New Spectrum Enterprise Network Solution Gives Partners an Edge

Spectrum Enterprise partners can serve their customers at the edge with a new offering.

Spectrum on Wednesday unveiled Managed Network Edge (MNE), designed to simplify midmarket and enterprise customers’ local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN). The MNE solution uses Cisco Meraki. It features managed routing, security and software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), as well as proactive monitoring and 24/7 support. Customers can also package in Wi-Fi, smart cameras and network switches.

MNE’s “modular” approach allows it to scale as customers grow and need to upgrade their networks. Satya Parimi, Spectrum Enterprise’s group vice president of product, said MNE’s single-service provider delivery creates “end-to-end performance.”

Spectrum’s Satya Parimi

“The ongoing pandemic has made connectivity a critical infrastructure for businesses, especially as they digitize and transform their networks to meet the changing needs of their customers and employees,” Parimi said.

Courtney Munroe, IDC’s research vice president of worldwide telecommunications research, said the solution helps businesses that lack internal IT resources.

IDC’s Courtney Munroe

“They will benefit from a holistic, managed solution with connectivity, visibility from the user portal analytics and 24/7 support and backed by an SLA,” Munroe said. “The enhanced user and application analytics is also appealing to businesses with regulatory compliance requirements for network and software applications.”

Many businesses are planning to support a long-term hybrid workforce, according to Lawrence Huang, Cisco Meraki’s vice president of product management.

“Together, Spectrum Enterprise and Cisco Meraki are helping to improve the client and user experience by simplifying IT operations and making it easier to integrate solutions that connect employees, applications, devices and locations,” Huang said.

Channel Perspective

Michelle Kadlacek, vice president of the Spectrum Enterprise Partner Program, said partners can bolster their portfolios with Managed Network Edge.

Spectrum Enterprise’s Michelle Kadlacek

“It’s a great opportunity for partners to add the managed network edge to their sales portfolio,” Kadlacek told Channel Partners. “It’s going to help their clients really tailor that solution for that simplified network management.”

She noted that both multilocation and single-location customers can benefit from MNE. Enterprises that operate legacy technologies will particularly benefit, she said.

“We know that a lot of clients have moved to digital transformation for their network. This is a complete managed solution that will help those clients with the right connectivity at all of their locations across our footprint,” she said.

Furthermore, Kadlacek said dedicated managed service specialists are available to train and assist partners in delivering the solution.

Spectrum Enterprise is part of Charter Communications.