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Airtel Business and Cisco launch Airtel SD-Branch to simplify and secure enterprise networking

Airtel Business, the B2B arm of Bharti Airtel (Airtel), and Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking and security, today, launched Airtel Software-Defined (SD) Branch — a simple, secure, cloud based, end-to-end-managed network solution for enterprises.

Powered by the Cisco Meraki cloud-first platform, Airtel SD-Branch will enable the unified management of networks across LAN, WAN, security and connectivity over multiple branch locations, helping enterprises to simplify their network management, enhance application performances and provide greater flexibility and control over the entire branch network infrastructure.

Sharat Sinha, CEO – Airtel Business, said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of our revolutionary network solution for enterprises in the country, in partnership with ‘Cisco Meraki India Region’. The service is crafted to prioritise core business outcomes over IT management. This will provide customers with a simplified network solution that scales effortlessly, enabling users to access business applications with enhanced performance and security”.

Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC, said, “We live in an environment where workplaces are dispersed and applications are distributed, making reliable and efficient network infrastructure a necessity. Our partnership with Airtel aims to empower enterprises with a platform solution that delivers a unified, agile and secure experience across multiple locations, enabling businesses to succeed in a hyper-connected world.”

Airtel SD-Branch is designed to meet the diverse network infrastructure needs of enterprises in sectors
such as retail, education, banking and healthcare. It will transform how businesses manage their complex network requirements with simplified provisioning, helping build robust and efficient connectivity across branch locations. With Airtel’s extensive connectivity solutions and advanced network management capabilities and Cisco’s expertise in secure networking, this solution delivers a unified, centralised platform for the network needs of organisations, making network management more efficient.

In today’s hybrid world, employees are working from multiple locations, using various connections and
accessing information across diverse platforms. While this provides flexibility to employees, it has created a new set of challenges for business as they must connect and protect people and devices across customer-owned and unowned networks. According to Cisco’s Cybersecurity Readiness Index, 92% of companies in India have stated that their employees access company platforms from unmanaged devices, and 48% of those spend one-fifth of their time logged onto company networks from unmanaged devices. Additionally, 39% have reported that their employees hop between at least six networks over a week.

Sharat Sinha, CEO – Airtel Business, said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of our revolutionary network solution for enterprises in the country, in partnership with ‘Cisco Meraki India Region’. The service is crafted to prioritise core business outcomes over IT management. This will provide customers with a simplified network solution that scales effortlessly, enabling users to access business applications with enhanced performance and security”.

Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC, said,“We live in an environment where workplaces are dispersed and applications are distributed, making reliable and efficient network infrastructure a necessity. Our partnership with Airtel aims to empower enterprises with a platform solution that delivers a unified, agile and secure experience across multiple locations, enabling businesses to succeed in a hyper-connected world.”

Airtel SD-Branch is designed to meet the diverse network infrastructure needs of enterprises in sectors such as retail, education, banking and healthcare. It will transform how businesses manage their complex network requirements with simplified provisioning, helping build robust and efficient connectivity across branch locations. With Airtel’s extensive connectivity solutions and advanced network management capabilities and Cisco’s expertise in secure networking, this solution delivers a unified, centralised platform for the network needs of organisations, making network management more efficient.

In today’s hybrid world, employees are working from multiple locations, using various connections and accessing information across diverse platforms. While this provides flexibility to employees, it has created a new set of challenges for business as they must connect and protect people and devices across customer-owned and unowned networks. According to Cisco’s Cybersecurity Readiness Index, 92% of companies in India have stated that their employees access company platforms from unmanaged devices, and 48% of those spend one-fifth of their time logged onto company networks from unmanaged devices. Additionally, 39% have reported that their employees hop between at least six networks over a week.

About Bharti Airtel

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 550 million customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high speed 4G/5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data centre services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and cloud-based communication. For more details visit www.airtel.com

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.

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