WatchGuard Technologies has rolled out the WatchGuard Zero Trust Bundle, a solution designed to bring the concept of zero trust within reach for organisations of all sizes. Historically, assembling identity, endpoint, access, and network tools has been a costly and disruptive affair, but this new offering aims to streamline these facets into a unified, cloud-based framework.
The release of this bundle is timely, as cyber threats continue to evolve. WatchGuard’s latest Internet Security Report highlights an increase in evasive malware, with a 40% surge quarter-on-quarter. Additionally, 70% of malware is now delivered over encrypted channels, undermining traditional security measures. This underscores the critical need for integrated identity checks, device validation, and session-level enforcement to function in unison.
Although organisations have pursued zero trust models for over a decade, it remains a challenge due to its disruptive nature. By leveraging WatchGuard’s recent implementation of FireCloud Total Access, the Zero Trust Bundle aims to provide a viable path towards zero trust, free from the intricacies of outdated enterprise systems.
The Zero Trust Bundle aims to provide:
- Total Identity Security: Incorporating adaptive MFA, SSO, risk scoring, and advanced Dark Web Credential Monitoring to preemptively identify compromised credentials.
- EPDR (Endpoint Protection, Detection & Response): Offering continuous device checks and automated threat prevention with Zero-Trust Application Control.
- FireCloud Total Access: A cloud-driven replacement for traditional VPNs, offering swift, context-aware secure access.
These solutions operate under the governance of WatchGuard Cloud and ThreatSync XDR, delivering automated containment, simplified licensing, and efficient multi-tenant operations, managed through a Zero Trust Control Plane.
An enhancement to WatchGuard's framework is the integration of Dark Web Credential Monitoring within AuthPoint Total Identity Security. This feature seeks to extend zero trust to the early stages of the authentication process, fortifying security by identifying compromised credentials before malicious actors can exploit them.
The Zero Trust Bundle is positioned to deliver value without the traditional complexities. It seeks to enable accurate, risk-based access decisions, maintain hardened devices, and reduce VPN constraints, while accelerating response times through unified signalling.
The bundle replaces the legacy Passport solution, charting a scalable and modernised course for advancing zero trust, while reducing operational friction. This seeks to empower organisations and MSPs to enhance their security landscape, offering clients more protection without added complexity.
