While software-defined overlays like SD-WAN have been around for years, distributed enterprises still had to wrangle complex underlay contracts or work with a managed service provider to physically bridge the distance from one branch to the next. Today, multicloud vendor Alkira is making the software-defined underlay a reality with the launch of its cloud backbone-as-a-service offering.

The platform takes advantage of the large private networks built by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure to support their public cloud offerings.

“This is a different way of doing it now because cloud providers have so much bandwidth,” said CTO Atif Khan, in an interview with SDxCentral. “We can leverage it. We can provide [service level agreements], high-bandwidth, low latency.”

According to Atif Khan, enterprises now have an alternative to the expensive and complicated MPLS links that may be required in some parts of the world “because they cannot just rely on internet.”

Dubbed CBaaS — pronounced like the fish — Alkira can automatically stitch together underlay networks on demand using a simple configuration wizard designed to integrate with existing WAN and SD-WAN deployments from Cisco's Viptela platform.

This allows the company to achieve what CEO Amir Khan calls “any-to-any connectivity” whether it be between data centers, clouds, or the internet.

And this is particularly useful for when two companies with different SD-WAN deployments merge, explained Amir Khan. “You can tie together SD-WAN islands. So, if you have regionalized SD-WAN deployments, you can benefit from our backbone,” he said.

The service is also dynamic and can be used to spin up and down underlay networks in a matter of hours rather than requiring weeks or months and lengthy service contracts.

And as part of Alkira's network cloud, the service includes network and security features, improved visibility, and control over data governance.

Amir Khan explained that, using the service, a customer could spin up Palo Alto virtual firewall appliances based on the traffic demands on the network. “You could decide that, at a minimum, I need two Palo Altos, and maximum I need eight Palo Altos. Based on your requirements we will automatically spin up more or less capacity,” he said.

Alkira has moved quickly to tackle some of the biggest pain points faced by distributed enterprise since it emerged from the shadows this spring with a $30 million Series A funding round.

Initially, the company looked to automate the orchestration of multicloud deployments using its Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) platform. The service is designed to stitch together the various cloud providers while eliminating the need to understand the nuances of each cloud.

“We have created a single solution for all clouds from the computer networking perspective,” Amir Khan said, at the time. “The idea is to provide common connectivity and higher-layer services like firewalls, address management, [and] load balancers.”

The company's early success quickly earned it $54 million in Series B funding by October, just six months after emerging from stealth mode.

According to Amir Khan, the company plans to continue expanding its product offering to suit customer needs.