Cloud 2.0 Arrives By Gerald Baldino Tim Acker, Lumen VP channel sales & channel chief Lumen is laying the groundwork for the next era of cloud computing As we move deeper into the AI era, the limitations of legacy network architectures are becoming increasingly apparent. Originally built to support web and voice traffic, today’s digital infrastructure lacks the bandwidth, redundancy and low-latency performance that modern AI workloads and high-performance computing demand – accelerating the need for a new internet backbone. Lumen refers to this architectural shift as Cloud 2.0, a large-scale transformation that the company believes will drive a $7 trillion infrastructure investment spanning data centers, power, AI chips and network infrastructure in the coming years. For partners, Cloud 2.0 presents a unique opportunity to guide customers from outdated legacy networks to futureready architectures capable of unlocking the full potential of AI. “Lumen is helping lead this transformation with infrastructure designed for tomorrow’s data-driven world,” explained Tim Acker, Lumen vice president channel sales and channel chief. Key benefits include: Turns connectivity into a digital land-and-expand motion: With Lumen NaaS (network as a service) now adopted by more than 1,500 enterprise customers, each fabric port becomes a point of sale for multiple services including internet on-demand (IoD), security, voice, VPN and cloud onramps, driving a price-by-quantity (PxQ) flywheel partners can monetize via attach and upsell. Massively expands partner TAM: Lumen’s launch of IoD offnet increases addressable reach by about 100x in the U.S., letting agents and resellers bring on-demand connectivity and Cloud 2.0 outcomes to locations the organization historically didn’t serve. Designed for co-sell with an expanding ecosystem: Lumen recently highlighted its connected ecosystem motion – including joint work with Palantir, QTS Data Centers and Commvault – so partners can bundle network, data and cloud outcomes without Cloud 1.0 bottlenecks. “Cloud 2.0 requires a completely different network foundation – one that can move massive volumes of traffic with low latency, high resiliency and on-demand scalability,” Acker said. “Our partnerships with Palantir, QTS and Commvault are essential because they extend this Cloud 2.0 fabric into the platforms and data environments our customers rely on most.” A Growing Partner Program Apart from Cloud 2.0, Lumen continues to invest in its partner program with a strong focus on ease of business and enablement. Partners now benefit from generous residual commissions, stackable incentives, agent activation assistance and comprehensive marketing support – including co-branded campaigns, lead generation, event support and MDF funding for select partners. Central to this effort is the Lumen Partner Portal, which the company continues to enhance. Recent updates include integration with Salesforce Lightning, replacing the legacy SF Classic experience and giving partners access to the same advanced functionality as internal teams. Partners now have real-time visibility into the full order lifecycle – from quoting to post-order management – along with tools for digital notes; supplemental changes (Supp); and moves, adds, changes and disconnects (MACD) workflows. Additional features such as Scenario Manager, e-signature capability and API connectivity streamline quoting and contracting, while updated dashboards provide clearer task management and status tracking. These enhancements make the portal a true growth platform, enabling partners to sell confidently and deliver a better customer experience. Looking Ahead to 2026 Lumen enters 2026 with strong momentum. “In 2025 we expanded our highcapacity network, added millions of new fiber miles and brought 400G and NaaS capabilities to more markets,” Acker said. “That translated directly into new opportunities: IoD availability grew to more than 10 million additional business locations, our NaaS platform gained strong enterprise momentum, and we deepened integrations with new companies.” Partners can expect Lumen to move even faster this year, adding new capabilities and more ways to win. “We’re scaling our Cloud 2.0 strategy with more on-demand services, wider geographic reach and deeper automation,” Acker said. “In 2026, we are aiming to open major new opportunities by making high-performance, multi-cloud connectivity simple and cost-efficient to deliver. And we’ll continue enhancing our offerings by adding new partners to our connected ecosystem. It’s shaping up to be another year of strong growth.” o Scan the QR code to visit Lumen’s Cloud 2.0 Resource Hub and access the white paper. EDGE TO CLOUD 42 CHANNELVISION | WINTER 2026
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