AT&T has upped its partnership with Tech Mahindra to resell the telco’s FlexWare network product, expanding the software-based service immediately to a larger global audience.
Tech Mahindra plans to combine AT&T FlexWare with its System Integration and Services Portfolio, and offer the solutions to its global customers who are migrating more of their applications and operations to a cloud and software-based architecture.
Besides bringing FlexWare to its own clients, Tech Mahindra will use FlexWare for its own internal uses.
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Rupesh Chokshi, AVP product management for AT&T, told FierceTelecom that the relationship with Tech Mahindra reflects the service provider’s ongoing efforts to enhance the reach of FlexWare globally.
“Our relationship with Tech Mahindra is part of the same strategy we had from a go to market distribution perspective,” Chokshi said. “Once we have the scale with all the deployments in different countries that we offer AT&T FlexWare and robust flexible choices, we have taken it to a partnership or sell through approach.”
Broadening usage cases
Whether it’s Tech Mahindra or another integrator, the goal of these relationships is to find new use cases for FlexWare while driving the shift from hardware to software-based networking solutions.
The platform allows rapid setup and management of virtual network functions like routing and security on a single device.
By reducing hardware requirements, FlexWare streamlines operations, enabling companies to become more agile and responsive to their IT and business needs.
Having been adopted by key customers like Omni Hotel ASSA ABLOY, FlexWare’s role in enabling businesses is to progress their cloud to edge use cases.
ASSA ABLOY, a provider of door-opening solutions, is using AT&T’s FlexWare, VPN and WAN acceleration, internet and remote access services across 350 global locations. The lock maker will use AT&T Cloud Web Security Services and mobile connectivity services.
“We have been making good progress with great customer momentum in terms of adoption of the technology,” Chokshi said. “We’re creating these platforms and the customers are the ones that are innovating on them with different use cases.”
Some of the uses cases include internet offload where customers are routing security at the edge of the network, which becomes relevant for customers trying to offload internet traffic.
Meanwhile, other businesses are using FlexWare to virtualized WAN acceleration to accommodate sensitive applications or locations that have bandwidth constraints.
“We’re seeing combinations of use cases and high availability use cases,” Chokshi said. “We have made a number of enhancements to FlexWare and we’ll continue to do that.”
Partnerships are key
Tech Mahindra is just one of several reseller relationships AT&T has for FlexWare. The service provider also has similar pacts with IBM and DXC.
Chokshi said that through its relationships with Tech Mahindra, AT&T can deepen FlexWare’s use across multiple vertical segments.
“With this agreement, Tech Mahindra can resell AT&T FlexWare and our networking services to their customer base,” Chokshi said. “They have a set of value-added services that they’ll bring on top of it.”
What AT&T can also bring to the table is its global reach. AT&T FlexWare is available in more than 200 countries and territories, almost all of which are covered by Tech Mahindra’s footprint.
“The differentiator we’re bringing with FlexWare is the global nature of the capability,” Chokshi said. “Whether it’s IBM or DXC or Tech Mahindra, these are systems integrators that have a global client base so that’s where we’re able to meet their objectives and their end client objectives and provide that flexibility with our services.”