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Benefits of zero trust extend beyond network security - study
Mon, 19th Jul 2021
FYI, this story is more than a year old

The benefits of zero trust extend beyond network security, according to a new study.

Nemertes, a global research-based advisory and consulting firm that analyses the business value of emerging technologies, announced the release of a Real Economic Value study on Appgate SDP, an industry-leading Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution. The independent study, based on customer interviews with enterprise technology leaders from multiple industries, quantifies the business value and operational impact of Appgate SDP.

The Nemertes study emphasised three common ZTNA use cases:

  • VPN replacement, which was the most common scenario with 44% of participants reporting they utilise Appgate SDP to modernise secure remote connections;
  • Securing DevOps to provide developers with dynamic access to network resources, and;
  • Cloud migration to unify access policies and controls across all on-premises and cloud-based environments.

"There's little doubt that Zero Trust represents the future of network security. But what many fail to appreciate is the 'halo effect' that implementing a ZTNA-enabled Zero Trust framework can have on aspects of the business that extend far beyond network security," says Johna Till Johnson, president and founder of Nemertes and one of the study's authors.

"The interviews we conducted with these Appgate customers were surprising and illuminating. From streamlining the onboarding of new customers and accelerating digital transformation to improving employee satisfaction, this study shows how a Zero Trust Network Access security approach can serve as a springboard for innovation," he says.

Some of the key findings from the report include:

Using Appgate SDP accelerates digital transformation. Participants reported that Appgate SDP accelerated digital transformation initiatives by an average of 119%. They cite concrete examples, such as the ability to quickly onboard vendors while maintaining a solid security stance. One high-tech respondent said, Appgate makes it possible to innovate at the rate desired by business, not at a rate constrained by the CISO and IT.

Appgate SDP is highly strategic to Zero Trust security initiatives. On a scale of 1 to 10where 10 is "most strategic to Zero Trust"respondents rated Appgate SDP at a 9.5. "Appgate has given us a degree of control we never thought possible," said a senior security analyst at a publishing organisation. And the head of IT services at a manufacturing customer added, "Appgate is the only viable Zero Trust tool we have today."

Appgate SDP enables work-from-home (WFH) and hybrid WFH environments. All participants reported a dramatic increase (1148%) in the number of employees working from home pre-COVID-19 vs. during and post-pandemic and viewed Appgate SDP as a critical enabler. A senior technology strategist at a high-tech company said, We are dramatically downsizing physical space Appgate SDP makes this possible by enabling direct connections to workloads wherever, securely.

Appgate SDP improves operational efficiency. All participants reported improvements ranging from 50% to 100% in at least one of the following operational metrics: time to provision new users; staff count required to manage provisioning; trouble tickets related to log-ons and application access; security incidents related to log-ons and application access; user login times; and the ability to handle multiple simultaneous users.

 "While we talk to our customers on a daily basis, we wanted an independent, unfiltered assessment on how they apply Appgate SDP in production environments and quantify its economic and operational benefits," says Barry Field, CEO of Appgate.

"The Nemertes report covers compelling, instructive use cases that showcase how innovative organisations are leveraging Appgate to modernise secure access controls, build a Zero Trust framework and accelerate transformative business initiatives."