Zero Trust architecture products should you know about? Cisco Duo and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA), are two popular products in the Zero Trust space that organisations are utlitising in an attempt to grapple with the complexities of securing an ever-expanding digital landscape. As cybersecurity has increasingly become under threat from numerous attacks, Zero Trust Architecture has emerged as a beacon light in the cybersecurity domain.
Cisco Duo : Two-factor authentication meets adaptive security, is a popular product available to individuals and businesses who are wanting stronger protection against data breaches. At its core, Cisco Duo is a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution designed to protect against unauthorized access to sensitive data and applications. However, Duo also excelles beyond traditional MFA. By offering adaptive security features that allows you to tailor your access policies based on user context, pretty smart right?
With over 40,000 customers, Duo’s best qualities allow its products to stand apart from the rest. Focusing on a user-friendly experience, customers receive an intuitive interface with a straightforward setup process to provide simplicity and ease of use. This makes their product desirable for organisations of all sizes!
Being named as the best two-factor authentication (2FA) app by the New York Times Wirecutter, Duo’s customers access a seamless integration when using their product. Flexibility ensures that you can easily incorporate Duo into your already existing infrastructure without significant overhauls. Such integration involved various applications, VPNs and cloud services. But how does Cisco Duo apply to a real life scenario?
Applying Cisco Duo to healthcare organisations for example, can ensure that only authorized personnel can access critical information, whilst also meeting strict HIPAA compliance requirements. Furthermore, Duo’s adaptive security features enable the organisation to enforce strict access policies, such as requiring MFA for remote access or blocking access from untrusted devices.
It is notable that while Duo is designed to be user-friendly, some businesses such as those on a healthcare scale, may still require dedicated staff for initial setup and ongoing management in order to ensure optimal security and performance.
Another dominant cybersecurity product is Zscler Private Access (ZPA). ZPA is a cloud-native Zero Trust access solution that provides smooth and secure access to internal applications without exposing the internal network to external threats. Nice and secure. ZPA enables you to enforce granular access controls whilst gaining real-time visibility into user activity. How will this benefit organisations you may be wondering.
By adopting cloud-native architecture, ZPA allows their customers to scale their security infrastructure as needed whilst ensuring consistent performance even when their network environment evolves. What else could you possibly ask for? Well to simply put it, another distinctive feature of ZPA is its real-time analytics and visibility. The appeal of this to customers is that it aids companies in identifying potential security risks and simultaneously improving security posture.
Differentiating from Cisco Duo, ZPA will be ideal for when applying to a global workforce. The Covid pandemic saw many global companies embrace remote and flexible working arrangements. ZPA ensures secure access to internal applications without exposing them to threats.
The use of Zero Trust Architecture is becoming more of a necessity rather than an option, keeping in the loop of emerging technologies is crucial to safely protecting your organisation.
