Cloudflare partners Rakuten Mobile to deliver Managed Security Services across Japan

Rakuten Mobile becomes Japan's first MSSP partner with Cloudflare to empower corporate clients with Zero Trust security solutions.

Cloudflare builds on its presence in Japan by announcing a strategic partnership with Rakuten Mobile Inc. to deliver Zero Trust as a managed service to its corporate clients. The new Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) partnership will see Rakuten Mobile and Cloudflare support Japanese corporate clients’ security measures and accelerate safe, seamless digital transformations.

As Japan’s newest and most modern mobile network, Rakuten Mobile will offer Cloudflare’s Zero Trust and Network Services as a managed service, protecting corporate devices and data in remote work and cloud environments, providing them with a one-stop solution from implementation to operation.

According to Tom Evans, Chief Partner Officer at Cloudflare, the connectivity cloud company is the only vendor offering a broad range of network security and SASE services through a unified platform built on its own infrastructure, delivering the most comprehensive set of managed solutions.

“Service providers like Rakuten Mobile are fundamental to extending critical security protections and we are thrilled to be partnering to protect businesses in Japan,” said Evans.

Evans also pointed out that as demand for managed security services grows, Cloudflare's connectivity cloud platform is set to enable partners to deliver cost-effective, scalable cybersecurity.

“By combining Cloudflare’s global infrastructure and operational efficiencies with Rakuten Mobile’s regional expertise, we’re empowering businesses in Japan to strengthen their security posture while controlling costs,” added Evans.

Meanwhile, Rakuten Mobile is thrilled to partner with Cloudflare to offer enhanced security services to its corporate clients in Japan.

Kazuhiro Suzuki, Co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile said, “By combining Cloudflare's solutions with our comprehensive network services and support, we will empower our clients' digital transformation with a one-stop solution for network and security. Through this initiative, we aim to deliver a secure and reliable infrastructure environment for our corporate clients.”

Japan’s need for Zero Trust solutions

Businesses in Japan continue to face an increasingly challenging threat landscape. With hybrid work being practiced by most companies in Japan, its complexities make Zero Trust even more important for organizations.

Cloudflare’s security measures prevented an average of 385 million cyber threats in Japan every single day in the first quarter of 2025. The top targeted industry in the quarter includes retail, gaming and gambling, IT services and telecommunications.

Given this scenario, Cloudflare and Rakuten Mobile have identified a need among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to make Zero Trust network security more accessible — seeing first-hand how IT managers and decision-makers in mid-sized companies have been underserved by traditional enterprise cybersecurity offerings. While these businesses are just as vulnerable to cyber threats as their larger peers, they often lack access to the appropriate level of cybersecurity resources.

Based on the principle of “never trust, always verify”, Zero Trust is a security framework that requires continuous authentication for all access and promoting a secure network environment. Cloudflare's Zero Trust supports security measures for a wide range of organizations, from corporations and enterprises to governments, protecting them from cyber threats.

For businesses, implementing thorough access authentication and strengthening data protection, both inside and outside the network, helps prevent unauthorized access and secure internal and external communications. This cybersecurity model enables flexible work styles like remote work, while regular network and system monitoring and log management eases the burden of security operations.

With the partnership with Rakuten Mobile, companies across Japan can add Cloudflare cybersecurity to their existing services, without needing in-house security expertise. The partnership also enables Rakuten to be an authorized MSSP to manage the provision of, access to, and use of Cloudflare Zero Trust and Network Security services in a fully managed environment.

Rakuten Mobile enables corporate clients to easily set up their network environment and security measures in a one-stop shop, providing the service in a package with Rakuten Mobile's ultra-high-speed Internet service, KOSOKU Access, including expert setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance support. The companies’ cloud-native networks operate within a single platform, to deliver highly efficient managed security services.

Corporate clients can now add Cloudflare Zero Trust and Network Security to their existing services with Rakuten Mobile.