Multi-cloud continues to be on the agenda – this time, a collaboration between Cisco and Rackspace whereby the former will provide the latter’s customers with security protection for multi-cloud environments.

Rackspace will deploy high volumes of Cisco’s next-generation firewalls and integrate them directly into its services, according to Cisco. The managed cloud provider had previously served as a testing partner for Cisco’s ASA firewall series.

According to the most recent annual Cisco cybersecurity report, more than half of security professionals polled said they hosted networks in the cloud because of better data security, with scalability and ease of use also highly cited. But with these benefits come extra dangers, with workloads moving to the cloud being at risk from creating new threat vectors.

The multi-cloud angle continues to be a compelling one for service providers as customers become more confident and comfortable with complex cloud environments. In recent weeks, storage firm Cloudian as well as infrastructure provider Juniper Networks have cited it as key for their latest product offerings. Writing for this publication in January, Richard Stinton, solutions architect at iland, noted that “as businesses deploy new applications and move critical workloads to save money and boost agility, it’s safe to say that the trend of mixing and matching cloud environments will only accelerate.”

“The cloud is the future of IT for all businesses, but for many companies, the journey to the cloud can be a challenge,” said Brian Kelly, Rackspace chief security officer in a statement. “One of the biggest hurdles and concerns for these companies is security – customers want to know that their data is protected with the most up-to-date and innovative technologies, even as their cloud needs evolve.

“Through our close collaboration with Cisco in threat protection, we are committed to helping secure our clients’ evolving and expanding journey to the cloud,” Kelly added.

You can find out more about the Cisco and Rackspace partnership here (video).

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