Cloudflare’s recent acquisition of Nefeli Networks, a multicloud networking vendor, is set to address the challenges many enterprises face in managing both network and security aspects within their cloud environments. The shift of applications to the cloud has revealed a lag in networking functions, prompting Cloudflare to seek solutions to bridge this gap.

Enterprises migrating to the cloud often encounter administrative challenges and a lack of support for advanced functionality from public cloud providers like Microsoft, Google Cloud, and AWS. The absence of standardized object models across different clouds further complicates matters.

IT teams managing services and applications across multiple clouds face increased workload in creating, maintaining, and executing infrastructure changes. Specialization in the network stacks of various clouds becomes a necessity, adding to the complexity.

To overcome these hurdles, some enterprises resort to hiring systems integrators, but this leads to a substantial workload in maintenance post-initial cloud migration. The shortcomings in native networking services from public cloud providers also hinder the migration of legacy deployments.

As a response, enterprises have turned to virtual versions of networking hardware to mirror familiar environments from legacy data centers. However, this approach creates technical debt and requires increased management by systems integrators, giving rise to the multicloud networking market.

Nefeli Networks stands out in this scenario with its innovative approach to multicloud networking. By leveraging the APIs provided by public cloud providers, Nefeli builds a unified abstraction layer across native cloud constructs. This approach eliminates the need to deploy or manage separate virtualized network functions, making Nefeli an attractive acquisition target for Cloudflare.

Cloudflare, known for managing functions that can be shifted away from customer networks, sees Nefeli’s technology as an ideal fit for integration into its platform. The acquisition of Nefeli Networks enhances Cloudflare’s network services portfolio, providing customers with greater control and visibility in their cloud environments. This strategic move positions Cloudflare to assist businesses in discovering, connecting, and protecting both private and public cloud environments effectively.