Alstom’s 10 year security transformation journey with Zscaler

From a Security Decision to a Business Enabler: How Alstom Scales Secure Transformation 

When Alstom Transport split off from its parent company a decade ago, the innovative mobility provider had the unique opportunity to reinvent the IT infrastructure of the organisation from scratch. Leadership made a strategic decision to move away from a traditional hardware-based security model to support a bigger digital transformation initiative at global scale. Using a cloud-based security platform, Alstom’s IT network and security divisions wanted to enable teams to work effectively from anywhere without compromising security, stability, or user experience.

That’s why Alstom and Zscaler have continued to expand their customer journey over the past 10 years. What started as a security-led decision to provide secure bandwidth for the adoption of the cloud and centrally managed but distributed internet access, has evolved into a long-term platform strategy supporting the cloud-first modernization, new service-led business priorities, and rapid change events like mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Today, the world's only pure rail leader delivers complete mobility systems from future-ready trains to advanced signalling and end-to-end maintenance services, including rail operations in 63 countries across the globe, and IT operations rely on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform for security.

The journey towards an improved security level for changing business requirements

A future proof infrastructure and expansion of modernized IT cloud adoption was the key priority after the spin off. The organization needed a security foundation that could keep up with the pace of business change and standardized, reliable access to corporate applications worldwide. “Our main driver has been enabling digital tools everywhere with a robust and stable security solution to enable secure access to corporate applications as fast as possible and as secure as possible,” said Yann Barera, Global Head of Network at Alstom.

At the same time, the chosen cloud security platform supported faster M&A and divestitures without compromising security of the organisation. Major change moments like a merger always puts enormous pressure on IT and security teams. Alstom’s approach has been to move quickly with the integration of IT, for example after Bombardier Transportation was acquired in 2021, while maintaining strong protections. The adoption of Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) supported the integration as an overlay technology that allowed a fast merger to a homogenized network within only two months. The global cloud platform did give the business the required transparency and security controls with minimal disruption for the business and allowed the IT team to do all the plumbing in the background. With the same speed and precision, Alstom was able to resell two business divisions and turn around a fast separation to allocate the financial win from the sale without compromising security levels.

Evolving to a security platform approach

Over time, flexible security requirements of the organization increased: stronger controls, more visibility, and the ability to introduce new capabilities like AI without adding operational complexity. Alstom’s strategy to meet that demand has been to integrate the existing security platform deeper into their operations. As AI adoption was moving quickly, and Alstom was leaning into the new capabilities fast, they remained focused on governance, access control, and IP protection with Zscaler AI security. The goal has been reached to enable productivity for staff by allowing the use of GenAI and innovation while keeping sensitive data protected and usage controlled.

When Alstom continued expanding services across the train lifecycle, secure and mobile remote access for staff became a growth enabler. In many real-world environments in the mobility universe, Wi-Fi isn’t always available or reliable and hence the IT network security team has explored secure connectivity over cellular networks to support remote maintenance and operational use cases. With Zscaler Cellular, Alstom will be able to extend security and connectivity to new scenarios aligned to its evolving business model as a maintenance service provider.

Consolidation and insights: security value beyond security

Modernization isn’t only about adding protection it’s also about simplifying and optimizing. The IT organization continues to consolidate traditional, hardware-based approaches and continuously seeks actionable insights to identify cost saving potential. With improved visibility teams can support business decisions more broadly, connecting IT outcomes to operational efficiency. Using Zscaler Business Insights intelligence enabled the facility management team to reduce real estate space in line with staff requirements to work on-site.

For Alstom, the Zscaler journey has been about delivering the right technical solution to meet business needs fast, securely, and at global scale. The innovations of the mobility company has resulted in new standards of passenger experience, performance and inclusivity, making it easier for society to transition to cleaner forms of transport. And going along with this aspiration, business requirements continue to evolve around remote service delivery, AI security, consolidation, and the next wave of transformation. The network and security team of Alstom has recently decided to invest into the platform approach once more to be prepared to support what comes next.

If you want to hear more about the Alstom transformation journey with Zscaler, visit Zenith Live Vienna from 15th to 18th of June 2026 and listen to their mainstage keynote.