Alkira: Global On Demand Multi-Cloud Network

Imagine an end-to-end network that is wholly based on a digital canvas and provisioned in a single click, and is ready to use in minutes. Hard to imagine? Well, Alkira, a San Jose-based company, is making this happen. It helps businesses extend their enterprise infrastructure into the cloud. Alkira is a trusted solution for leading global Enterprises, system integrators, and managed service providers.

Alkira was founded by Amir and Atif Khan, who have an unmatched track record, team, and architecture for the Network Cloud. Their vision with Alkira has been more disruptive than SD-WAN itself. With Alkira CSX, the company has delivered the industry’s first Network Cloud. Alkira CSX, is an on-demand, as-a-service, point and click, unified CNaaS that enables cloud architects to design, build, and deploy a global multi-cloud network in minutes. Alkira enables enterprises to implement 50% less firewall capacity and reduce TCO by up to 40%.

The Network cloud pioneer announced early in October this year that it closed its Series B funding round. The company raised $54 million in the round that was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) with participation from Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, GV (formerly Google Ventures), and others. Alkira has raised $76 million to date. Chase Koch, president of Koch Disruptive Technologies. “At Koch’s scale an agile, global, end-to-end network is critical to our competitiveness and growth and we are excited to lead Alkira’s Series B investment.”

The company will use the fresh funding to scale the company to meet global market demand for the Alkira Cloud Services Exchange™(CSX). The Alkira CSX is the company’s global unified network infrastructure, which is delivered as-a-service with:

1) Connectivity for hybrid and multi-cloud networks

2) Integrated network and security services,

3) End-to-end operational visibility and governance

“Alkira has seen a tremendous response from customers and technology and GTM partners to deploy and deliver the Alkira Network Cloud. We are honored to have our Series B led by Koch, an early customer who deployed Alkira Cloud Services Exchange™ (CSX) and shares our vision to transform networking,” said Amir Khan, President, CEO and founder of Alkira

Since emerging from stealth in April this year, Alkira has taken giant strides to become the lead innovator in the Network Cloud space. The company was recently named as a Gartner 2020 Cool Vendor in Enhanced Internet Services and Cloud Connectivity. “Alkira is a game-changer that empowers networking professionals to build and operate a network as a utility and address the challenges that enterprises face connecting and supporting multiple clouds,” said Ernest Lefner, co-founder and co-chairman of ONUG, the largest open networking user group.

The Alkira Leader

Amir Khan, President, CEO and Founder

Amir Khan is a computer networking visionary who founded and led Viptela’s market-leading, cloud-first, Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) business. The company was acquired by Cisco in 2017. Amir recognized that the network hampered the cloud journey and founded Alkira in 2018 with CTO Atif Khan to reinvent networking for the cloud era. Amir’s vision is to deliver the Cloud Network as-a-Service (CNaaS). Before Viptela, Amir held leadership roles at Cisco, Juniper, and Nortel. He holds 4 patents.

Amir earned an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Mississippi.

Testimonials

“Alkira provides the first multi-region, unified global Multi-Cloud Networking as-a-Service and a full market place of services. They simplify an enterprise company’s journey to the cloud and offer service providers a compelling business proposition to tap into the cloud.” – Ray Mota, CEO and Principal Analyst, ACG Research

“Nissho USA is known for bringing innovative solutions to the market. Alkira Cloud Services Exchange™(CSX) is a game changing approach to multi-cloud networking. Alkira’s on demand offering provides the fastest time to service for our customers to deploy multi-cloud networks.” – Mizuki (ENO) Enomoto, President, Nissho Electronics USA

“Alkira® developed the Network Cloud that allows Enterprises to build and deploy a global hybrid or multi-cloud network as-a-service in minutes.”

“Alkira Cloud Services Exchange™ (CSX) delivers network connectivity, advanced services with complete governance, and is so intuitive and simple to build and operate that no training or certification is needed.”

“Our vision is nothing short of the complete reinvention of networking. A vision of a multi-cloud capable network that behaves like the cloud and is consumed as-a-service like the cloud.”