Exclusive Networks Africa has signed a new partnership agreement with the local operation of US-based cloud-first networking and security services provider Infoblox to boost its cloud ambitions.

In March this year ITWeb Africa reported that following on from an initial acquisition announcement in December 2021, South Africa-based cybersecurity specialist distributor Networks Unlimited officially began operating as Exclusive Networks Africa.

The newly established outfit represents the continental arm of this global trusted cybersecurity specialist for digital infrastructure. The move, as part of Exclusive Networks’ newly expanded Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, is aligned with its strategy to drive value for local and global partners.

Tom Hollanders, Infoblox Distribution Channel Account Manager: EMEA, said: “Exclusive Networks has been a long-standing and trusted distributor of Infoblox in Europe and the Middle East for nearly two decades. Our discussions with Exclusive Networks Africa started late last year, and they were driven by the potential opportunity of scope and scale, both globally and locally in this emerging and growing market.”

Ruan du Preez, Vendor Alliance Director: SA & SADC at Exclusive Networks Africa, added: “Infoblox has a proven track record and market leadership, and with its cloud-first networking and security services, is a perfect addition to our already impressive stack of world-leading vendors offered across the African continent.

The hybrid workplace is a focal point for the alliance.

Housna Hamadet, Infoblox Regional Manager, Africa, said, “The hybrid workplace is here to stay, and this environment inherently brings several challenges. Employees access the network from any device or location, including homes and remote sites. By providing omnipresent visibility into network users and assets across on-prem, remote and cloud infrastructures, Infoblox enables companies to uphold compliance among people, systems, and data.

“Maintaining business continuity in a distributed organisation by ensuring network up-time is critical, but can prove challenging. Businesses need to seamlessly transition from on-prem infrastructure to the cloud for vital network services, and Infoblox provides the solutions to enable a smooth process. IoT devices introduce additional risk with data breaches from malware and other threats coming with a high price tag, so Infoblox embeds security everywhere, enabling people to work safely from anywhere.”

What Infoblox brings to the table

Explains Hamadet: “Our core markets comprise DDI (DNS, DHCP and IPAM), to deliver business-critical network services; security, to protect the business in the new threat landscape; and Edge, to deploy secure edge services at scale. Whether a business needs DDI for its data centre, cloud-native network, or a hybrid combination, we deliver proven, advanced solutions for any enterprise.

Hamadet adds that siloed tools and manual processes slow down NetOps and DevOps and prevent already overburdened SecOps teams from acting faster to shut down threats. “By uniquely combining advanced automation and extensive API integration in its solutions, Infoblox makes disparate systems work in unison so businesses can move at cloud speed.

“To keep pace with an organisation’s workplace transformation and changing business needs constantly in flux, its network must be agile and scalable. Having the right-sized capacity to meet fast-evolving needs is vital. Hybrid on-prem and cloud-based networking and security solutions from Infoblox ensure ever-changing businesses always have the right-sized capacity,” she concludes.

Infoblox was founded in 1999 by Stuart Bailey in Chicago, Illinois, and is based at its global headquarters in Santa Clara, California, USA, with 28 offices worldwide.