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Lumen

Available through IT Raven

  • Network and Voice
  • Unified Communications
  • Contact Center and CX
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud and Infrastructure
  • Backup and Continuity

Lumen is a large network carrier that sells internet, private networking, security, voice and edge computing on its own fiber. Its product overview counts about 450,000 route miles of fiber worldwide and connections into more than 2,200 data centers.

It groups what it sells into four areas: networking, edge cloud, security and collaboration. The network is the constant underneath. Lumen's pitch for the newer services is proximity: security applied inside its network, and computing placed close to your sites.

Best for

  • Businesses running applications that need internet bandwidth reserved for them alone.
  • Companies linking data centers or campuses for continuity, where traffic must be private and, in some cases, encrypted on the wire.
  • Multi-site retailers, branches and campuses that want central control of SD-WAN across broadband, private lines and LTE.
  • Organizations that generate large amounts of data at their sites and want computing placed nearby.
  • Companies replacing phone systems at the end of their life, or opening sites with mobile and remote staff.
  • Buyers who want network-based security that also protects connections they buy from other carriers.
  • Small and mid-sized businesses that want fiber internet they can adjust through a portal.

What they offer

Business Connectivity. Dedicated internet access up to 100 gigabits per second, in more than 35 countries. Ethernet services between sites. Fiber+ Internet, a self-service product for smaller businesses. Wavelength service with encryption built into the equipment.

SD-WAN and SASE. SASE built with Fortinet and VMware, offered as Self-Managed, where your team handles daily changes, or Pro-Managed, where Lumen does. A separate SD-WAN offer uses Cisco Meraki.

Managed Security. Adaptive Network Security applies firewall, intrusion prevention, content filtering and anti-malware inside Lumen's network. DDoS mitigation comes in two forms, the full service and a second product called DDoS Hyper.

Cloud and IaaS. Edge computing, including bare metal, virtual machines and private cloud at more than 60 edge locations, and Cloud Connect, a private link to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and other platforms.

Cloud Phone Systems. Hosted calling on Cisco's platform and Zoom Phone delivered by Lumen, with phone service in more than 40 countries.

The catalog also lists Lumen under Backup and Disaster Recovery, Contact Center and Desktop as a Service; those are shelved from the catalog rather than written up here.

Coverage

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China
  • England
  • Germany
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Philippines
  • Puerto Rico
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • US (Nationwide)
  • US Virgin Islands

Coverage is a starting point. We check every address before we quote it.

Proof

  • Ethernet services carry a stated 99.999 percent availability commitment and MEF Carrier Ethernet 3.0 certification.
  • Fiber+ Internet carries a 99.95 percent network availability commitment.
  • The DDoS service cites 170 terabits per second of mitigation capacity and nine security operations centers, and targets mitigation within one second for most attacks once traffic reaches a scrubbing center.
  • The edge platform is engineered for response times under 5 milliseconds.

A mobile data management company. During the pandemic it needed far more capacity, quickly, for a school district client in several locations, some with rules on where data could sit. It used Lumen's edge computing to get it.

A health-benefits provider whose advisors work from home across the country. It moved off a dual-carrier MPLS network to Lumen Dedicated Internet Access and Lumen-managed SD-WAN. About three-quarters of its traffic is real-time voice, video and appointment scheduling, which the SD-WAN policies route for call quality, while the provider watches performance through a self-service portal and Lumen runs the network end to end.

These figures and accounts are Lumen's own.

Good to know

  • The documents date from 2020 to 2022. Lumen's product names and packages have very likely changed. Ask for the current portfolio.
  • The SASE and SD-WAN technology comes from Fortinet, VMware and Cisco Meraki, and site equipment comes from many makers. Lumen designs, installs and manages it.
  • Its encrypted wavelength sheet marks two security certifications as forthcoming. Ask whether they were obtained.
  • Its on-demand connection feature requires a separate master agreement with a minimum term.
  • The network map on file is from July 2020.

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How buying works

The store is the easy part. Staying on the account is the job.

Anyone can show you logos. The reason to buy here is what happens on install night, and on the ticket you open nine months later.

  1. 01

    Build your quote list

    Add services and companies as you shop. No form stands between you and the shelf.

  2. 02

    We bring back real options

    A person shops the bench against your addresses, then walks you through what fits and what does not.

  3. 03

    We handle the order and install

    Paperwork, site survey, install dates, cutover night. You get one thread, not five vendors.

  4. 04

    We stay on your account

    Same team for moves, adds, tickets and the next renewal. That is the part everyone else drops.