Software Company Transforms M&A Integration with 60% Infrastructure Reduction

How a leading-edge software company streamlined acquisitions across 11 cloud regions while uncovering hidden costs and reducing infrastructure complexity by 60%

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Company Profile

Industry Software Technology
Size2,500-25,000 Employees
Revenue$1B-$10B Annual
Scope11 Cloud Regions, 2 Platforms
CultureLeading Edge/Bleeding Edge
ChallengeGrowth Through Acquisitions

The Challenge

After seven years of scaling on-premises networking approaches across their sprawling cloud estate, this acquisition-focused software company needed to make both their cloud operations and M&A integration process more manageable and secure.

Complex Multi-Platform Challenges:

  • Scaling Inefficiencies: Virtual on-premises approach requiring new Cisco HA pairs in every region
  • Platform Complexity: High availability implementation differing significantly between AWS and Azure
  • Expertise Burden: Difficulty maintaining expertise across all technologies and platforms
  • M&A Integration Pain: Each acquisition was a custom “whiteboard exercise” with inconsistent security
  • Hidden Costs: Inability to see correlated costs across regions, accounts, VPCs, and clouds
  • Manual Processes: No reliable, replicable method for assimilating untrusted acquired infrastructure

The Alkira Solution

Alkira provided a unified platform that replaced “tons of Cisco routers” and cloud firewalls with consistent Cloud Exchange Points (CXPs), while enabling standardized M&A integration processes.

Alkira’s Unified Approach:

  • Infrastructure Consolidation: Replaced numerous routers and firewalls with unified CXPs
  • Consistent Management: Uniform policy enforcement across all clouds and regions
  • Traffic Optimization: Shifted traffic from WAN to more efficient CSP and Alkira backbones
  • Standardized M&A Process: Repeatable method for secure, rapid acquisition integration
  • Flexible Segmentation: Secure integration of separate cloud networks with proper isolation
  • Cost Transparency: Visibility into previously hidden correlated costs across the entire estate

Measurable Results

The transformation delivered significant infrastructure reduction and operational improvements while solving the critical M&A integration challenge.

Business Impact:

  • 60% Reduction: Fewer firewalls needed for cloud operations
  • 5% Reduction: Fewer routers required for cloud connectivity
  • 97% Less Time: Staff time to add new clouds
  • 65% Less Time: Calendar time to add new clouds
  • 92% Less Time: Staff time to add new security services
  • 99% Less Time: Calendar time to add new security services
  • WAN Optimization: Reduced WAN link capacity requirements through traffic shifting

M&A Integration Breakthrough

From Custom to Standardized: Alkira transformed the acquisition integration process from unique “whiteboard exercises” to a simple, consistent method that maintains security while dramatically accelerating timelines.

Faster Value Realization: The streamlined integration process enables the company to “realize the full value of an acquisition much more quickly” – critical for their acquisition-driven growth strategy.

Security Enhancement: Flexible segmentation capabilities ensure acquired infrastructures can be integrated securely while maintaining proper isolation during the integration process.

Customer Quote

“These costs never bubbled to the top, but looking across regions and accounts and VPCs and clouds…the combined correlated costs were way higher than we thought. This is what we were unable to see and would never be able to see without a different kind of solution.”

– Director of Networking

The Hidden Cost Discovery

Cost Visibility Revolution: For the first time, the organization gained visibility into correlated costs across their entire multi-cloud, multi-region estate – costs that were previously impossible to track and significantly higher than expected.

Infrastructure Efficiency: The consolidation of routers and firewalls, combined with traffic optimization, delivered both direct cost savings and operational simplification.

Strategic Advantages for Software Companies

Acquisition Velocity: The standardized integration process supports the aggressive acquisition strategy typical of leading-edge software companies.

Technology Agility: Unified management across platforms enables the company to maintain their bleeding-edge culture without operational complexity barriers.

Scalable Growth: The solution scales efficiently across regions and platforms, supporting continued expansion.

FAQ

Can cloud networking support critical telecom services like 911?

 Alkira provides a standardized, repeatable process for securely integrating acquired company infrastructure, replacing custom “whiteboard exercises” with consistent methodology.

How does Alkira overcome AWS networking limitations?

Correlated costs across regions, accounts, VPCs, and clouds often remain invisible without unified visibility – costs that can be significantly higher than expected.

How much infrastructure can be reduced with Alkira?

This software company reduced firewalls by 60% and routers by 5% while improving performance through traffic optimization.

Ready to Overcome Your Network Limitations?  See how Alkira can help you standardize acquisition integration while reducing cloud infrastructure by 60% and uncovering hidden operational costs. For more information or to speak with a network specialist, contact us.