Here’s a topic we would typically cover on MSP Today – ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access.
We’ll cover it, then circle round to its relevance with an IoT spin.
ZTNA enables organizations to implement a “Zero Trust” security model, i.e. consistently operating under the assumption that threats are present both inside and outside a network. As a result, Zero Trust demands strict verification for every user and every device before authorization for accessing internal resources is ultimately granted.
Personally, I first learned about ZTNA when I briefly worked for a cloud services provider, but it’s certainly a broadly applicable model (which is ironic, given its very foundation is built on “default to deny” and I think that’s interesting). ZTNA treats application access separately from network access, it doesn’t expose IP addresses, and it can be configured slightly differently because it often depends on the organization/vendor in question. Top ZTNA solutions provides include the likes of Cloudflare, Palo Alto Networks, Google, Zscaler and others.
And one of said others?
Genians.
With the better part of two decades’ worth of experience in security (and more than 160 employees, roughly two-thirds of which are engineers), Genians secures millions of endpoints for organizations; for education, healthcare, energy, finance, government entities, you name it. Big names like Starbucks, BMW, Hyundai, LG, eBay and Samsung place great trust in Zero Trust-centric solutions. (A little play on words there, sure, but a truth nevertheless.)
Moreover, Genians’ Universal ZTNA seamlessly integrates with Network Access Control (NAC) technology to ensure secure asset access, regardless of network architecture or a user’s location. This is especially important, given how networks have evolved and modern business needs have changed due to BYOD (“bring your own device”) and hybrid/work-from-home setups. So with the company’s Universal ZTNA, teams can select flexible deployment options for their workers (and all corresponding devices) that open the doors for critical, real-time visibility and truly secure network access.
So, that’s the background on Genians, ZTNA and NAC.
Here’s the IoT part of this story:
Announced this morning, Genians is reinforcing its commitment to “securing the digital future” by extending its global reach “into IoT and critical infrastructure security,” according to the press release.
This is a good move. The proliferation of IoT devices is, well, proliferating. As devices and overall systems are adopted far and wide (and become more complex, to boot), so too do the sophisticated tools that bad actors can use to wrench their way into business data, thus creating an even more treacherous cyber threat landscape. This definitely backs up why the pros at Genians have expanded its NAC-driven ZTNA solutions into IoT; they’re providing granular access controls to a now-wider spectrum of IT resources.
Kyeyeon Kim, co-founder and CTO of Genians, had this to say.
"Over the past two decades, Genians has been at the forefront of helping organizations—from Fortune 500 enterprises to small and medium-sized businesses—secure their IT and OT environments,” Kim explained. “As global business operations expand, there is a critical need for solutions that are both flexible and scalable. Our NAC-driven ZTNA meets this need, ensuring comprehensive and seamless security across both traditional and modern infrastructures.”
To learn more about what Genians is offering (including a
free, 30-day trial), read
here.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
