"Securing the Foundation of Network Infrastructure for the Future"
Strengthening networks through a platform-based approach.
As applications move to the cloud and employees demand the flexibility to work from anywhere, ensuring an efficient, scalable, and secure network infrastructure, as well as providing a consistent user experience, has become a crucial priority for IT leaders. However, many organizations face a variety of disparate security tools and struggle with the complexity and vulnerabilities of traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that were designed for a very different era of remote access.
VPNs have long been the foundation of secure remote access, allowing employees to connect to corporate networks from outside the physical security zone. In the past, when most applications were hosted in company data centers, this model was adequate. However, as organizations increasingly rely on cloud-based applications and services, the traditional VPN model has begun to show its limitations.
One of the main issues with legacy VPNs is that they tend to complicate the infrastructure. Modern businesses are no longer confined to a single data center or geographic location. Employees access applications and data from multiple devices and locations, creating a connectivity network that traditional VPNs struggle to manage. The classic model of routing all traffic through a central hub adds unnecessary complexity, slowing down network performance and creating bottlenecks that frustrate users.
Moreover, many technology directors must maintain existing legacy technology due to budget constraints or resistance to drastic changes. This often leads them to rely on costly point solutions to address specific issues rather than implementing a more holistic solution. This fragmented approach can be costly and inefficient, resulting in an infrastructure that is cumbersome to manage and vulnerable to security issues.
For IT leaders, maintaining adequate network performance while addressing the demands of the modern business environment is a significant challenge. To remain competitive and secure in the current digital landscape, organizations must reevaluate their approach to network security and infrastructure.
IT leaders are aware of the need to eliminate dependence on obsolete hardware. This shift involves adopting cloud-native platforms that integrate networking and security into a cohesive solution, rather than relying on disparate point solutions. By choosing a platform-based approach, IT leaders can simplify their infrastructure and enhance overall performance. This shift not only relieves the burden of maintaining outdated hardware but also positions the organization to better adapt to changing business needs.
Cloud-native platforms are designed with modern connectivity in mind, offering features such as dynamic routing, load balancing, and traffic optimization, which are essential for supporting today’s distributed workforce. These platforms enable organizations to scale easily, allowing IT teams to accommodate growth without the need for constant hardware upgrades, which is crucial in a world where the pace of business is continually accelerating.
One of the key advantages of adopting a cloud-native platform is the simplification of cloud access for the end user. Unlike the traditional VPN model, which routed all traffic through a central hub, a cloud-native approach allows for more direct routing, improving performance and delivering a superior user experience, especially in hybrid work environments.
Finally, one of the greatest advantages of cloud-native platforms is the improved visibility and control they provide to IT leaders. In a legacy VPN environment, it can be challenging to gain a clear understanding of network traffic and diagnose problems or identify potential security threats. The advanced analytics and reporting tools of cloud platforms facilitate comprehensive traffic monitoring, playing a crucial role in security.
Implementing a zero-trust security approach is based on the premise that no user or device should be trusted by default, even if they are within the network perimeter. Access is granted through a verification process that considers contextual factors such as user location, device, role, and behavior. By providing continuous visibility, cloud-native platforms can deliver unparalleled contextual awareness, enforce dynamic security policies, and enable adaptive access for users, devices, applications, and data, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
In light of the limitations of traditional VPNs and obsolete infrastructure, it is essential for IT leaders to adopt a transformative platform-based approach that brings cloud access closer to the end user, enhances visibility and control, and supports a zero-trust security model. By doing so, they strengthen their digital infrastructure and create a platform that enables their business to thrive.
