Microsoft has broadened its existing partnership with infrastructure provider Lumen Technologies, looking to help enterprises overcome what it calls a critical challenge in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption – connecting the data, applications and infrastructure that power AI workloads.
The two companies say they are working to assist businesses as they face expanding AI initiatives that have seen them increasingly needing to use data and applications distributed across public clouds, private datacentres, offices and partner environments. Yet, said Microsoft, the networks connecting these environments often remain fragmented and complex.
The expansion of the relationship will see Lumen’s capabilities help customers align network transformation with Microsoft Azure modernisation plans earlier, so connectivity, security, data movement and AI infrastructure decisions are planned as part of one enterprise architecture.
Recently, Lumen noted that as AI and increasingly dynamic workloads put new demands on networks, many enterprises were being forced into rethinking whether traditional connectivity models can keep pace, representing a broader shift towards connectivity that is more elastic and aligned with how modern businesses consume technology.
In September 2026, in what it said was a reaction to the pressure being applied on enterprise networks through AI and rapidly increasing data movement, Lumen launched the Intelligent Internet platform, designed to give customers a digital internet experience that lets them buy connectivity quickly and scale bandwidth up or down as AI, cloud and business needs change.
In October 20206, looking to take network resilience beyond traditional backup plans by use of AI and delivering built-in diversity, Lumen enhanced its AI-based tools so they could improve network resilience and improve customer experiences.
The partnership will see Lumen’s network and on-demand control capabilities provide Azure customers with the simplified connectivity and resilient, high-performance network foundation needed to put AI to work. As part of the expanded collaboration, Lumen intends to bring its full suite of cloud networking and application connectivity capabilities to Azure, expanding how customers can access and deploy Lumen capabilities through Microsoft’s cloud and AI ecosystem.
In addition, Microsoft and Lumen intend to extend joint account planning engagement around enterprise opportunities where network modernisation, Azure cloud platform migration and AI transformation increasingly converge. The companies also plan to identify opportunities to bring additional Lumen capabilities to Azure and Microsoft Marketplace over time.
Specifically, the collaboration will support several enterprise priorities: connecting distributed data for AI to link enterprise sites, datacentres, and clouds to support Azure-based AI initiatives; simplifying hybrid and multi-cloud networking to apply consistent policies and visibility across distributed environments; and adapting as needs change to connect new clouds, partners and applications without treating each as a separate networking project.
“AI is reshaping where applications run and how organisations use and move data,” said Katy Brown, corporate vice-president of Americas markets and industries at Microsoft.
“Microsoft is committed to giving customers choice as they connect existing environments to Azure. Our work with Lumen is focused on helping customers align their broader network transformation with their Azure cloud and AI priorities, while taking advantage of Azure’s native networking, security, scale and innovation.”
Ryan Asdourian, chief strategy and marketing officer at Lumen, said: “Enterprises are moving quickly to adopt AI, but many are still figuring out how to connect the data, applications and infrastructure behind it. Together with Microsoft, we’re bringing cloud, network and AI planning together earlier and putting AI to work more effectively.”
