There's something special about visiting a partner's office for the first time. It's one thing to collaborate remotely, exchanging ideas over video calls and emails. But stepping into their space, seeing where the magic happens, adds a whole new dimension to the relationship. My recent trip to Cloudflare's Lisbon office was exactly that kind of experience.
From the moment I arrived, I was struck by the energy of the place. The office boasts breathtaking views of the river and the iconic bridge—a fitting backdrop for a company that's building the infrastructure of the internet. But a really cool detail that caught my attention was the "wall of entropy." These are 50 wave machines in constant, mesmerising motion. This isn't just art; it's science in action! These wave machines generate entropy that contributes to securing the Internet through Cloudflare's LavaRand system. It's these thoughtful touches that reflect the company's culture of innovation and individuality.
But what really made the visit memorable was the people. Everyone I met was warm, friendly, and genuinely vibrant. You could feel the passion for what they do in every conversation. It reminded me why we chose to partner with Cloudflare in the first place.
Before we became an Authorized Services Delivery Partner (ASDP), we were already working closely with Cloudflare. I had spotted something in the market, an opportunity where Cloudflare's technology truly shone. The product was exceptional, and when we compared it to everything else out there, nothing came close. We didn't just want to use Cloudflare; we wanted to be part of their journey.
Our mission aligned perfectly with Cloudflare's: to help protect everyone and improve the internet. We wanted to push boundaries and deliver the best quality, security, and performance for our clients. That's what drove us to pursue the ASDP partnership.
The selection process was thorough, and rightly so! We had to demonstrate not just our passion for delivering quality but also our technical competence. From an architectural perspective, I understood what Cloudflare was building, and I wanted to be part of it. Our team rose to the challenge, with many earning Cloudflare certifications to prove we had the expertise to deliver at the highest level.
Becoming Cloudflare's first ASDP was a proud moment for us, and it opened the door to incredible support and collaboration. But we didn't arrive at that milestone by chance. In the early days of our Cloudflare journey, we were already proving ourselves on mission-critical projects.
We’ve worked with several customers that were protecting websites of national importance and criticality both in the public and private sectors. These organisations required performance and security at the heart of their service. These weren't just implementations, they were complex, high-stakes projects that demanded precision, innovation, and unwavering reliability. Achieving ASDP status opened the door to even deeper collaboration and support, cementing our position as trusted experts in delivering transformative Cloudflare solutions.
Speaking of collaboration, I have to give a massive shout-out to some key people who have made this journey so rewarding.
João Vieira, our Principal Partner Service Delivery Manager, has been absolutely fantastic. His support has been invaluable, and his passion for Cloudflare services is infectious. He makes working with Cloudflare not just easy but genuinely enjoyable. His knowledge and dedication shine through in everything he does, and I'm truly grateful for all the effort he's put in. Meeting him in person in Lisbon was a highlight of the trip.
Juan Molina, EMEA Partner Solutions Engineer, has been brilliant at providing support to our technical teams, keeping the up to date with everything Cloudflare and inspiring them from a technical perspective. His technical prowess is evident whenever he joins our calls, and his support has kept our teams engaged and inspired.
Matt Huggins, Principle Partner Account Manager UK&I, has also been a constant source of help and encouragement. Working with him has been a pleasure, and his support has been instrumental in our success.
These relationships are what good partnership looks like. They're what make the work we do together so fulfilling.
While in Lisbon, I sat down with João to dig deeper into the ASDP program and what makes our partnership tick. Here's what he had to say:
“ASDP stands for Authorized Services Delivery Partner Program. It is an exclusive network of Cloudflare partners, like CDS, who are rigorously validated for their technical proficiency in implementing and supporting Cloudflare services, particularly those in the Cloudflare One platform (which encompasses Zero Trust security and SASE architecture).
“Cloudflare launched ASDP to strategically support large-scale digital transformation projects. As customers increasingly adopt complex architectures like SASE and Zero Trust, and embrace sophisticated Application Services for Automation and Edge Development, there was a critical need for proven expertise. The program addresses this by creating an elite group of partners, ensuring customers have trusted advisors to help them migrate off legacy systems and confidently implement solutions to the highest professional standards.”
"The value is multifaceted. For Cloudflare, it ensures high standards, guaranteeing that our solutions are implemented to the highest standards, maintaining brand integrity and customer satisfaction. It also accelerates adoption by leveraging a global network of specialised experts to deploy our latest technologies.
“For customers, it provides confidence and reduces risk. They connect with a trusted, exclusive network of proven experts who have undergone rigorous technical and service validation. This significantly reduces the risk associated with major digital transformation decisions like migrating to a Zero Trust architecture or performance tuning. It also maximizes their investment, ensuring they get the best value from their Cloudflare license through strategic guidance, optimized implementation, and ongoing management.
“For partners, ASDP status provides differentiated expertise and exclusive access. It's not just about access. It's an exclusive path to an elite level of expertise, validated by Cloudflare's rigorous standards. This includes exclusive resources, access to dedicated Cloudflare Service Delivery Managers, partner incentive funds, and advanced technical enablement. This validation instantly sets partners apart, establishing them as top-tier with a demonstrably superior skill set, enhancing reputation and increasing market presence to win the most complex and strategic customer engagements."
"CDS achieved this status by demonstrating several key strengths. As early adopters with a range of experience, the CDS team possesses deep, proven expertise and a successful track record in delivering complex Cloudflare solutions across the public and private sectors. The rigorous validation process confirmed their mastery of the entire platform, particularly their ability to deploy using modern practices like Automation and CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery), establishing them as a reliable authority for digital transformation and security challenges.
“Their commitment to Cloudflare meant they could be proactive and flexible and represent both Cloudflare's and customers' best interests. CDS has a long-standing and dedicated commitment to the Cloudflare platform. This commitment allows them to be proactive in adopting and advocating for new technologies, flexible in designing bespoke solutions, and strategically aligned to ensure that both Cloudflare's product vision and the customer's specific business needs are met simultaneously."
"Good partnership is a mutually beneficial, strategic alliance built on trust, shared vision, and deep commitment. It involves:
"Shared value—both parties are actively invested in the customer's success and achieving mutual business growth (e.g., by ensuring the customer extracts the full value of the technology).
"Deep alignment—proactive communication, joint planning, and a deep understanding of each other's goals, roadmaps, and capabilities.
"Technical excellence—the partner maintains and continuously improves the highest level of technical expertise and delivery standards, as validated by the ASDP status.
"Transparency and flexibility—openly sharing feedback, being flexible in service delivery models (e.g., professional, advisory, and managed services), and providing honest counsel to the customer."
"Cloudflare highly values partners like CDS for several reasons:
"Technical acumen and rigor—CDS's success in passing the rigorous ASDP validation demonstrates a deep and valued technical skill set. Furthermore, CDS has added an essential layer of automation and robust methodology that customers appreciate, which significantly decreases implementation timings for complex projects.
"Market leadership—achieving the status of the first ASDP in EMEA signifies CDS as a strategic, high-performing partner in a key region.
"Customer-centric approach—Cloudflare appreciates partners who apply robust methodologies and expertise to ensure an exceptional customer experience and maximum return on investment for their clients."
I'm incredibly excited about what lies ahead. We've had an amazing journey with Cloudflare so far, and I'm looking forward to working even more closely with their teams to deliver quality and excellence for our clients.
The support we've received, from João, Juan, Matt, and the entire Cloudflare team, has been phenomenal. I appreciate everything we've accomplished together, and I'm enthusiastically looking forward to the future of our partnership.
After all, we're not just in this to sell products or services. We're in this to help save the internet, and that's a mission worth being passionate about!