SD-WAN was the right solution at the right time. It enabled organizations to accelerate their digital transformation efforts by providing flexible, optimized access to critical applications and resources to workers in remote offices. With the expansion of remote work and hackers becoming more complex in their threats as the Allianz Risk Barometer’s survey reveal that cyber incidents are the biggest concern for companies globally in 2022. Combining SD-WAN and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) can fill the holes that SD-WAN leaves unsecured and provide top security for your data.  

SD-WAN and security 

One of the biggest challenges from the start has been security. Many business-critical applications include proprietary information or conversations. Most are hosted in locations where other critical assets live, especially for applications deployed inside the corporate data center. Direct access to these resources from a remote location exposes the entire organization to risk. 

Most security tools are designed to protect predictable traffic patterns from a fixed point in the perimeter. Building an SD-WAN solution directly into a security platform addresses this challenge. When SD-WAN operates as a fully featured connectivity solution within a security framework, policy enforcement and deep traffic inspection can automatically adapt to connectivity changes while maintaining user experience. 

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) 

According to Gartner by 2022, 80% of new digital business applications opened up to ecosystem partners will be accessed through ZTNA, and by 2023 60% of enterprises will phase out their remote access virtual private networks (VPN) in favor of ZTNA. 

Zero-trust is based on the idea that any user or device may have already been compromised. Because of that, access to specific resources is restricted by default and only granted based on things like multi-factor authentication, device profiling, user rights, and corporate policy.  

Better together: SD-WAN and ZTNA 

The best approach is to use a Secure SD-WAN solution with native ZTNA functionality built in. SD-WAN connections can be dynamically authenticated and secured, application traffic (even encrypted traffic) can be inspected, and connections can be logged or terminated when an unauthorized or unexpected cyber event occurs. And on the back end, all three solutions—SD-WAN for connectivity, ZTNA for secure access, and enterprise-grade security for traffic inspection and protection—can be configured, orchestrated, and managed using the same centralized console.  

Implementing ZTNA and SD-WAN as a single, fully integrated solution just makes sense. As organizations make Work from Anywhere (WFA) permanent, they need reliable tools designed for the way they do business today. And those tools need to operate consistently wherever they are deployed, so every user and device is protected, user experience is secure and reliable regardless of location, and all applications, data, and workflows are protected end to end. Contact us at Access Tech for a complimentary call where we can assess your business security needs and find the best solution for you, all without breaking the bank and ensuring the best security. We have been helping customers for years by connecting business strategy to IT solutions.