You best appreciate the achievements you work the hardest to get.

We believe the hard work of teams across Lumen led to our recent positioning as a Leader in the 2021 edition of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Services, Global.  We view it as affirmation that the things we execute every day align closely with our vision of providing a technology platform that allows enterprises everywhere to seize the possibilities of the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

Or to put it another way, as leaders within the Network Services space, we have an obligation to do what we say—which is to enable human progress through technology.

With this purpose as our guide, we achieved positive progress by deliberately focusing on three things that got us where we are today and will drive us going forward:

We’ve been pragmatic

Over the last few years, we have made significant progress in our evolution from a traditional telecommunications company to a technology company that delivers solutions that enterprises need in the digital era.  We have developed solutions that directly reflect the growing popularity of scalable bandwidth, software-defined networks and cloud computing. Two specific examples come to mind:

• We strengthened our Network on Demand capabilities for customers who wish to configure Ethernet, MPLS, internet and cloud connectivity in real time, either through a portal or our APIs.
• We took a pragmatic approach with the introduction of Edge Computing, now designed to help enterprises efficiently move their data from centralized locations, such as the cloud, with a low latency around 5 milliseconds or less.

We’ve delivered the goods

Last year, many people claimed the global pandemic triggered a digital transformation. I suggest instead that the pandemic only accelerated a process previously begun by companies. When those technology demands shifted overnight, we were ready to meet them, because we already had in place the agile, resilient solutions enterprises needed to protect business continuity.

Since then, we have taken many steps to make our vision more valuable and tangible to enterprises. We have a strong global network that interconnects with six major cloud providers in 59 cities and includes 600 Network Function Virtualization nodes. We expanded our managed SD-WAN services to include Versa, VeloCloud, Cisco Viptela and Cisco Meraki.  We restructured our Enterprise Networking SLAs and Master Service Agreements and supercharged our customer experience with our new Customer Success initiative. We secured partnerships with trusted, highly regarded vendors, like SAP, Zoom, and VMware and made the operational adjustments necessary to deliver what we promised. As a result, we received multiple positive reviews through Gartner’s Peer Insights customer-driven, social media rating system.

We can’t wait for the future

Our platform leverages our unique combination of global network, edge cloud, security and collaboration assets. Our clients see for themselves how our platform really does deliver amazing things, including stronger performance and efficiencies, faster innovation, and better integration within their technical ecosystem.

Our customers also recognize that this platform provides the adaptability necessary for achieving business outcomes today and tomorrow. Our vision embraces the idea of continuous innovation, because frankly a world built around data doesn’t stand still. Gartner pointed out that the pandemic highlighted the “true value of agility for enterprise networks as enterprises have had to rapidly change working practices, accelerate digital and cloud transformations, and cope with rapidly changing business circumstances.” Helping companies pivot in the face of transformation may be the best display of leadership that Lumen can offer.

All leaders face their share of challenges before reaching the pinnacle. Having a vision to follow helps them stay on the right path. Lumen embraces this philosophy wholeheartedly. As Gartner puts it in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions: “The hallmark of Leaders is that they focus on, and invest in, their offerings to the point that they lead the market and can affect its overall direction.”

Read the Report

Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Services, Global, Neil Rickard, Bjarne Munch, Danellie Young, Published 2 March 2021

*Rating based on 12 reviews in the past 12 months and current as of March 8, 2021. Gartner Peer Insights reviews constitute the subjective opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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