What is Alkira Cloud Backbone-as-a-Service (CBaaS)?
Alkira Cloud Backbone-as-a-Service (CBaaS) is an on-demand, global, high-speed, low-latency backbone that enables enterprises to connect any site, data center, or cloud environment within minutes. CBaaS eliminates the need for hardware or manual infrastructure, providing elastic, secure, and scalable connectivity as a service. It features advanced routing controls, end-to-end segmentation, built-in path redundancy, and integrated firewall security. For more details, see the CBaaS blog.
What products and services does Alkira offer?
Alkira provides Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service (NIaaS), Cloud Backbone-as-a-Service (CBaaS), integrated security (including Zero Trust Network Access and next-generation firewalls), a drag-and-drop interface for network design, single-pane-of-glass visibility, and flexible pricing models. These solutions are designed to simplify enterprise networking across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Learn more at the Alkira Platform Page.
How does Alkira CBaaS work?
CBaaS allows organizations to provision high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity between sites, data centers, and clouds via a self-service portal. There is no hardware to manage or software to download. The service includes advanced routing, segmentation, path redundancy, and integrated security, and can scale to tens of thousands of routes per customer. It provides unified policy control and end-to-end visibility. For more, see the CBaaS blog.
What is the primary purpose of Alkira's product?
Alkira's primary purpose is to simplify cloud networking for enterprises by providing Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service (NIaaS). This eliminates the need for traditional hardware-dependent networking and enables seamless, secure connectivity across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. For more, visit Alkira's Company Page.
Features & Capabilities
What are the key features of Alkira's Cloud Backbone-as-a-Service?
Key features include:
Global, high-speed, low-latency connectivity provisioned in minutes
Elastic, scalable, and secure backbone with no hardware required
Advanced routing controls and end-to-end segmentation
Built-in path redundancy and integrated firewall security
Unified policy control and end-to-end visibility
Ability to stitch together SD-WAN islands from different vendors into a single fabric
Alkira integrates with leading technology providers and platforms, including Cisco SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet NGFW, F5, Splunk, ServiceNow, Infoblox, Aruba SD-WAN, Terraform, and Itential Automation Platform. These integrations enable secure, scalable, and automated multi-cloud networking. For a full list, visit Alkira's Technology Partners Page.
Does Alkira offer APIs?
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 at this page.
What technical documentation is available for Alkira's solutions?
Alkira offers whitepapers (such as the On Demand Next-Generation Cloud Firewalls whitepaper), solution briefs, and a dedicated wiki with detailed technical information. Access these resources at the solution briefs page and wiki page.
What security and compliance certifications does Alkira have?
Alkira is SOC 2 and PCI-DSS compliant, demonstrating its commitment to securing customer data and maintaining robust operational controls. The platform also integrates advanced security features such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and next-generation firewalls. For more, visit Alkira's Compliance Page.
Pricing & Plans
What is Alkira's pricing model?
Alkira offers both consumption-based (pay-as-you-go) and commitment-based pricing. Pricing is determined by the quantity and size of network elements (such as Alkira Cloud Exchange Points), connectors, next-generation firewalls, and data egress. Fixed hourly rates are available for specific connector types and bandwidth. Customers can view live pricing details from the portal or via APIs. For more, see Alkira's Pricing Page.
Use Cases & Benefits
What problems does Alkira solve for enterprises?
Alkira addresses operational complexity, multicloud and hybrid cloud networking challenges, security vulnerabilities, and lack of scalability and visibility. The platform simplifies network design, eliminates manual configurations, integrates advanced security, and provides comprehensive visibility and governance. For more, see this page.
What business impact can customers expect from Alkira?
Customers can expect up to 96% reduction in cloud setup time, 47% reduction in network management time, and up to 40% lower total cost of ownership compared to traditional solutions. Alkira also enhances security, scalability, and business resilience. For more, visit this page.
Who can benefit from Alkira's solutions?
Alkira is designed for mid-to-large enterprises across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, biotechnology, software technology, retail, media & entertainment, and aviation. Target roles include network architects, cloud architects, security architects, IT managers, CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs. See customer stories for examples.
What are some real-world examples of Alkira's impact?
Examples include:
Michaels: Transformed its network across 1,400 stores in record time. Read the case study.
Koch Industries: Simplified multicloud networking and improved agility. Watch the video.
Warner Hotels: Enhanced networking efficiency and B2B connectivity. Watch the video.
Chart Industries: Improved agility, saved costs, and expanded globally. Watch the video.
SITA: Integrated on-premises and cloud environments for aviation. Watch the video.
What industries are represented in Alkira's case studies?
Industries include manufacturing, retail, healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, biotechnology/life sciences, software technology, media & entertainment, and aviation. See customer stories for details.
How easy is it to get started with Alkira?
Customers can implement a proof of concept in as little as 4 hours, with full production deployment typically taking about 8 weeks. Alkira provides a drag-and-drop interface, a dedicated training platform (Alkira Training Platform), 24×7 monitoring, and dedicated support to ensure a smooth onboarding process.
What feedback have customers given about Alkira's ease of use?
Customers have praised Alkira for dramatically reducing deployment times and simplifying complex networking tasks. For example, a network architect at a large manufacturer reported, "The IT DIY approach was going to take 6 months to be secure and redundant and all. Alkira did it for us in 3 days, and at very low cost." Matt Hoag, CTO at Koch Industries, said, "We had gone from a mass of complexity and months of work to a dashboard that allowed us simply to draw our network and deploy it in a few hours." See more testimonials at our customers page.
Competition & Comparison
How does Alkira compare to Aviatrix?
Aviatrix focuses on orchestration overlays and requires deep cloud expertise for deployment. Alkira provides a true abstraction layer leveraging cloud providers' infrastructure, offers single-click provisioning without deep cloud expertise, and delivers end-to-end solutions for both cloud and traditional network use cases. Source: Alkira Solution Explainer.
How does Alkira compare to Prosimo?
Prosimo focuses on application-centric networking and is limited in addressing traditional network use cases. Alkira provides full-stack networking and security solutions, addresses both cloud and traditional network use cases, and offers horizontally and vertically scalable networks. Source: Alkira Solution Explainer.
How does Alkira compare to Nefeli?
Nefeli uses agent-based solutions and requires manual configurations for routing and connectivity. Alkira eliminates manual configurations with automated routing, provides enterprise-grade connectivity for cloud and AI-based applications, and delivers a unified platform for network infrastructure as-a-service. Source: Alkira Solution Explainer.
How does Alkira compare to Cato?
Cato focuses on SD-WAN solutions and is limited in addressing multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments. Alkira provides a global backbone-as-a-service for multi-cloud and hybrid environments, offers integrated security features like ZTNA, and supports seamless connectivity across distributed workforces and applications. Source: Alkira Solution Explainer.
Why should a customer choose Alkira over alternatives?
Alkira offers a true abstraction layer, integrated security, ease of use with a drag-and-drop interface, rapid global connectivity, measurable ROI (up to 96% reduction in setup time), vendor-agnostic architecture, and comprehensive visibility. These features make Alkira a leader in simplifying multicloud networking and enhancing operational efficiency. For more, see this page.
Technical Requirements & Support
What training and support does Alkira provide?
Alkira offers a dedicated training platform with detailed guidance, demos, and resources (Alkira Training Platform). Customers also benefit from 24×7 monitoring, a diagnostics dashboard for troubleshooting, and dedicated support via support@alkira.com or support tickets.
How does Alkira handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?
Alkira provides proactive notifications for maintenance, a diagnostics dashboard for live troubleshooting, 24×7 monitoring to meet SLA commitments, and dedicated support for issue resolution. These features 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 networking by providing a cloud-native solution that seamlessly connects hybrid and multi-cloud environments through a unified control plane. For more, visit Alkira's Company Page.
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 its innovation in cloud networking, has been named among America’s Best Startup Employers by Forbes, and has received awards such as the 2024 Excellence Award from Cloud Computing Magazine. For more, visit Alkira's Company Page.
Who are some of Alkira's customers?
Alkira serves Fortune 100 enterprises, leading system integrators, and global managed service providers. Notable customers include Michaels, Koch Industries, Warner Hotels, and SITA. See more at our customers page.
Connect Clouds: The Ultimate Guide to Enterprise Unified Backbone
Where can I learn more about connecting clouds and enterprise unified backbone?
First Cloud Backbone As-A-Service Delivers Any-To-Any Multi-Cloud Connectivity in Minutes
Summarize with AI
By Atif Khan Dec 2, 2020
Most organizations are eager to accelerate their migration to the cloud, recognizing it as an opportunity to improve their agility, shift towards consumption-based pricing for IT services, reduce CAPEX and accelerate the deployment of new services and applications.
Unfortunately, many enterprises struggle to realize these benefits as smoothly or rapidly as they would hope to. Among the biggest reasons for this is legacy network infrastructure that has not kept pace with the evolution of the cloud over the past few, short years.
At Alkira, we have resolved this challenge – using next-generation networking innovation and our experience with pioneering SD-WAN – putting enterprises back at the heart of the network with transparent, total control over worldwide IT operations, wherever they are in the cloud.
We launched our Network Cloud in April of 2020. Network Cloud offers a global unified multi-cloud network with integrated network and security services. Today, we are announcing the expansion of our Network Cloud with the addition of Cloud Backbone as-a-Service. With CBaaS, enterprises can build a global high speed low latency backbone within minutes.
SD-WAN continues to revolutionize the way enterprises do business. When I helped my brother Amir Khan found Viptela in 2012 (since acquired by Cisco), we understood the challenges presented to enterprises using MPLS, and that SD-WAN was the future. It still is.
But now, at Alkira, we know that the onward evolution and pathway to cloud networking is to eliminate complexity, reduce cost, and energize businesses with the flexibility and immediacy they always expected from the cloud, but were unable to totally achieve with SD-WAN.
At Alkira, we focused on innovating a way to rapidly provision and build cloud networking in a fully secure environment from anywhere-to-anywhere. And to deliver that as a service, with no requirement for enterprises to build any of their own network infrastructure. Turn it on, and it’s yours to operate without needing to buy and own it.
Simply point, click, build and provision cloud networking from a simple UI within minutes or hours rather than months or even years. Dispense with the need to purchase and connect infrastructure. Instead, have it all at your fingertips as a service, with none of the complexity and all of the simplicity enterprises really need; finally taking full advantage of the economics and flexibility of the cloud.
Today, we’re announcing that Alkira has developed the industry’s first Cloud Backbone-as-a-Service (CBaaS), an expansion of our Network Cloud – on-demand Cloud Network-as-a-Service (CNaaS) that extends cloud connectivity to any network from any network.
Our new service provides high-bandwidth, low-latency layer 3 site-to-site, elastic connectivity that enables your business to connect core data centers to the edge, or remote sites worldwide, and to any hybrid multi-cloud—within moments.
CBaaS: Alkira’s world-first, world-class cloud backbone service
Available worldwide, CBaaS lets you expand the backbone with a few clicks on a self-service portal. It’s a true as-a-service offering with no hardware to manage or software to download, enabling organizations to provision at velocity, high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity with exacting service levels and at a fraction of the cost of building your own network.
It includes advanced routing controls, end-to-end segmentation, built-in path redundancy, and integrated firewall security, further easing complexity in your WAN environment. Moreover, it can scale to tens of thousands of routes for each customer and offers unified policy control and end-to-end visibility.
These are all qualities that make Alkira CBaaS uniquely suited to addressing the cloud era’s networking challenges. Imagine, for example, the power of rapidly extending more of your on-site infrastructure into the cloud and integrating it with your multi-cloud environment, with end-to-end governance and visibility.
Another powerful use case might follow the merger of two organizations with vastly different networking environments. In such a case, Alkira CBaaS enables you to stitch regionalized SD-WAN islands from the same vendor or different SD-WAN vendors into a single fabric.
The future of the WAN is here
The future of cloud networking as-a-service has arrived with CBaaS. Please read a Network Cloud blog by our CEO Amir Khan and a press release for more detail about how Alkira’s CBaaS provides a simple, unified, and consistent way to design and deploy secure, integrated enterprise-class network capabilities.
Atif Khan is a renowned routing expert with extensive experience bringing ground-breaking networking solutions to market and in architecting some of the largest and most sophisticated global networks. He is responsible for Alkira’s technology vision and overall engineering and product development of Alkira Cloud Services Exchange™. Atif was VP Technology and Solutions, and a founding team member at Viptela, where he developed a world-class, cloud-first, highly scalable SD-WAN solution with advanced routing, segmentation, and security capabilities. Following the Viptela acquisition, Atif was Senior Director of the Enterprise Networking Business at Cisco. Prior to Viptela he held senior positions at Alcatel, Huawei and Juniper Networks and holds 7 patents in routing, security and overlay multicast. Atif received a BS in Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Enterprise networks are expected to run 24/7, and the teams responsible for them need visibility wherever work happens. Cloud environments, partner connections, security services, and provisioning workflows are constantly changing. When something needs attention, network and operations teams need a fast way to understand what happened, assess impact, and take the right next step. That...
Enterprises are moving quickly on AI, but many are still running networking models designed for a slower, more centralized and static era. Today’s network has to connect clouds, data centers, campuses, branches, partner environments, and increasingly private AI infrastructure while enforcing consistent policy across all of it. That creates a new operational reality: every new...
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is reshaping how financial institutions in the European Union manage operational risk related to information and communication technology (ICT). As the regulation takes effect, organizations must ensure that their critical ICT service providers support strong operational resilience, risk management, and oversight capabilities. For technology providers supporting financial institutions, this...
