think you know Zayo, it’s time to take another look,” Cittadino said. “Zayo is no longer just your typical telecom provider. … Starting with the user to the software-defined layer to the cloud, Zayo connects customers from edge to edge, edge to cloud, cloud to edge and everywhere in between.”