When a company acquires another organization, the integration challenge extends well beyond applications and people. The acquired company's networks, data centers, cloud environments, and security policies also need to be connected, often while the two organizations still need to remain separated. Nemertes found that Alkira customers were able to simplify this process by providing a consistent way to connect and segment third-party environments without immediately requiring a full network merger.
The same approach can also apply to ongoing extranet connections with partners and suppliers. Among participants that reported a decrease, Nemertes found a 98% reduction in staff time required to securely connect a new extranet partner, dropping from nearly 260 hours to less than five. Calendar time also decreased by 91%, from more than 91 business days to approximately eight. For organizations regularly connecting external environments, reducing the complexity of each connection can make the process significantly more repeatable.
The report's case studies show how segmentation and policy-based connectivity can help organizations connect acquired environments while maintaining control over what can communicate with what. This can provide a practical middle ground between leaving an acquired network completely disconnected and immediately merging it into the existing environment. As organizations continue to pursue acquisitions and expand their technology estates, making network integration faster and more consistent can help them realize the value of those investments sooner.
An acquisition already brings enough moving parts. Your network shouldn’t become another reason integration takes months instead of moving forward. Alkira helps organizations connect acquired environments, partners, and suppliers with consistent, policy-based networking while maintaining the separation and control required during integration. When the business moves fast, your network should be ready to move with it.