Modern threats require a modern approach to security. Plus, our recent survey found that 95 percent of businesses are taking a hybrid approach to work, so there are no signs of slowing down when it comes to employee use of personal devices to access corporate resources outside the office. Despite being nearly three years into the hybrid work era, security remains top of the list of concerns for organizations. We found that 96 percent of organizations believe the solutions they put in place to support remote work do not adequately meet the additional risks that come with working from anywhere.
The workplace has changed dramatically, so why are organizations continuing to rely on outdated security measures to protect sensitive resources and applications? The days of network-based VPNs to protect your in-office employees are gone; today’s complex threat landscape requires a zero trust network access (ZTNA) approach.
What is ZTNA? In its most simple form, it’s a security architecture that trusts no one by default and requires ongoing verification to enter an organization’s network. Looking for a more in-depth explanation of ZTNA? Check out this page on zero trust security.
Not just a product, zero trust is a philosophy that needs to be deeply integrated into your business’s security strategy. While the move to ZTNA can be daunting, having the right channel partner can help minimize concerns and empower a secure journey without compromising user experience.
Why should a ZTNA approach be top-of-mind and how do you find the right partner for your zero trust framework?
ZTNA: A Necessity for Modern Enterprises
The staggering reality for most organizations is that their security solutions are out of date, workforces are more geographically dispersed than ever before, and the tried-and-true, perimeter-based security approaches of the past don’t cut it anymore.
Modern technology enables working from anywhere, on any device, and IT teams simply don’t have the visibility into devices or employee security pitfalls in the same way as when everyone was on-premises. That blind spot leaves the door open for malicious actors to find a way to slip in while also greatly expanding the attack surface. Security threats continue to evolve, and with company-managed assets a thing of the past, it’s about taking an approach that keeps your workforce secure today. That means upleveling from what worked yesterday — that’s where zero trust comes in.
Traditional security measures that verified once before giving unlimited access to a user in your network often allowed a bad actor access to your corporate network after one validation, allowing them to do as they please once they’ve breached the perimeter. Zero trust tosses this method aside and requires continual verification, assuming everyone’s a threat until verified — no matter how often that person accesses the network.
ZTNA benefits are vast. Not only does it enhance security postures, it also improves user experience by applying security measures in real time to provide unique scalability across the workforce regardless of location or device.
Find Your ZTNA Match
Channel partners play a critical role in ZTNA adoption. Continual verification is key to keeping the network safe, but it’s also a heavy lift that internal teams struggle to manage for every endpoint device and multi-cloud application. Channel partners need to pair up with the right vendor in order to help
ZTNA implementation process become more seamless and provide the necessary ongoing support and expertise.
As a partner, what should you look for to ensure the best zero trust experience for your customer’s workforce, including IT and security needs? Here are the key things I’d recommend taking into consideration when looking for your zero trust match:
- What does their solution really protect? No ZTNA service is alike and before moving forward you need to know exactly what you’re protecting. At Citrix we provide solutions that secure access to all apps, including web, SaaS, client/server, and desktop as a service (DaaS), regardless if they’re on prem or in the cloud.
- How will the user experience be impacted? The wrong provider will have a negative impact on UX or no impact all, the best fit is going to be a partner whose solution enhances the UX for employees. Is the offering bundled into one comprehensive, unified platform or does it require disparate actions that will be increasingly frustrating for your team or customer?
Having the right partner in your court simplifies the security experience across organizations, from IT and security teams to the C-suite and through to entry-level employees. By pairing up with the right vendor you can provide a zero trust approach process that not only keeps networks safe but that also eases employee concerns around corporate security. Additionally, the right solution provides your customer’s workforce with an enhanced experience so they can work how they want, where they want, when they want.
