Simplifying Security in a Multicloud Environment
Justine Francisco
Security Gets Harder as Cloud Environments Multiply
Managing security across multiple cloud environments can introduce the same complexity as managing the networks themselves. Different platforms can require different approaches to connectivity, firewall management, and policy enforcement. Nemertes' 2024 study found that 75% of participating organizations reduced the number of firewalls needed between and within their cloud environments after adopting Alkira. Among organizations that experienced a reduction, the average firewall footprint decreased by 73%, from roughly 21 firewalls to six.
Consistency Matters as Much as Consolidation
The value isn't simply having fewer devices to manage. A consistent networking approach can also make it easier to apply security policies across different environments. One organization interviewed by Nemertes had hundreds of cloud environments across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with inconsistent security controls. After deploying Alkira, the organization was able to establish more consistent and controlled access without adding staff specifically to manage it. For network and security teams, consistency can reduce the operational burden that comes from treating every cloud environment as a separate networking project.
Faster Security Changes Without More Complexity
Nemertes also measured the operational impact of simplifying security services. Participants reported an average 80% reduction in staff time needed to add a new security service, while calendar time dropped by 93%, from more than 17 business days to just over one. This demonstrates how cloud security can benefit from an infrastructure model that abstracts some of the platform-specific complexity. Instead of continually managing individual environments and infrastructure stacks, teams can focus more on the policies and services they need to deliver.
Security Should Protect Your Business, Not Consume Your Team
Every additional cloud environment shouldn’t mean another firewall, another set of policies, and another layer of complexity for your team to manage. When security becomes fragmented across platforms, the people responsible for protecting your organization can spend more time maintaining infrastructure than strengthening the security itself. Alkira helps simplify multicloud networking and security so teams can enforce consistent controls, reduce operational overhead, and respond faster without adding unnecessary complexity. Your team’s time is better spent protecting what matters, not managing the complexity that gets in their way.
