Zscaler: Securing Digital Transformation

Large enterprises are witnessing a wave of digital transformation. They are moving their workflows and applications from on-premise to cloud-based services to gain operational agility and save costs. However, the shift has made their old world network architecture and security framework, designed for on-premise applications, redundant. “The old world architecture was all about building a security perimeter around the network just like building a castle and then digging a moat to protect it,” says Scott Robertson, VP, Asia Pacific and Japan, Zscaler. Previously, the castle or the head office hosted the applications, and all the branch offices had access to them through Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) or leased telecom lines which were easy to secure. But with the move to the cloud, which simplifies application accessibility for remote workers, securing every connection is difficult. Enterprises need to move their security frameworks from networks to the cloud where their applications now reside. Addressing this need is Zscaler, a digital transformation catalyst for the mobile and cloud-first enterprise, which offers a cloud-based security platform that removes the need for traditional hardware-based security services and replaces them with a cloud security platform. “This helps an enterprise provision the same security policy enforcement that it had on-premise in the cloud, across all devices and connections,” remarks Robertson.

The company has built a cloud with well over 100 data centers that can deliver security services to clients.

The enterprises can implement their stack of security through Zscaler’s cloud, which provides a multi-tenant experience. For instance, an employee accessing their official emails sitting at home through a local broadband connection is routed to a Zscaler node that enforces the company’s security policies on the employee’s internet to provide a secure connection. “All of this takes place in the background, without the user even noticing,” says Robertson.

Clients have made a transition from an Exchange on-premise solution to Office 365. Here, Zscaler has peered 23 of its data centers with Microsoft data centers, allowing users to seamlessly access Office 365 from different locations, implementing all policies uniformly. As every user requests 20-25 live connections for accessing Microsoft solutions, scalability and fast access are crucial factors. Zscaler cloud service delivers this scalability, accelerating performance. Such a set up simplifies and optimizes a user’s Office 365 experience.

A testimony to Zscaler’s expertise is Kelly Services, the multinational office staffing and workforce solutions provider who chose Office 365 to put an end to the rising cost of operations. They realized that their existing infrastructure was unable to support connections from 90,000 employees, restricting them from embracing benefits of the cloud. After deploying Zscaler, the client could easily improve their peering with Microsoft servers and management of Office 365 connections. Eventually, Kelly Services could unlock the potential of Office 365 and deliver a better user experience.

As enterprises aggressively continue to move toward the cloud, Zscaler is set to help them on their digital transformation journey. The company plans to increase its presence in countries such as Japan, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Zscaler is already aligned with the objectives of enterprises that focus on transforming and modernizing their network by ensuring free access while authenticating user identities irrespective of their location.