Securing the Future-proof Workplace

Never trust, always verify, enforce least privilege

Security leaders have long heard the steady drum beat of zero trust enthusiasts. It’s been one of the leading security frameworks recommended to organizations, and for good reason. Zero trust is often summarized as a “never trust, always verify, enforce least privilege” framework. In this context, the default assumption is that every attempt to access the network or an application could be a threat.

Remote users have traditionally gained access to enterprise resources through virtual private networks (VPNs), but the acceptance of hybrid working has made this unsustainable. For the last several years, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) has become the norm for securing remote users as they access private applications. However, attempts by early-to-market zero trust vendors have often failed to live up to expectations. Instead of securing the modern workforce, some zero trust implementations have degraded application performance, hindered experiences, increased IT complexity and made enterprises less secure.

Cisco's Universal ZTNA

Cisco has turned zero trust on its head, using our deep understanding of the network to power a secure, in-office experience for all users across all locations, applications and devices. Our solution is delivered seamlessly through a single client, single console, AI-driven architecture, for fast and reliable (yet secure) application access to authorized users wherever resources reside. Ensuring a frictionless experience for remote users allows them to work productively wherever their business takes them – and without putting the organization at risk.

Universal ZTNA is only possible with a convergence of network and security for zero trust everywhere. Unlike ZTNA, which only protects remote user to private app access, Universal ZTNA covers all aspects of access for all users and IOT devices anywhere, accessing applications and resources everywhere, with flexible enforcement options.

Remote access, resilience, and user experience

The need for a fully-realized, modern zero trust network access approach has never been more clear.

82%

of organizations cite remote logins as a heightened threat vector

91%

of employees are using multiple networks to connect to work

85%

of employees access company platforms from unmanaged devices

According to the 2024 Cybersecurity Readiness Index, the five pillars of cybersecurity readiness include Identity Intelligence, Machine Trustworthiness, Network Resilience, Cloud Reinforcement and AI Fortification.

Zero trust is a key component in each of these areas, helping organizations increase cyber resilience in an increasingly risky world. Organizations that invest in each of these areas improve their ability to protect against today’s evolving threats. Zero trust is key to implementing these strategies.

But if zero trust is hailed by security experts, why has delivering on zero trust in the real world been so limited and lackluster?

Remote Application Access is More Important than Ever →

SSE Solutions, Such as Standalone ZTNA, Fall Short →

Threat Actors Exploit Weak Identity Security →

Remote application access is more important than ever

The move to hybrid work has brought application performance for remote users to the forefront. VPNs were built when only a fraction of the workforce logged on from outside the network perimeter, and they aren’t designed to handle the increasing traffic of today’s remote workloads. Today’s users expect an in-office experience wherever they attempt to log in, and yet they often fail to get it. Poor performance drags down productivity and encourages users to try risky workarounds.

Cisco's Universal ZTNA accelerates least privilege access for all users across all locations, applications and devices without impacting the user experience. The best part? No action is required by the user. They simply log in and get to work and all the protection happens behind the scenes. Whether they’re at the office, at home or on the road, user experience remains the same – responsive, fast and intuitive.

SSE solutions, such as standalone ZTNA, fall short

Organizations are looking to move on from legacy VPN infrastructures and are in various stages of zero trust adoption. Unfortunately, legacy ZTNA solutions still aren’t filling the gap due to their inability to cover all application types. As a result, IT teams are forced to install multiple clients and manage multiple access policies to accommodate the various ways users access applications. Users are just as confused – not knowing when they need to access an application through the VPN or whether it’s safe to connect directly.

Cisco’s solution is purpose-built to accelerate zero trust network access for any organization regardless of where they are in their zero trust journey. You can start moving applications – at a controlled pace – into the zero trust least privileged framework and continue to tighten controls little by little until you are completely covered. Cisco Secure Access is unique in that it offers both ZTNA and VPN in a single client and service offering allowing you to migrate along the zero trust journey at your own pace, whether on-premise or as a SaaS offering. Plus, with end-to-end visibility from ThousandEyes, you can troubleshoot performance issues faster.

Threat actors exploit weak identity security

Many legacy approaches rely on the concept of blind trust. Basically, once a threat actor gains access using a stolen credential, they essentially have free reign through the entire network and everything on it. After all, why hack in when you can just log in?

Cisco solves this problem by constantly assessing and verifying a user’s identity. This ensures entities attempting to connect to corporate resources are really who or what they say they are and ensures their requests and risky behaviors are being monitored as they navigate inside the network. These insights can trigger automatic actions if necessary or escalate issues to a human analyst.