Alkira Inc. has appointed Exclusive Networks as a distributor for its cloud networking as-a-service platform (CNaaS).
The deal makes Alkira’s CNaaS platform Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) available through Exclusive’s global partner ecosystem spanning 40 countries across five continents. It also underlines Exclusive’s goal to growing its cloud portfolio in a market estimated by IDC to be on track for $1.3 trillion by 2025.
Exclusive Networks (EXN), which posted gross sales of €2.9 billion in 2020, completed an Initial Public Offering and listing on Euronext Paris in September this year.
Alkira has also appointed Paul Couturier as Senior VP International to lead its expansion in the EMEA and APAC regions. Couturier is an IT industry veteran who has previously held senior management roles growing international markets for Efficient Networks, TippingPoint, Cyan, LightCyber and Palo Alto Networks. In his latest role, he managed IntSights from its European debut to its acquisition by Rapid 7.
Amir Khan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alkira, said: “Our vision is to simplify networking in the cloud era. As the CNaaS pioneer, Alkira has eliminated the complexities and costs of building and operating networks and seamlessly integrated cloud, multi-cloud and legacy systems – no hardware, no data center, no need to ship anything. Exclusive Networks is an ideal partner for Alkira, not only because it provides us with access to their first-class global network, but because we have a shared vision of an as-a-service future.”
Andy Travers, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Exclusive Networks, said: “Our success has been built on bringing together best in class cybersecurity, networking, and automation solutions. In the cloud era, the challenge for customers is how to integrate and manage these resources in an increasingly complex environment, while controlling costs and moving the business forward. With nothing more than a few mouse clicks, Alkira’s CNaaS enables secure hybrid cloud and multi-cloud networks to be set up in hours rather than months, and puts customers, not the big cloud providers, in the driver’s seat.
“Migration of enterprise applications to the cloud is set to double in the next two years, according to Gartner, so it seems inevitable that networking infrastructure will follow the same trend. Just as Alkira’s founders pioneered the SD-WAN market, we now believe they are showing the way in cloud networking.”
