New Research Reveals Widespread Movement to Replace VPNs with Zero Trust Network Access

Zscaler, Inc., (NASDAQ: ZS) the leader in cloud security, today announced results from the first industry survey to examine enterprise adoption of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). The 2019 Zero Trust Adoption Report, conducted by Cybersecurity Insiders, reveals that 15 percent of organizations have already enacted ZTNA and more than half (59 percent) plan to implement ZTNA in the next 12 months. This means only three of every 20 organizations are protected against VPN attacks, which are some of the latest security breaches impacting business operations.

Business leaders are under tremendous pressure to move to the cloud to deliver a better customer experience, but they must be able to protect the business while doing so. ZTNA services are built to ensure that only authorized users can access specific applications based on business policies. Unlike VPNs, users are never placed on the network and apps are never exposed to the internet. This creates a zero attack surface, protecting the business from threats like the recent wave of malware and successful VPN attacks. Other key survey findings include:

• 61 percent of organizations are concerned about partners with weak security practices accessing internal applications.
• BYOD is still an IT security reality in 2019 as 57 percent of organizations are prioritizing secure access from personal, unmanaged devices.
• 53 percent of respondents believe their current security technology can mitigate their risk even though legacy technologies directly connect users to the network - expanding the attack surface.

“With state-sponsored groups exploiting known flaws in VPNs, organizations need to reduce the attack surface by rethinking how they secure and provide access to their apps in a cloud and mobile-first world,” said Patrick Foxhoven, CIO, Zscaler. “Though it is encouraging to see so many organizations are pursuing ZTNA to close gaps created by VPNs, I am surprised that more than half of those surveyed believe their current infrastructure is reliable enough to protect the enterprise.”

The 2019 Zero Trust Adoption report surveyed 315 IT and cybersecurity professionals across multiple industries. Visit the Zscaler website for more information on the 2019 Zero Trust Adoption Report.