Verizon Enterprise Solutions , which has long managed Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) routers and premises data gear as part of its managed service offerings, today added Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR)'s SRX Series to that roster, meaning Verizon will now be able to manage the premises data gear for business customers using or requesting the Juniper platform. (See Verizon Business Deploys Juniper's SRX.)

The addition of Juniper to its equipment partner roster comes a few months after Mike Marcellin, formerly VP of global product marketing for Verizon, joined Juniper as VP of marketing.

Danellie Young, director of networking solutions for Verizon Business, says the move provides Verizon global customers with greater choice, adding that Verizon will be extending the relationship with Juniper over time. Initially, Verizon will offer a managed network service based on Juniper's SRX services gateway series, featuring LAN and firewall options, but plans are in place to add encryption, application acceleration, and more, as well as additional Juniper equipment.

"We've offered global managed services in the past, predominantly with Cisco, but we are adding the Juniper family of routers, recognizing that Juniper is a leader in the security area for their devices," Young says. "We hope this sends the message that we are a big partner of Juniper's and we will continue to expand what we offer together."

For the time being, however, Verizon's managed services portfolio with Cisco remains its most extensive offering.

By certifying Juniper's SRX family for its managed services portfolio, Verizon is telling its customers that it can design, procure, install, service, and proactively and securely manage Juniper’s customer-edge routers in 142 countries. Juniper gear has now been integrated into Verizon's IMPACT system, which does the proactive monitoring and maintains service-level agreements for Verizon's managed services customers.

The global procurement part is significant, Young says, because it means customers can order Juniper equipment from any city on Verizon's global network and have it delivered and installed by Verizon.

For Juniper, the entire deal is noteworthy, Marcellin says, because managed services represent a major area of growth for Juniper, and that makes it imperative for the data gear maker to partner with global service providers.

"This is a good alignment between our strengths, particularly in security," Marcellin says. "Verizon has been a growing partner for us."

Young says in some cases Verizon will recommend Juniper gear, and in others, customers may request it or may already be using Juniper. She didn't elaborate on specific advantages that using Juniper might offer enterprises, other than to highlight Juniper's standing in the security space, an area in which Verizon also has invested heavily.

Verizon has been supporting Juniper gear on more of a custom basis, but this agreement and the future plans will make Juniper support more widely available.

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading