Alkira Resources / Wiki / What is Cloud Backbone?
What is Cloud Backbone?
Cloud backbone is a core infrastructure component of the cloud network that connects all on-premises, cloud, multi-cloud, and edge elements over high bandwidth low latency underlying networks operated by one or multiple public cloud providers.
Cloud backbone comprises collection of globally distributed points of presence (PoPs) that serve as attachment points for remote users, branches, campuses, data centers and cloud workloads stretched across a single public cloud region, multiple public cloud regions or multiple clouds. It forms an overlay network that abstracts the complexities and limitations of the underlying cloud infrastructure. It also offers network resiliency and network high availability as it’s able to instantly reroute around failed underlying cloud infrastructure elements.
Cloud Backbone Network Offers WAN Modernization
Wide Area Networks (WAN) are fundamental to any enterprise’s global connectivity needs. We are currently amid one of the most significant WAN transformations fueled by the motions of applications migration from on-premises data centers to one or multiple public cloud and SaaS environments, explosion in remote connectivity demand due to prevalence of work-from-home, and the need for on-demand elastic global connectivity. The use of the cloud backbone network allows enterprise to modernize their WAN environment which carries the following advantages:
- Deliver global connectivity in minutes
- Remove reliance on costly long haul private circuits, like MPLS, while delivering high speed low latency global connectivity
- Interconnect regionalized SD-WAN fabrics for end-to-end connectivity
- Integrated operational visibility
At the same time, cloud backbone supports interoperability with brownfield environments during the time of transition from traditional MPLS networks. It also supports interoperability with various SD-WAN fabrics.
Securing Cloud Backbone Network
Enterprises need to make sure the data is secure and protected as it’s being transmitted between the points of presence across the cloud backbone network. To that end, it offers strong IPSec encryption to prevent unauthorized access and man-in-the-middle attacks. The use of network segmentation capabilities ensures compartmentalization of attached resources and greatly reduces security attack surface. For even further security controls, cloud backbone network can be integrated with next-generation security in the form of the cloud firewalls.
The Alkira Cloud Backbone
The Alkira Cloud backbone network is delivered on-demand and as-a-service, just like the cloud infrastructure itself. This model frees enterprises from entering lengthy commitments and paying for unused peak capacity. Cloud backbone allows enterprises to pay only for the consumed capacity. When additional capacity is needed, it can elastically scale up (and scale down) to meet the demand. The as-a-service consumption removes the need to learn the details of the native cloud infrastructure and instead allows enterprises to focus on the business needs.
