Extreme Networks Expands Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): New Features for Shadow IT and Policy Management
Extreme Networks, a leading provider of wired and wireless networking solutions, has recently expanded its Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution with new features designed to address the challenges posed by shadow IT and policy management in today’s complex digital environments. This expansion builds upon Extreme’s ZTNA foundation, which includes microsegmentation, identity-based access control, and real-time threat detection, ensuring secure access to applications regardless of where they are located or how they are accessed.
Addressing Shadow IT
One of the new features is the ability to automatically discover and onboard unmanaged devices, enabling organizations to extend Zero Trust security to their shadow IT landscape. Shadow IT refers to the use of IT systems, devices, software, applications, or services without explicit IT department approval, which can create significant security risks. By automatically discovering and securing these unmanaged devices with ZTNA, organizations can ensure that even unsanctioned applications are accessed securely.
Improving Policy Management
Another new feature is the enhancement of policy management capabilities, making it easier for organizations to manage and enforce Zero Trust policies across their networks. With this update, administrators can now create and apply policies based on a wide range of attributes, including user roles, device types, locations, and application usage patterns. These policies can also be dynamically adjusted in real-time based on changing conditions, ensuring that security stays ahead of evolving threats.
In Conclusion
The expansion of Extreme Networks’ Universal Zero Trust Network Access solution with features for addressing shadow IT and enhancing policy management demonstrates the company’s commitment to helping organizations secure their complex digital environments. By extending Zero Trust security to unmanaged devices, improving policy management capabilities, and maintaining its foundation of microsegmentation, identity-based access control, and real-time threat detection, Extreme Networks enables organizations to secure their applications and data, regardless of how or where they are accessed.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) in the Digital Age: Extreme Networks’ Commitment to Advanced Security Solutions
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), a cybersecurity strategy that requires strict identity verification for every access request, has gained significant importance in the digital age. With the increasing number of remote workers and the growing sophistication of cyber threats, traditional network security models are no longer sufficient to protect organizations’ sensitive data.
Background
The shift towards remote work and cloud-based services has led to an explosion of digital endpoints, making it nearly impossible for organizations to trust every access request based on a user’s location or the network they are connected to.
Extreme Networks: A Leader in Advanced Network Security Solutions
Extreme Networks, a leading networking technology solutions provider, recognizes the growing importance of Zero Trust Network Access and has made it a top priority for its offerings. The company’s commitment to network security is reflected in its advanced solutions designed to provide secure access to applications and data, regardless of where users are located or what devices they are using.
Zero Trust Network Access
Extreme Networks’ Zero Trust Network Access solution ensures that every access request is verified through multiple factors before granting access, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
Extreme Networks’ Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offering combines Zero Trust Network Access with other security functions, such as firewalling and secure web gateway, to provide a comprehensive security solution for organizations.
Advanced Threat Protection
The company’s advanced threat protection capabilities, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, help organizations identify and respond to potential threats in real-time.
Conclusion
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the need for advanced network security solutions that can adapt to new threats and remote working environments becomes increasingly essential. Extreme Networks’ commitment to Zero Trust Network Access, SASE, and advanced threat protection positions the company as a leader in providing organizations with the necessary tools to secure their sensitive data and protect against cyber threats.
Extreme Networks’ Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Solution
Extreme Networks’ Universal ZTNA solution is a next-generation, zero trust network access (ZTNA) platform designed to secure and simplify remote access for organizations. This innovative offering builds upon Extreme Networks’ extensive networking expertise, delivering a comprehensive solution that addresses the evolving needs of modern enterprises.
Core Features
The Universal ZTNA solution encompasses several key features:
- Dynamic Access Policies: Automatically enforce granular, context-aware access policies based on user identity, location, device type, and application.
- Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Integrates with popular MFA methods to ensure secure authentication.
- Application Access: Provides secure access to on-premises and cloud applications through a single interface, without requiring VPNs.
- Integration with Existing Infrastructure: Seamlessly integrates with existing networking, security, and directory services to minimize disruption.
Benefits
The Universal ZTNA solution offers several compelling benefits for organizations, including:
- Improved Security: Zero trust access ensures that only authorized users have access to resources, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
- Simplified Access: Users can easily and securely access applications from anywhere, using any device.
- Streamlined Management: Centralized management and reporting simplifies administration and helps maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.
Conclusion
Extreme Networks’ Universal ZTNA solution is a powerful and flexible platform that addresses the challenges of securing remote access in today’s complex IT environments. By offering dynamic access policies, multi-factor authentication, application access, and seamless integration with existing infrastructure, the solution enables organizations to securely enable remote work while reducing complexity and improving overall security posture.
I New Features for Shadow IT Management
Shadow IT, the use of IT systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit IT department approval, is a growing challenge within organizations. Approximately 50% of IT spending is estimated to be outside the control of traditional IT departments. This trend can lead to potential security risks, non-compliance with organizational policies, and increased costs.
Introduction to the challenge of managing shadow IT within organizations
Shadow IT is not a new phenomenon, but it has become more prevalent with the increasing use of cloud services and the proliferation of mobile devices. Employees often turn to shadow IT due to the need for faster deployment, easier access, or better functionality compared to approved solutions. However, this can lead to security vulnerabilities, data breaches, and compliance issues.
Description of Extreme Networks’ new shadow IT management features:
Extreme Networks, a leading provider of wired and wireless networking solutions, has introduced new features to help organizations better manage their shadow IT. These features include:
Visibility and reporting tools:
Extreme Networks’ solution provides organizations with the ability to identify unauthorized devices or applications on their network using advanced visibility and reporting tools. This allows IT teams to gain insights into shadow IT usage, enabling them to take appropriate actions.
Centralized control:
Centralized control is a crucial aspect of managing shadow IT, and Extreme Networks’ solution offers this functionality. IT teams can enforce security policies for shadow IT assets, ensuring that they comply with organizational standards and regulations.
Automated risk assessment and remediation capabilities:
Extreme Networks’ solution also includes automated risk assessment and remediation capabilities. This feature allows IT teams to identify potential security threats and take action to mitigate them, reducing the risk of data breaches or other security incidents.
Discussion on the potential impact of these features on organizational security:
The new shadow IT management features offered by Extreme Networks have the potential to significantly enhance an organization’s security posture. By providing better visibility and control over unauthorized devices and applications, IT teams can proactively address potential security threats and ensure compliance with organizational policies. The automated risk assessment and remediation capabilities further streamline this process, enabling organizations to respond quickly and effectively to security incidents. Overall, these features demonstrate Extreme Networks’ commitment to helping organizations better manage their shadow IT and mitigate the associated risks.
Policy Management Enhancements
Extreme Networks, a leading provider of wired and wireless network infrastructure solutions, has recently introduced new granular and advanced policy management capabilities to its portfolio. These enhancements are designed to provide IT teams with unprecedented control over user and device access, ensuring a secure network environment while streamlining day-to-day operations.
Granular Control over User and Device Access
With Extreme Networks’ innovative policy management solution, network administrators can now implement more detailed access policies. By enabling granular control over user and device permissions, organizations can define specific access privileges based on various parameters such as location, group membership, time of day, and network conditions.
Automated Policy Enforcement Across the Network
Beyond granular control, Extreme Networks’ policy management enhancements bring automation to the table. Automated policy enforcement ensures consistent application of security policies across the entire network, regardless of location or scale. This automation not only saves IT teams valuable time and resources but also significantly reduces the risk of human error leading to security vulnerabilities.
Real-life Use Case: Streamlined Operations and Enhanced Security
Consider a large financial institution with thousands of employees, spread across multiple locations. Implementing access control policies manually for each user and device could be both time-consuming and error-prone, increasing the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access. With Extreme Networks’ new policy management capabilities, this financial institution can easily apply granular access policies, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information. Furthermore, automated policy enforcement ensures that these policies are consistently enforced across all locations and devices, reducing the risk of security breaches due to misconfigured settings or human error.
Improved Security Posture and IT Efficiency
The combination of granular control and automation offered by Extreme Networks’ policy management enhancements significantly improves an organization’s security posture. By providing IT teams with the ability to define and enforce detailed access policies, organizations can minimize risk and protect their networks from threats, both internal and external. Additionally, these policy management improvements lead to increased efficiency in IT operations. Network administrators save time and resources by implementing and enforcing policies consistently across the entire network, freeing up valuable IT resources for more strategic projects.
Integration with Other Extreme Networks Solutions
Extreme Networks’ new security features are not only standalone solutions but also integrate seamlessly with other Extreme Networks offerings, creating a comprehensive and holistic security solution. One of the most notable integrations is with Extreme’s Wi-Fi solutions. With the advanced security features, organizations can secure their Wi-Fi networks from unauthorized access and rogue access points. Both wired and wireless networks are protected through centralized policy management, ensuring a consistent security posture across the entire network infrastructure.
Furthermore, SD-WAN integration enables organizations to apply security policies consistently across their WAN environment. The Extreme Networks security solution offers zero trust network access (ZTNA) capabilities, which, when integrated with SD-WAN, allow secure remote access for employees, contractors, and third parties. With ZTNA in place, only authenticated users are granted access to the network resources, ensuring that sensitive information remains protected.
Moreover, Extreme’s security features can be integrated with their Intelligent Campus Fabric. The
Intelligent Campus Fabric
is a cloud-driven network architecture that provides advanced analytics, automation, and integration capabilities across wired, wireless, and SD-WAN networks. By integrating security features with the Intelligent Campus Fabric, organizations can gain deeper insights into network behavior, automate security responses, and manage policies across their entire infrastructure more effectively.
Lastly, Extreme Networks’ security features can be integrated with various third-party solutions through open APIs and partnerships. This allows organizations to build customized security solutions tailored to their specific needs, further enhancing the overall value proposition.
Conclusion
Extreme Networks’ new security features are more than just standalone solutions. Their seamless integration with other Extreme Networks offerings, such as Wi-Fi and SD-WAN, creates a comprehensive security solution that can protect both wired and wireless networks consistently. The integration with the Intelligent Campus Fabric provides deeper insights and advanced automation capabilities, while open APIs enable customization to fit specific organizational needs.
VI. Market Impact and Competitive Analysis
Extreme Networks’ ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) offerings have been making waves in the cybersecurity market, drawing comparisons with industry giants such as
Cisco
,
Palo Alto Networks
, and
Fortinet
. In this section, we will analyze the key differentiators that set Extreme Networks apart from its competitors in terms of
pricing
,
features
, and
ease of use
.
Pricing:
Extreme Networks’ ZTNA solution is designed to offer competitive pricing compared to its rivals. While the exact pricing varies depending on the specific needs of a business, Extreme Networks’ ZTNA is generally considered more cost-effective than Cisco’s AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client or Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access. Fortinet’s Safe Access also competes on pricing, but Extreme Networks differentiate themselves further with more advanced features at a lower cost.
Features:
In terms of features, Extreme Networks’ ZTNA stands out with its context-based access controls, which enable granular policy management based on user, device, location, and application context. This is a significant differentiator from Cisco’s AnyConnect, which lacks the same level of granularity. Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access and Fortinet’s Safe Access do offer similar features, but Extreme Networks’ solution is often more cost-effective.
Ease of Use:
Lastly, Extreme Networks’ ZTNA solution is known for its user-friendly interface and ease of deployment. The intuitive management console simplifies the administration process, making it a popular choice among organizations that value simplicity alongside advanced security features. This sets Extreme Networks apart from Cisco’s AnyConnect and Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access, which are known for their complex setup processes. Fortinet’s Safe Access does offer a user-friendly interface, but Extreme Networks’ solution is often considered more affordable with similar ease of use.
V Conclusion
In this comprehensive exploration of Extreme Networks’ Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution, we’ve delved into its innovative features designed to revolutionize network security. Let’s take a moment to recap these advancements and underscore their significance for managing shadow IT and policy management.
Feature Recap
- Zero Trust Model: Granular access control to minimize the attack surface.
- Continuous Verification: Real-time checks to ensure only authorized users access resources.
- Contextual Authentication: Multi-factor authentication based on user and device context.
- Flexible Deployment: On-premises, cloud, or hybrid deployment options.
Benefits
These features enable organizations to effectively manage shadow IT, reduce risks associated with unauthorized access, and maintain a strong security posture. By adopting this solution, companies can also streamline their policy management efforts to ensure compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies.
Market Positioning
These enhancements solidify Extreme Networks’ standing as a leader in the zero trust security market. By focusing on ease-of-deployment, continuous verification, and policy automation, Extreme Networks sets itself apart from competitors.
Call to Action
If you’re looking for a robust zero trust network access solution to address your organization’s unique security challenges, it’s time to explore Extreme Networks’ Universal ZTNTo learn more about the potential impact on your network security, link or contact their sales team. Empower your business with the peace of mind that comes from a comprehensive zero trust security strategy.
