Netherlands based managed service provider sees eliminating complexity as key to digital transformation
Alkira announced managed service provider (MSP) Cerebo as a reseller for the Benelux and Nordic region.
Cerebo’s founder and managing director Ferran van den Berg built one of Europe’s first managed SD-WAN service providers. Following the sale of the company in 2021, Van den Berg went in search of a solution to tackle the next big problem: cloud networking.
Alkira’s cloud networking as a service (CNaaS) was the only solution that met Cerebo’s criteria: radical simplification of cloud networking; secure, multicloud connectivity; and as-a-service consumption.
Alkira enhanced the service in April with the addition of Cloud Insights, a free tool that enables customers to improve the performance, connectivity and security of resources in AWS and Azure environments.
Paul Couturier, senior vice president international, Alkira said: “Our platform is all about making it faster, simpler and cheaper for enterprises to deploy secure networks spanning cloud, multicloud and hybrid environments. With Cloud Insights, we can now also provide them with a single unified source of actionable insights to optimise their existing cloud investments. Ferran and his team built one of the first companies in Europe to provide managed SD-WAN services. We’re delighted to provide the foundational technology for their next-generation MSP.”
Van den Berg said: “SD-WAN is a great platform, but it only takes you to the doorstep of the cloud. Customers embarking on digital transformation don’t just need to get to the cloud, they need to go within and between clouds, and they need end to end orchestration of connectivity and security. Doing all that with existing technology is complex and time consuming.”
The move away from centralised networks based on data centers and branches, accelerated by the explosion in home-working caused by the pandemic, has created a management headache for businesses.
Van den Berg said: “Companies are also further along in their cloud journeys. The more applications they have in the cloud, the harder it becomes to manage. When you add multicloud to the equation, it becomes near impossible.
“Cloud Insights is a great addition to the Alkira service because it enables customers and prospects to get a better understanding of their current cloud usage. Businesses are increasingly demanding proof that their cloud investments are providing value. Cloud Insights shows them where they can optimise performance, plug security gaps and make cost savings by decommissioning underutilised resources.”
Cerebo believes that mid-sized multinationals will be the sweet spot in the market for its service.
“We’re talking about companies with between 20 and 200 locations. These businesses are struggling to find people who understand the complexities of cloud environments,” Van den Berg said.
Above, Paul Couturier, senior vice president international, Alkira / Image credited to Alkira
