The traditional castle-and-moat approach to security is as outdated as a dial-up modem.
Hear me out:
With workforces scattered across the globe (and applications sprawling across multiple clouds), the old guard of basic VPNs and perimeter defenses is simply not up to snuff. These dinosaurs offer broad, untargeted access, lack the finesse for granular control, and struggle to keep up with the whirlwind of modern application traffic.
I mean, even the U.S. government has taken the bull by the horns by spearheading a top-down initiative to usher in a Zero Trust architecture across its various agencies.
This bold move is a testament to the growing realization that trust is a liability, not an asset. Zero Trust, a security model that assumes breach is inevitable, forces organizations to verify every user and device before granting access, regardless of their location within or outside the network. Zero Trust creates a fortified digital fortress, making it significantly harder for malicious actors to infiltrate and wreak havoc.
And so, to help enterprises by offering robust Zero Trust solutions, Alkira Inc. launched Alkira Zero Trust Network Access.
Alkira works to unify any environments, sites and users via an enterprise network built entirely in the cloud. The network is managed using the same controls, policies and security systems network administrators know, is available as a service and can instantly scale as needed.
Alkira ZTNA offers a unified solution for all traffic flows to ensure consistent security and efficiency across user-to-app, app-to-app, and user-to-internet communications. Its network-first approach uses existing network segmentation to enhance security without compromising performance.
The decentralized architecture, with a centralized policy enforcement engine and decentralized data plane, optimizes performance and ease of use. A single pane of glass dashboard provides unified management, monitoring, and visibility.
"Alkira ZTNA revolutionizes secure access by combining zero trust principles with network infrastructure expertise," said Manan Shah, Senior Vice president of products at Alkira. "By treating all traffic flows equally — whether user-to-app, app-to-app, or user-to-internet — we're providing a level of consistency that's unprecedented in the industry. Our solution not only enhances security but also optimizes performance and simplifies management, all through a single, scalable platform."
Alkira ZTNA is built on a foundation that leverages Alkira Cloud Exchange Points (CXPs) for secure access and efficient traffic routing. The Alkira SecureConnect Client enables secure remote access for end-users, while the centralized policy enforcement engine streamlines access policy management.
Alkira ZTNA also integrates easily with existing identity providers and supports multi-factor authentication.
"In a landscape where many ZTNA solutions focus solely on user-to-app scenarios, Alkira's comprehensive approach stands out," said Shamus McGillicuddy, Vice President of Research at Enterprise Management Associates. "By addressing the full spectrum of enterprise traffic flows within a single platform, Alkira is positioning itself as a leader in the next generation of secure access solutions."
Alkira ZTNA will be available for general release in Q4 2024.
Edited by
Alex Passett
