ISLAMABAD: Garaj, Pakistan’s fastest-growing local cloud service provider, has partnered with Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd (MMBL), VEON’s financial services arm, to transform the Bank’s branch networking infrastructure through the integration of cutting-edge Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SDWAN).
This initiative is set to tap into one of the fastest-growing segments in the global network infrastructure market, projected to reach USD 6 billion by 2025.
The collaboration will allow IT infrastructure and networking teams at MMBL to enhance user experiences, reinforce security measures, and streamline operations.
The solution brings various benefits, including self-healing WAN capabilities, advanced routing, a seamlessly integrated Next-Generation Firewall, and centralised orchestration, facilitating large-scale digital transformation from edge to cloud.
Commenting on the partnership, Asif Aziz, Chief Business Officer Jazz, said, “We’re excited about this strategic partnership which will enable MMBL to revolutionize its network infrastructure by integrating Garaj’s cutting-edge SD-WAN solution.
Through its robust cloud platform, Garaj is helping businesses like MMBL to achieve enhanced efficiency, security, and customer experience. Being the fastest-growing indigenous cloud solution, Garaj is poised to transform the local banking sector by helping banks migrate core data to the local cloud and enjoy enhanced information security data sovereignty.”
While commenting on the partnership with Garaj, Faisal Mahmood, Chief Information Officer, MMBL, said, “This collaboration marks a significant milestone for us at MMBL as we contemporize our network infrastructure. By leveraging Garaj’s SDWAN solution, we aim to enhance operational efficiency, fortify security measures, and deliver a seamless, digitally enabled experience for our valued customers.
The Bank’s partnership with Garaj underscores our commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation, ensuring that our customers benefit from the latest advancements in network infrastructure and top-notch digital banking solutions.”
Khurram Riaz, Head of Marketing & Products, Jazz, while speaking about this partnership, said, “MMBL, through its partnership with Garaj, is set to elevate its application-level performance to new heights, connectivity parameters, and hardware health, enabling the Bank to implement WAN link load balancing and failover mechanisms, ensuring zero service downtime.”
This strategic endeavour will allow the MMBL to seamlessly adopt the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework, providing secure access to cloud-native applications hosted on the Garaj Cloud Platform, enhancing security, and reducing costs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023