'Simple, secure' network access

Cloud-based Universal ZTNA to offer network access control, access point and switch security within a single solution, creating a frictionless user experience and consistent security policy.

  • Tuesday, 7th November 2023 Posted 1 year ago in by Phil Alsop

Extreme Networks has  introduced ExtremeCloud Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), said to be the industry’s simplest, most complete network access solution. Offered as a subscription service for ExtremeCloud customers, Universal ZTNA is the first network security offering to integrate network, application and device access security within a single solution. With unified observability, visualisation and reporting, Extreme has removed complexity for IT teams when it comes to managing and securing user access across the campus, branch, remote sites and anywhere across the Infinite Enterprise.

Organisations are more distributed than ever before, which poses challenges for IT departments defending against an advanced cyber threat landscape. With Universal ZTNA from Extreme, organisations have an easy-to-manage access layer that spans anywhere that users connect to the network. This enables secure, cost-efficient operations and better support for IoT devices such as medical, patient or guest devices across a hospital campus; remote employees accessing work applications for daily tasks; or educators teaching online classes.

Universal ZTNA is another execution point against Extreme’s One Network, One Cloud strategy which dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of enterprise networking.

Key Benefits of ExtremeCloud Universal ZTNA (Available in early 2024):

• Bolster Security Organisation-Wide: Organisations can easily establish and maintain a consistent security policy across their network with a single solution to manage and enforce an identity-level zero trust policy for all users. IT teams can simply create policies to establish least-privileged access for users, extend secure access for multiple guest cohorts and set up and revoke access for trusted IoT devices. Remote traffic travels securely to the cloud, improving performance for remote users and reducing reliance on point solutions like VPNs.

• Lower Costs and Increase Operational Efficiency: Universal ZTNA is offered as a subscription within ExtremeCloud. Where competitive solutions require multiple licenses and offer no scale, Universal ZTNA helps reduce costs and increase operational efficiency via a single solution that is priced by the number of users across the network and can easily scale with the needs of the business. Universal ZTNA also eliminates the need for additional user identity platforms by offering Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)-as-a-Service. Additionally, Universal ZTNA integrates with identity providers, including Google Workspace, Azure AD and MDM solutions like MS Intune, and enables IT teams to automatically configure and secure devices, providing IT with granular device health and authentication.

• Eliminate Friction of Managing Point Solutions: Universal ZTNA enables IT teams to manage user network and application access no matter where the user is located, as well as guest and IoT device access, all within the same easy-to-use solution. Further, Universal ZTNA is cloud-based and takes less than a day to deploy, creating immediate value. With automated onboarding and configuration for all Extreme Universal Platforms, teams can quickly add and set up network devices and user access, which instantly strengthens security and moves organisations to a Zero Trust policy for all devices across the network.