As enterprises look into the future of a post-pandemic environment, many CIOs recognize the need for a better strategy that supports a remote and hybrid workforce. While many switched to a work-from-home model as a response to the pandemic, of employees want to continue working from home permanently.

Until recently, the solution to secure enterprise networks has been the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) which function like a tunnel back to the company network. However, with the distributed nature of a remote workforce, VPNs possess limitations and security risks. So, what’s the better solution to secure your network and provide access to applications no matter where employees work from? That would be Zero-trust network access (ZTNA).

CIOs see the value of ZTNA to provide their enterprise with the security they need while supporting a modern workforce. ZTNA is the future of enterprise security. Within the next year, 60% of enterprises will phase out traditional VPNs and use a . To date, only 15% of organizations have completed a transition to a zero-trust security model. Let’s take a closer look at two different ZTNA models and why the future is bright for zero-trust network access.

Client-Initiated Or Endpoint-Initiated ZTNA

The first zero-trust network access model is known as endpoint-initiated ZTNA or a client-initiated ZTNA model. This model is software-defined and based on the Cloud Security Alliance architecture which uses an agent on a device to create a secure tunnel to the enterprise network. This agent performs an assessment to determine the security risk of a user’s request to access an application using information such as their identity, device location, network, and the application being used. After building a risk profile, the agent connects back to the application over a proxy connection, and if the information meets the organization’s policy, access to the application is granted. The beauty of this model is that applications can be on-premises or cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

While this model does provide greater security than VPNs, it comes with its own set of challenges. Managing the agents on devices can become a chore for your IT department unless a central management solution is able to coordinate deployment and configuration. Unmanaged devices need to be handled by other means, such as a network access controller (NAC).

The Service-Initiated Or Application-Initiated ZTNA Model

The service-initiated model uses a reverse proxy architecture based on the BeyondCorp model and is also known as application-initiated ZTNA. The biggest difference from client-initiated ZTNA is that this model does not require an endpoint agent. Instead, to create a secure tunnel and perform a risk assessment profile, it uses a browser plug-in.

Where the client-initiated ZTNA can be used for both on-premises and cloud applications, a key disadvantage to the service-initiated ZTNA is that it’s limited to cloud-based applications only. With the application’s protocols needing to be based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)/Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), it limits the approach to web applications and protocols, such as Secure Shell (SSH) or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) over HTTP. Because of this shortfall, at this time, the service-initiated ZTNA model is not the best option if your enterprise has a combination of hybrid cloud and on-premises applications.

The Future With ZTNA

The first step in implementing a complete zero-trust solution is addressing the need for secure remote access. ZTNA can be applied to remote users, home offices, and other locations by offering controlled remote access to applications that is easier and faster to initiate while providing a more granular set of security protections than traditional VPNs.

Establishing a zero-trust model across vendors can be difficult as components often run on different operating systems and use different consoles for management and configuration. By selecting integrated and automated tools, you can overcome the challenges of implementing ZTNA. Using a service-initiated model with an integrated firewall-based and SASE approach allows for ZTNA capabilities with a simplified management and application policy whether your users are on or off the network.

Fortinet ZTNA Solution Improves Your Enterprise Cybersecurity

With remote work here to stay, it is clear that a traditional VPN approach is no longer enough to provide your enterprise with adequate security. ZTNA solutions are a better way to secure access, no matter where your employees are, and improve controls around application access. To learn how can provide your enterprise cybersecurity strategy with the best ZTNA model, contact WEI today.

Next Steps: Download our executive brief, “.”

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As enterprises push their digital transformation efforts into overdrive to support employees and make business decisions from anywhere, they open themselves up to a new world of data and security risks. To help manage this new influx of information and mitigate security breaches, enterprises need a solution that can analyze the massive amounts of unstructured data at the point where people, devices, and things connect to the digital world. This is where HPE Aruba Networking ESP shines. Keep reading to learn more about ESP and how it can help your enterprise on its journey to digital transformation and beyond.

How HPE Aruba Networking ESP Drives Digital Transformation

Designed to deliver a cloud-based experience at the edge, HPE Aruba Networking ESP provides you the ability to use it as either as a service in the cloud or on-premises, as a managed service delivered through HPE Aruba Networking partners, or via network as a service through HPE GreenLake. This automated, all-in-one platform continuously analyzes data across your domains, identifies anomalies, and secures unknown devices on your network using AIOps, a unified infrastructure, and Zero Trust network security. Let’s take a deeper look at these three components in the digital transformation process.

1. Artificial Intelligence Ops (AIOps)

As enterprises have greater access to large quantities of raw data provided through their digital transformation initiatives, making sense of that information to reach decisions and remedy problems can be a challenge. With AIOps, artificial intelligence and analytics come together to accurately identify the root cause and auto-remediate network issues, monitor user experience, and aid in preventing problems before they occur, while also using benchmarking and recommendations to optimize and secure the network. What this means for your enterprise is that you will increase your capacity while reducing resolution time, creating an improved IT experience overall.

You’re able to quickly resolve issues by using simple, English language requests to gather relevant information from ESP’s common data lake. For more complex situations, AI Assist uses event-driven automation to collect and post all relevant data.

2. Unified Infrastructure

The ability to consolidate all your network operations is an important piece to the digital transformation puzzle, especially if you have remote workers, multiple campuses, or branches. With HPE Aruba Networking Central, a cloud-native console that correlates cross-domain events, you can reduce resolution time and avoid manual errors. In addition, the unified infrastructure approach provides your enterprise with ultimate flexibility by allowing you to choose between services that are on-premises or in the cloud.

With ESP’s simplified navigation, advanced search, and contextual views, you can assess multiple pieces of information within a single point-of-control. This allows you to eliminate the need for additional tools to collect and correlate information across your multiple domains and locations.

3. Zero Trust Network Security (ZTNS)

As you move forward with your digital transformation process, understanding how to secure your data and the users accessing it in the new environment is paramount. HPE Aruba Networking ESP combines built-in, role-based access technology, , and identity-based intrusion detection. With these capabilities the application can authenticate, authorize, and control every user and device connecting to your network, while still being able to detect, prevent, isolate, and stop attacks before they impact your enterprise.

In summary, HPE Aruba Networking ESP provides your enterprise the chance to use artificial intelligence with automation to break down the data you need when you need it, with a unified infrastructure across your network, all while giving you the peace of mind of a secure environment.

HPE Aruba Networking ESP And WEI Come Together

As you continue your digital transformation, HPE Aruba Networking ESP will provide you with a well-rounded approach to data, infrastructure, and security. Let WEI help you figure out how it can be used to fit your enterprise’s specific situation; contact us today to get started!

Next Steps: To learn more about securing remote connectivity for your enterprise, download our tech brief “Provide Secure Remote Connectivity With HPE Aruba Networking Access Points.”

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