The practical difference spans a number of areas including the format of responses. Rather than returning raw JSON that requires parsing and interpretation, the MCP Server can deliver tabular summaries. An operator or AI agent can request a deployment overview and receive structured data showing region counts, segment configurations, connector types, operational status and active alerts.
This preprocessing serves the primary use case: integration with agentic AI systems that need to query multiple backend systems simultaneously.
Shah noted that an AI agent could be talking to multiple MCP servers in support of an overall service. For example, the AI agent could be talking to Jira, ServiceNow and a monitoring service to get information and take action.
The MCP Server inherits Alkira’s role-based access controls and security frameworks. Users can only access data they’re authorized to see, maintaining the existing governance model.
NIA copilot: Bringing conversational troubleshooting to networking
The MCP server is an integration and automation platform intended primarily for agents, APIs, scripts, or other systems, providing structured, high-level access and orchestration capabilities.
For end-users, Alkira’s NIA copilot extends the utility of AI into everyday network operations. With a chat-style interface, NIA guides users through configuration, troubleshooting and gathering documentation.
