Frequently Asked Questions
Product Information & Solution Overview
What is Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution?
Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution enables organizations to quickly establish secure, segmented connectivity to business partners through a simple portal interface. It streamlines partner onboarding, supports mergers and acquisitions, and provides private, policy-driven connectivity with advanced traffic visibility and security controls. Learn more.
How does Alkira streamline business partner onboarding?
Alkira enables partner onboarding in 91% less time compared to traditional methods by providing secure segmentation and a user-friendly portal. This ensures partners only access what they need, reducing complexity and risk. For example, financial services organizations can connect customers and partners rapidly and securely.
What are the main use cases for Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity?
Main use cases include rapid partner onboarding, secure and isolated access during mergers and acquisitions, and enabling private connectivity over Alkira’s private exchange. These use cases are supported by advanced policy frameworks and traffic visibility tools.
How does Alkira address overlapping IP addresses between business partners?
Alkira uses advanced NAT (Network Address Translation) policies to resolve IP conflicts across business partners, allowing seamless and secure connectivity even when partners use overlapping IP address spaces.
What advanced policy controls are available for partner access?
Alkira provides an advanced policy framework that allows organizations to define and enforce granular access controls, restricting partner access to specific applications and resources as needed.
How does Alkira provide traffic visibility for partner connections?
Alkira offers comprehensive traffic inspection and monitoring capabilities, enabling organizations to ensure secure operations and maintain visibility into all partner-related network flows.
Features & Capabilities
What are the key features of Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution?
Key features include automated partner connectivity via a single interface, advanced NAT for overlapping IPs, granular policy enforcement, traffic visibility, and integrated security with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and next-generation firewalls. The solution is designed for operational efficiency, scalability, and ease of use.
Does Alkira support integrations with other technology platforms?
Yes, Alkira integrates with leading technology providers such as Cisco SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, F5, Splunk, ServiceNow, Infoblox, Aruba SD-WAN, Terraform, and Itential Automation Platform. These integrations enhance connectivity, security, automation, and observability. See all technology partners.
Does Alkira offer APIs for integration and automation?
Yes, Alkira provides APIs, including billing APIs that deliver real-time cloud network cost data for integration with cost management tools and dashboards. These APIs support automated monitoring and optimization of cloud costs. Learn more.
What technical documentation is available for Alkira's solutions?
Alkira offers whitepapers, solution briefs, and a detailed wiki to help prospects and customers understand its solutions. Resources include the "On Demand Next-Generation Cloud Firewalls" whitepaper and a comprehensive wiki. Solution briefs | Wiki
Security & Compliance
How does Alkira ensure security and compliance for business partner connectivity?
Alkira is SOC 2 and PCI-DSS compliant, demonstrating a commitment to securing customer data and maintaining robust operational controls. Integrated security features include Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and next-generation firewalls. Customers are encouraged to manage user access and follow security best practices. More on compliance.
What security features are built into Alkira's platform?
Alkira incorporates advanced security measures such as ZTNA, next-generation firewalls, and policy-based access controls to ensure secure connectivity for distributed workforces and applications.
Performance & Business Impact
What business impact can I expect from using Alkira for business partner connectivity?
Alkira delivers measurable business impact, including a 91% reduction in partner onboarding time, up to 40% lower total cost of ownership (TCO), a 96% reduction in cloud setup time, and a 47% reduction in network management time. These efficiencies enable faster deployment, cost savings, and improved operational agility. Learn more.
How does Alkira help with scalability and operational efficiency?
Alkira's platform automatically adjusts network infrastructure to match bandwidth demand, enabling rapid scalability and high-performance networking. The drag-and-drop interface and single-pane-of-glass management further streamline operations.
Use Cases & Customer Success
Who can benefit from Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution?
Mid-to-large enterprises across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, biotechnology, software technology, retail, telecommunications, media & entertainment, and aviation can benefit. Roles include network architects, cloud architects, IT managers, CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs.
Can you share a customer success story related to business partner connectivity?
Yes. Michaels, a leading retailer, deployed Alkira to connect 1,400 stores across the U.S. and Canada in just three weeks, ensuring secure and seamless connectivity during peak season. Wei Dong, VP & Chief Information Security Officer at Michaels, stated: "We would not hesitate to recommend Alkira." Read the case study.
What are some other industries represented in Alkira's case studies?
Industries include manufacturing (Chart Industries), retail (Michaels), healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, biotechnology/life sciences, software technology, media & entertainment (Warner Hotels), and aviation (SITA). See more customer stories.
Pain Points & Problem Solving
What common pain points does Alkira solve for business partner connectivity?
Alkira addresses challenges such as slow and complex partner onboarding, security vulnerabilities in traditional VPNs, IP address conflicts, lack of visibility and governance, and the need for scalable, high-performance networking. The platform's automation, advanced NAT, integrated security, and single-pane-of-glass management directly solve these issues.
How does Alkira differentiate itself in solving these pain points?
Alkira provides a true abstraction layer leveraging cloud providers' infrastructure, integrated security, automated routing, and vendor-agnostic architecture. This enables rapid, secure, and scalable partner connectivity without manual configurations or vendor lock-in.
Pricing & Plans
What is Alkira's pricing model for business partner connectivity?
Alkira offers flexible pricing, including consumption-based (pay-as-you-go) and commitment-based models. Pricing is determined by the quantity and size of network elements, connectors, firewalls, and data egress. Customers can view live pricing details from the portal or via APIs. See Alkira's pricing.
Competition & Comparison
How does Alkira compare to competitors like Aviatrix, Prosimo, Nefeli, and Cato?
Alkira differentiates itself by offering a true abstraction layer, single-click provisioning, integrated security, and a unified platform for both cloud and traditional network use cases. Unlike Aviatrix (which focuses on orchestration overlays), Prosimo (application-centric networking), Nefeli (agent-based solutions), and Cato (SD-WAN focus), Alkira provides end-to-end, vendor-agnostic, and scalable solutions for multi-cloud and hybrid environments. Learn more about Alkira's advantages.
Implementation, Support & Training
How long does it take to implement Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution?
Customers can implement a proof of concept in as little as 4 hours, with full production deployment typically taking about 8 weeks. The drag-and-drop interface and dedicated training resources make onboarding fast and straightforward. Alkira Training Platform
What support and training does Alkira provide?
Alkira offers a dedicated training platform, 24×7 monitoring, proactive notifications, a diagnostics dashboard for troubleshooting, and dedicated support via email or support tickets. These resources ensure smooth adoption and ongoing operations. Contact support
How does Alkira handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?
Alkira provides proactive notifications for maintenance, a live diagnostics dashboard for troubleshooting, continuous 24×7 monitoring, and dedicated support to minimize downtime and operational disruptions.
Company & Vision
What is Alkira's vision and mission?
Alkira's vision is to transform enterprise connectivity by simplifying cloud networking for the AI era. Its mission is to eliminate the complexity of traditional hardware-dependent networking by providing a cloud-native solution that seamlessly connects hybrid and multi-cloud environments through a unified control plane. More about Alkira
Who are Alkira's founders and what is the company's background?
Alkira was founded by the creators of Viptela (acquired by Cisco in 2017). The company is recognized for innovation in cloud networking, has been named a Gartner Cool Vendor, and has received awards such as the 2024 Excellence Award from Cloud Computing Magazine and inclusion in Forbes' Best Startup Employers list. Company background
Getting Started & Next Steps
How can I get started with Alkira's Business Partner Connectivity solution?
You can request a demo, access the training platform, or contact Alkira for a personalized conversation. The platform is designed for rapid onboarding and ease of use, with resources available for both technical and business users. Request a demo
What options are available for continuing the conversation about Alkira's solutions?
Visitors can choose to continue the conversation over email for personalized engagement, or schedule a demo to explore Alkira's solutions in depth.