Vi Business , the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea, has partnered with Cisco to strengthen its Hybrid SD-WAN portfolio as enterprises increasingly seek secure and scalable networking solutions to support cloud adoption, distributed operations and AI-driven workloads.




The collaboration combines Cisco Meraki's cloud-managed networking and secure multi-WAN capabilities with Vi Business' managed connectivity services, aiming to help enterprises modernise their network infrastructure through hybrid networking, integrated security and multi-cloud connectivity.




According to the company, the partnership comes at a time when enterprise demand for software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) is rising rapidly. Industry estimates project India's SD-WAN market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20.5% to reach $14.6 billion by 2031.




Focus on cloud, security and network managementVi Business launched its Hybrid SD-WAN solution in 2023 to help enterprises transform traditional wide area networks by combining SD-WAN technology, security capabilities and multi-cloud integration through a managed services model.




Under the partnership, the solution will be powered by Cisco Meraki, enabling enterprises to manage their networks through a single dashboard with application-aware routing, performance monitoring, built-in security, Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity features.




The telecom operator said customers will benefit from a fully managed service that includes nationwide connectivity, proactive monitoring, lifecycle management and a single point of contact for support and operations. The offering is being delivered through a service-based model, which allows enterprises to avoid upfront capital expenditure while scaling network infrastructure as business requirements evolve.




Commenting on the partnership, M P Sunil Kumar, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at Vodafone Idea, said enterprises are increasingly looking for networking solutions that align with evolving business objectives. "By integrating advanced cloud-managed SD-WAN, wired and wireless networking and built-in security, we enable enterprises to centrally manage distributed networks while radically simplifying operations," Kumar said.




He added that the combination of nationwide connectivity, managed services and end-to-end support would help organisations build resilient and scalable networks.




Ashok Shivashankar, Managing Director, Partner Organization, Cisco India & South Asia, said enterprise networks must increasingly be designed for agility, scalability and security in an AI-first environment.




"Together with Vi Business, we are helping enterprises modernise their networks with a managed Hybrid SD-WAN solution that enables greater agility, scalability and operational efficiency while accelerating digital transformation ," Shivashankar said.




The partnership strengthens Vi Business' push into enterprise digital transformation services as organisations continue to invest in cloud infrastructure, remote operations and AI-enabled business applications.