08/04/2022 | News release | Archived content
This blog is part of "ZTNA Partners," a series where we take a closer look at how our partnerships protect today's hybrid workforces and environments with ZTNA 2.0.
Most people can recall a time when computers were pieces of equipment that remained in a fixed location. Because of this, security was less of an issue outside of an organization's own walls.
That all changed when laptop computers and mobile devices ushered in the era of the mobile workforce. By the early 2000s, more companies started relying on remote access technology to enable users to work while traveling or from home. Employees or contractors could connect with applications hosted at the data center, and communications were encrypted to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
Over time, applications started migrating out of the data center and into the cloud. Businesses began to recognize the benefits of offering a "work from anywhere" model and the potential cost savings of supporting a "bring your own device" (BYOD) program. These trends highlighted the limitations of legacy remote-access infrastructure from both a user experience, as well as a security standpoint. It was never designed to support so many concurrent users with the increased load, which caused considerable latency. Once connected to the network, users had access to an entire network segment, typically far more than needed to complete job duties. Premises-based security, such as firewalls, could be bypassed by working off-network.
Zero Trust network access (ZTNA) was designed to overcome these shortcomings by enabling administrators to grant consistent, high-performance access to specific applications by role or by user. Cloud-destined traffic would no longer have to be hair-pinned to the data center. The technology follows the user, wherever they conduct business, regardless of whether they connect to the network. While this is surely an improvement over legacy-remote access technology, more is needed to truly align it with the core principles of the Zero Trust framework.
According to a 2022 AT&T Cybersecurity Insights Report, 94% of survey respondents say they are currently on a Zero Trust journey, which includes research, implementation and completion. The ultimate goal of ZTNA 2.0 is to enforce an access-control policy that eliminates implicit trust and continuously validates every stage of a digital interaction with all network connections, whether hosted on-premises or in the cloud.
When evaluating ZTNA solutions, businesses should ask the following questions to ensure that they are obtaining a solution that offers superior user experience and protection:
In the years ahead, security will become even more important as more Internet of Things (IoT) devices come online, and hybrid or remote workforces become entrenched in corporate cultures. Both cloud and IoT networks are more dynamic than other networks and often have shared tenancy. This is where ZTNA 2.0 becomes imperative. Standard, legacy security measures are not compatible with today's fast-changing networking environment. ZTNA 2.0 brings network security in line with current technology trends.
Zero Trust with AT&T and Palo Alto Networks help protect organizations of all sizes while allowing for more streamlined connectivity and productivity in today's distributed work environment. Adopting best-in-class security and protecting against threats reduces the risk of data breaches and enhances user productivity, with an optimal work-from-anywhere experience.
By adopting ZTNA 2.0, organizations are also helping position themselves for whatever comes next.
For more information on how you can secure the future of hybrid work, watch this on-demand ZTNA 2.0 launch event.