Zero Trust Network Access: A New Use Case in Alkira Platform
In the modern era of hybrid work, cloud-native applications, and distributed workloads, secure access to enterprise resources has become more critical—and more challenging—than ever. Traditional VPNs and perimeter-based models can no longer keep pace with the demands of a borderless workforce and multi-cloud environments. Introducing Alkira Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), a cloud-native, as-a-service solution delivering seamless, secure access to applications and resources across all traffic flows—user-to-app, app-to-app, and user-to-internet. Built on Alkira’s innovative network infrastructure, ZTNA ensures unparalleled performance, simplified management, and robust security for the modern, distributed enterprise.
In this blog, we explore how Alkira ZTNA leverages Alkira’s network infrastructure expertise and zero trust principles to deliver a unified, scalable, and efficient access solution for today’s dynamic enterprise environments.
The Need for a Modern Access Paradigm
With hybrid work becoming mainstream, employees now connect from various locations—home offices, coffee shops, and airports—while applications reside across multiple clouds, on-premises data centers, and SaaS platforms. This distributed landscape has significantly expanded the attack surface and complicated access management.
Legacy VPNs often:
- Provide overly broad access
- Lack granular control
- Fail to address app-to-app communication
- Limited visibility
Alkira ZTNA addresses these challenges head-on, transforming network access with a zero-trust, identity-based model that ensures only the right users and devices gain access to the right resources—nothing more.
What Makes Alkira ZTNA Unique?
Alkira ZTNA isn’t just another ZTNA solution; it’s a re-imagined network access framework that integrates zero trust security principles with Alkira’s Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform. Here’s what sets it apart:
- Unified Solution for All Traffic Flows: Unlike conventional solutions that focus solely on user-to-app access, Alkira ZTNA equally prioritizes:
- User-to-App: Securely connect employees, contractors, and partners to applications.
- App-to-App: Enable seamless communication between distributed applications.
- User-to-Internet: Safeguard internet access with secure traffic egress policies.
- Network-Centric Approach: By leveraging existing network segmentation, Alkira ZTNA enhances security without sacrificing performance. This approach ensures traffic isolation, minimizes risk, and maintains optimal network efficiency.
- Decentralized Architecture, Centralized Control: Alkira ZTNA employs a centralized policy enforcement engine paired with a decentralized data plane. Connections are terminated at the nearest Cloud Exchange Point (CXP), reducing latency and enhancing the user experience without compromising security.
- On-Demand Scalability: The solution scales elastically to accommodate fluctuating workloads—without upfront investments in hardware or complex configuration. This adaptability supports enterprises as their network access requirements grow.
- Enhanced Day-2 Operations: Alkira simplifies ongoing network management with holistic monitoring, analytics, and troubleshooting tools. Network admins gain real-time visibility into active sessions, user behavior, and traffic patterns.
The Core Principles of Zero Trust with Alkira
- Identity-Driven Access: Access decisions are based on user identity, device posture, and contextual factors like location. Integration with existing Identity Providers (IdPs) ensures seamless authentication, including support for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
- Least-Privilege Access: Users and applications are granted the minimum necessary permissions to complete their tasks, minimizing the potential blast radius of compromised credentials.
- Continuous Verification: Alkira continuously assesses session context and enforces policy-based access, ensuring security even when conditions change mid-session.
How Alkira ZTNA Works
Cloud Exchange Points (CXPs): Distributed CXPs serve as the backbone of Alkira ZTNA, providing secure, low-latency access to applications and resources hosted across cloud and on-prem environments.
Alkira Secure Connect Client: This lightweight client enables secure, always-on access for remote users while enforcing endpoint posture checks to validate device compliance.
Centralized Policy Management: Administrators can manage access policies for all traffic flows from a single interface, ensuring consistency across the enterprise.
Integrated Security: Strengthen application security by integrating firewalls and security appliances inline within Alkira CXP, ensuring a comprehensive security posture.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Real-time dashboards provide insights into active sessions, historical access patterns, and potential security anomalies.
Use Cases Across the Enterprise
- Remote Workforce Enablement: Empower employees to access corporate applications securely from any location, while maintaining a frictionless user experience.
- App-to-App Connectivity: Simplify inter-application communication across distributed workloads, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
- Third-Party Partner Access: Extend secure, granular access to external contractors or partners—without exposing the entire network.
- Secure Internet Access: Implement policy-driven internet egress points for safe browsing and threat prevention.
The Alkira Advantages: Simplifying Secure Access
Faster Deployment: Alkira ZTNA can be deployed in minutes via an intuitive, point-and-click interface—no complex re-architecting required.
Cost Efficiency: As a cloud-delivered service, Alkira ZTNA eliminates the need for expensive hardware, reducing both capital and operational costs.
Seamless Integration: ZTNA integrates effortlessly with existing Alkira network infrastructure, extending network services across multi-cloud and on-prem environments.
Flexible Pricing
- ZTNA Basic: Core zero-trust functionality with secure remote access capabilities.
- ZTNA Advanced: Includes all Basic features plus advanced capabilities like device posture assessments, enhanced logging, and comprehensive monitoring tools for deeper visibility and proactive network management.
Modernize Access with Alkira ZTNA
As enterprises continue to embrace cloud, mobility, and distributed applications, secure, efficient, and scalable access to resources becomes a competitive necessity. Alkira ZTNA empowers organizations to achieve these goals by merging zero trust principles with an innovative, network-centric approach.
To learn more about how Alkira can help simplify cloud networking for your organization, reach out and schedule a demo today.
