Cloud security company Zscaler has announced a solution to connect devices and workloads across multiple locations. This should address the limitations of SD-WAN.
Zscaler announces Zero Trust Segmentation. This is a solution that Zscaler says provides more secure, flexible and cost-effective ways to connect devices and workloads through a centralized cloud solution.
Centralizing all locations
Zscaler’s new Zero Trust Segmentation replaces traditional connections by connecting all sites, factories and cloud environments to the Zscaler platform. This eliminates the need for direct connections between sites and data centers. The solution is designed to thwart malicious attacks by isolating each branch or site and connecting it directly to Zscaler’s cloud security solution. In effect, the company is launching a SASE solution with a zero trust emphasis. The zero trust aspect ensures that all connections to the cloud platform are viewed through zero trust glasses.
This technology, according to Zscaler, solves problems created by traditional firewalls, among other things, that complicate networks and leave businesses vulnerable to attack. Moving all infrastructure into the cloud reduces the likelihood of backdoors and malware infections, and makes it harder for intruders to move laterally through the network. Because satellite offices connect directly to the cloud, less hardware and configuration is required. Basically, any broadband connection will do.
In addition, the solution is also suitable for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, enabling unified security between data exchanges in different clouds and data centers. This allows companies to secure their network without relying on firewalls, VPNs or other cloud integration infrastructure.
Reservations
Zscaler is packaging Zero Trust Segmentation as a big step forward, although there are some caveats. Sending all traffic to security infrastructure in the cloud certainly has advantages in numerous scenarios. On the other hand, putting the center of gravity of the network in the cloud is not interesting for all organizations, and certainly not when there is a siginificant on-premises hatch present in the infrastructure.
The new solution currently supports AWS and Azure, with Google Cloud Platform support planned for early 2025.
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