Cisco + Alkira: Secure Multi-Cloud Networking Made Simple

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Overview

The Alkira and Cisco joint solution delivers a revolutionary approach to cloud security, enabling organizations to seamlessly extend Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense capabilities through Alkira’s Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform. This partnership combines Alkira’s global cloud networking capabilities with Cisco’s proven security technologies to provide unified, scalable protection across multi-cloud environments.

  • Unified security framework delivering enterprise firewall solutions through Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service with automated next generation firewall provisioning via Alkira Cloud Exchange Points™
  • Intelligent network design enabling consistent network security policy enforcement across environments through Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service architecture with familiar Cisco FMC management
  • Dynamic resource optimization providing cloud firewall management capabilities that automatically scale firewalling capacity with stateful firewall protection
  • Automated provisioning with firewall as a service delivered through Alkira’s global Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform reducing licensing costs by up to 80%
  • Simplified operations combining Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service operational data with Cisco management tools for complete automated firewall deployment visibility

The Challenge

In today’s digital transformation landscape, enterprises face unprecedented challenges in maintaining network agility while defending against sophisticated security threats. Traditional on-premises architectures struggle to support the distributed nature of cloud applications, creating critical security gaps and operational inefficiencies.

Organizations migrating to cloud environments encounter significant hurdles when deploying trusted security services:

  • Complex Multi-Cloud Management: Operating across cloud providers creates inconsistent security postures
  • Extensive Deployment Timelines: Traditional deployments can take months rather than days
  • Specialized Expertise Requirements: Teams must master cloud-specific networking constructs
  • Over-Provisioning Concerns: Limited flexibility leads to excessive spending on unused capacity

Benefits

Unified Security Framework
 Enforce consistent firewall policies across on-premises, cloud, multi-cloud, and internet environments while maintaining familiar Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) for policy administration.

Intelligent Network Design
 Deploy through Alkira Cloud Exchange Points (CXPs) – virtual multi-cloud points of presence that utilize global infrastructure powered by hyperscale cloud providers.

Dynamic Resource Optimization
 Automatically scale firewalling capacity based on real-time demand, eliminate overprovisioning while ensuring performance, and reduce firewall licensing costs by up to 80%.

Transformative Business Impact:

  • 80% reduction in network provisioning time
  • 40% decrease in total cost of ownership
  • Up to 94% fewer firewalls needed through intelligent consolidation
  • 99% faster partner onboarding capabilities

Solution

The Alkira-Cisco solution addresses critical enterprise security scenarios through strategic use cases:

Multi-Cloud Security
 Enforce unified policies across workloads in single and multi-cloud environments with consistent security posture management.

Cloud DMZ
 Secure traffic between remote users and internet-facing applications in any environment with centralized policy enforcement.

Secure Internet Egress
 Apply consistent egress firewall policies for cloud and on-premises environments through intelligent traffic routing.

Branch Security
 Provide cloud-based security enforcement for traffic between distributed locations with simplified management.

Business Partner Connectivity
 Secure cross-segment traffic for partner integration, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures with granular access controls.

Implementation Process:

  • Connect to Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
  • Select licensing model (PAYG or BYOL)
  • Configure auto-scaling parameters
  • Assign security zones for policy enforcement

The platform automatically orchestrates connectivity between firewalls and management systems while continuously monitoring performance to optimize capacity.

Conclusion

The Alkira-Cisco partnership enables organizations to confidently transition their security infrastructure to a cloud-delivered model while maintaining familiar Cisco management tools and security policy constructs. Through Alkira’s automated provisioning and lifecycle management, enterprises can deploy next-generation security services in minutes instead of months, achieving significant cost savings and operational efficiencies across their multi-cloud environments.
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