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Louise McCarthy, Zscaler, Consultant and former HSBC COO
powerful business enabler, it is continuously compelling businesses to fundamentally change their technology ecosystems.
However, as a result of the rapid cloud adoption necessary to drive Digital Transformation, the corporate perimeter is being eroded. This is turning the traditional security model on its head. Visibility across the entire enterprise network, as well as connected device traffic, is now critical in defending corporate assets from hackers. While traditional network security made sense when every application was hosted in the data centre and users were connected to the network, applications are now moving to the cloud and users are increasingly embracing mobile, making the stacks of appliances sitting in the data centre more and more irrelevant. This traditional security model forces all traffic through the centralised data centre for security and access controls – a complex configuration that often results in a terrible user experience.
The move to the cloud showcases how transformation has changed over time. As a
As the geometry of the network changes with the move to implement cloud-based applications, a lot of other screws have to be adjusted as well. It starts with adapting the network infrastructure, which allows local Internet breakouts for every subsidiary and continues with Internet security and new policies. As applications are no longer physically located in the enterprise perimeter, but instead stored in the cloud, a perimeter-based approach is no longer appropriate. The more mobile workforce also compounds the need for a new longer-term solution that takes advantage of today’ s sophisticated technology and is able to control risk while considering user experience at the same time.
While there are multiple challenges to be faced with the current complexity of Digital Transformation, organisations need to be looking at cloud-centric solutions when it comes to their Digital Transformation as opposed to quick fixes that save costs in the short run. With the cloudification aspect of Digital Transformation, businesses will see continuous cost reduction and customer service improvement, greatly increasing their digital readiness. • www. intelligentcio. com INTELLIGENTCIO
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