“Ensuring compliance was essential to safeguarding the integrity and success of the company’s mission and global research operations.” – Key Project Stakeholder
Key points
- Expanded into 4 challenging markets in the Middle East with high-availability infrastructure
- Optimized connectivity via Zenlayer IP Transit and hyperconnected network with BGP peering support
- Ensured compliance with rigorous industry security standards
About the customer
Industry: Enterprise security
Needs: Network enhancements, cross-border interconnection, dedicated servers, high availability, redundancy, server and network security, compliance
Zenlayer services used: IP Transit, Bare Metal
The customer, a pioneer and the fastest-growing provider in SaaS-based cybersecurity services, wanted to expand into several locations in the Middle East. As their existing provider did not cover these new regions, the customer faced challenges with market entry and ensuring consistent performance. Further, as the same provider will be phasing out a key service they relied on, the cybersecurity company needed to find a partner who could meet their exceptional infrastructure requirements, offer global coverage, and provide a reliable path forward.
The challenge: ensuring compliance and high availability in complex markets
The customer needed network and customized hardware high availability, specific service locations, and advanced network configurations. And, as a leader in the cybersecurity space, they needed to partner with a trustworthy provider who can match their rigorous security and compliance standards to safeguard their customers and their industry reputation.
High availability (HA), in particular, was non-negotiable due to the nature of cybersecurity services, which involve processing large volumes of data. These services are often mission-critical for businesses that depend on their continuous availability.
Difficulty establishing interconnected infrastructure across underserved locations in the Middle East further complicated their expansion plans, as these regions had limited viable service providers and were difficult to navigate without a local expert. Their connectivity needs included full BGP peering support, which were essential for network optimization and adapting to their use case.
Ensuring exceptional security and compliance standards
As a leader and pioneer in cybersecurity, the customer demanded absolute confidence in their provider’s security and compliance standards. To that end, the customer conducted an extensive auditing process, rigorously reviewing our penetration tests and adherence to SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, data protection, data center compliance licensing, among other stringent requirements.
When concerns arose, we promptly addressed them and provided relevant documentation to reinforce their trust in our capabilities and infrastructure. This trust, built on operational transparency and responsive support, ultimately became a key factor in the success of our partnership.
Meeting stringent HA requirements via Zenlayer Bare Metal
As the customer needed servers with HA to satisfy both internal enterprise connectivity and external services, we had to fine-tune our existing HA bare metal infrastructure to ensure their network environment would be highly performant for their needs.
To do so, we started with our standardized HA bare metal build, then collaborated closely with the security services provider over a two-month period to further develop a viable proof of concept (POC) that matched their stringent requirements. Through extensive testing and numerous rounds of back-and-forth adjustments, we tailored Zenlayer Bare Metal to match their unique use case, ensuring that their operations maintained the reliability and redundancy essential to their business.
Accelerating deployments in hard-to-reach locations
Our presence in emerging Middle Eastern regions, including the customer’s key new locations in Jeddah, Riyadh, Fujairah, and Dubai, enabled them to expand beyond the reach of their previous provider. We managed the logistics for deployments across these locations, handling hardware procurement, shipping and customs, data center receiving, and testing to meet their requestedspecifications. By providing a one-stop solution across these challenging markets, we eliminated the need for the customer to coordinate across multiple vendors, drastically streamlining their market entry and accelerating expansion. Optimizing connectivity across global operations
Zenlayer’s hyperconnected networking services, including our full BGP peering support, empowered the cybersecurity leader with the tools needed to fine-tune their network performance on demand.
Leveraging our premium IP transit and vertically integrated networking and compute solutions, the company now has greater control over their global network, enabling them to optimize performance and create a highly reliable enterprise network for improved operational efficiency and agility.
Looking ahead
With our support, the cybersecurity leader can quickly and easily expand into new markets while retaining the reliability, security, and scalability their business demands. As the customer continues to grow globally and capture emerging opportunities, we’ll continue working closely with them to ensure lasting compute and network performance, security, and reliability so that they can keep expanding with confidence.
Simplify and accelerate expansions with a one-stop shop
Leveraging our extensive global bare metal infrastructure, premium local networking solutions, and expertise accelerating complex, large-scale deployments, the cybersecurity leader now enjoys secure, high-performance, and rapidly scalable infrastructure that can support their ongoing business goals.
If you’re looking to expand your business’s global footprint, streamline operations, or accelerate apps or services to improve user experience, talk to a Zenlayer solution expert today!
For instant provisioning, check out zenConsole — our self-service platform that lets you deploy around the world in minutes.
