Riverbed Offers Cloud Networking for Azure, Earns Microsoft Gold Competency

PRESS RELEASE — SAN FRANCISCO – January 24, 2017 – Riverbed Technology, the application performance company, today announced that Riverbed® SteelConnect™, an app-defined SD-WAN solution that simplifies networking for the cloud-centric enterprise, now offers instant and easy provisioning of SD-WAN connectivity into Microsoft Azure cloud networks. SteelConnect is transforming legacy hardware-based approaches to networking with a software-defined and application-centric solution that delivers the agility, visibility, and performance that businesses need to deliver real business impact in a cloud-first world. 

Tweet This: Riverbed delivers “one-click” #cloud networking solution for secure connectivity to @Azure cloud networks: http://rvbd.ly/2jgUNSQ

As applications continue to move to the cloud, performance and security remain critical concerns for the enterprise. SteelConnect delivers automated, secure connectivity to Azure cloud networks with a single click. As a result, enterprises can be more agile, while maintaining the same level of performance delivered from the cloud across the entire hybrid network.  

BLOG: Riverbed SteelConnect is ready for Microsoft Azure!

“Riverbed has a long-standing relationship with Microsoft to provide fast and secure access to users’ applications and data, wherever it resides,” said Paul O’Farrell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Riverbed’s SteelConnect, SteelHead, and SteelFusion business units. “With the seamless integration of Microsoft Azure with Riverbed SteelConnect, we’re taking this a step further, ensuring that connectivity to the cloud itself is simple, instant and secure.”{ad}

“Today’s enterprises continue to take advantage of Microsoft Azure to achieve increased efficiency, scalability and cost savings,” said Ross Ortega, Partner PM Manager in Microsoft Azure. “Riverbed SteelConnect is a differentiated SD-WAN solution which automates more secure connectivity, increases agility and improves the overall customer experience.”

SteelConnect provides an intelligent approach to designing, deploying, and managing distributed networks, with single-click provisioning into cloud environments such as Azure. SteelConnect is the industry’s first and only SD-WAN solution to ensure seamless performance for all users by unifying and optimizing application delivery across hybrid WANs, remote LANs, and cloud networks.

Following a successful early access launch of SteelConnect in April 2016, Riverbed launched the general availability of SteelConnect 2.0 in September 2016, which offers richer integration with SteelHead WAN optimization, integration with SteelCentral for visibility, dynamic routing, and greater scale for large enterprise deployments.

Riverbed also announced today that it has attained a Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform Competency, demonstrating a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet Microsoft customers’ …

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… evolving needs in today’s cloud-first world and distinguishing itself within Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.

For more information on SteelConnect, visit https://www.riverbed.com/products/steelconnect.html

To access SteelConnect via the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, visit https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/partners/riverbed/riverbed-steelconnect-gw/

Riverbed SteelConnect and the Riverbed Application Performance Platform
Riverbed is delivering solutions to help companies transition from legacy hardware to a new software-defined and cloud-centric approach to networking, and improve end user experience, allowing enterprises’ digital transformation initiatives to reach their full potential. The Riverbed Application Performance Platform™ delivers the agility, visibility, and performance businesses need to be successful in a cloud and digital world. By leveraging the Platform, organizations can deliver apps, data, and services from any public, private, or hybrid cloud across any network to any end-point. A key part of the platform, Riverbed SteelConnect™ is a revolutionary application-defined SD-WAN solution that provides an intelligent and simplified approach to designing, deploying and managing distributed networks.

PRESS RELEASE — SAN FRANCISCO – January 24, 2017 – Riverbed Technology, the application performance company, today announced it has attained Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform Competency, demonstrating “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet Microsoft Corp. customers’ evolving needs in today’s cloud-first world and distinguishing itself within Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.

Tweet This: Riverbed demonstrates market leadership with @Microsoft Gold #cloud platform competency: http://rvbd.ly/2jcgK8z

To earn a Microsoft gold competency, partners must successfully complete technical exams (resulting in Microsoft Certified Professionals), and then designate these certified professionals uniquely to at least one Microsoft competency. They also must submit customer references that demonstrate successful cloud projects, meet a performance (revenue and or consumption/usage) commitment, and pass technology and/or sales assessments. Only the top 1% of Microsoft partners worldwide achieve Microsoft gold competency.{ad}

BLOG: Riverbed soars to Microsoft Gold Cloud status

This announcement demonstrates Riverbed’s commitment to meeting Microsoft’s cloud-first mission and helping customers drive innovation in the digital era. Riverbed’s cloud networking and application performance management solutions provide customers with agility, visibility and performance needed in today’s cloud-first world.  Riverbed and Microsoft have had a longstanding partnership to provide users with fast and secure access to applications and data, wherever it resides, including delivering optimization and visibility for cloud applications such as Office 365 and Azure.  Riverbed also announced today that Riverbed® SteelConnect™, an app-defined SD-WAN solution that simplifies networking for the cloud-centric enterprise, now offers single-click provisioning of SD-WAN connectivity into Microsoft Azure cloud networks.

“Achieving Microsoft Gold Cloud Competency reflects our continued commitment to helping customers deliver superior performance in the cloud, and keep pace with the evolving technology landscape,” said Judy Mirkin, Sr. Director, Microsoft Alliance at Riverbed.  “Riverbed has a deep knowledge of Microsoft products and services and has continued to work alongside Microsoft to provide customers with the solutions they need to succeed in a cloud-first, digital world.”

“By achieving a Gold competency, partners such as Riverbed have demonstrated the highest, most consistent capability and commitment to the latest Microsoft technology,” said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “Riverved  has a deep expertise that puts them in the top of our partner ecosystem, and their proficiency will help customers drive innovative solutions.”

The Cloud Platform competency allows partners to capitalize on the growing demand for infrastructure and software as a service (SaaS) solutions built on Microsoft Azure. The Microsoft Partner Network helps partners strengthen their capabilities to showcase leadership in the marketplace on the latest technology, to better serve customers and to easily connect with one of the most active, diverse networks in the world.

About Riverbed
Riverbed, at more than $1 billion in annual revenue, is the leader in Application Performance Infrastructure, delivering the most complete platform for the hybrid enterprise to ensure applications perform as expected, data is always available when needed, and performance issues can be proactively detected and resolved before impacting business performance. Riverbed enables hybrid enterprises to transform application performance into a competitive advantage by maximizing employee productivity and leveraging IT to create new forms of operational agility. Riverbed’s 28,000+ customers include 97% of the Fortune 100 and 98% of the Forbes Global 100. Learn more at www.riverbed.com.