Akamai’s New Partner Program Puts Enterprise Security Within Reach for Hosts

Cybersecurity leader Akamai just announced Partner Connect, a new global program that lets resellers, distributors, and service providers sell and integrate Akamai’s enterprise-grade edge networking and security services under a single platform.

This program is an opportunity for hosts to plug into Akamai’s round-the-clock defensive tools, including DDoS protection, bot mitigation, and API security. There are also general and localized reward tiers that are paid out directly for making approved sales in specific high-demand areas.

Paul Joseph, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Services at Akamai, said the program had been shaped by direct partner feedback: “Partners have told us they want simpler engagement, clearer incentives, and more flexibility at the local level … It addresses the needs of different partner types based on what’s best for their business, aligns rewards with strategic solutions, and gives regional teams more control to support partners where and how they operate.”

Partner Connect is available now and will soon be opened to independent software vendors. Interested hosts can learn more here.

Security is the silver bullet for providers today, but if they don’t have a strong, integrated system, it’s usually because building one in-house is too expensive and complicated. That’s why so many turn to third-party tools and platforms instead.

But once you begin throwing in several pricing models and integration costs, outsourcing becomes complicated, too. Then hosts are often left with two choices: Either create a platform that is “good enough” or pour cash into an in-house security system before customers even sign on.

And providers already know security is getting harder to keep up with: AI botnets and automated attacks are relentless, with Cloudflare alone already documenting 20.5 million blocked DDoS attacks in Q1 2025, a 358% year-over-year increase from Q1 2024.

Combined with the sheer volume of attacks and the long-term, multimillion-dollar costs of 24/7 security coverage, it’s no wonder security integration, platforms, and tools are so top of mind.

And it’s the fact that Partner Connect offers the type of access that makes it financially realistic for most providers (especially regional or mid-sized hosts) to finally staff, monitor, and maintain their own 24/7 operations. For example, a host in Southeast Asia won’t be held to the same thresholds as a U.S. startup — or even have the same budget.

But whether it’s a host from Southeast Asia or an American company, all clients expect the same thing — for their data to be protected no matter what. And Akamai acknowledges the reality that the hosting industry has lived with for years: Security is essential, but for most providers, it’s unmanageable.