Zscaler Case Studies Curalate's Digital Commerce Optimization with Zscaler Private Access

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	Curalate's Digital Commerce Optimization with Zscaler Private Access Zscaler

Curalate's Digital Commerce Optimization with Zscaler Private Access

Zscaler

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud
Applicable Industries	Cement Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions	Procurement
Use Cases	Construction Management Infrastructure Inspection
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
Challenge	Curalate, a digital commerce optimization platform, was facing challenges with its Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) instances housed on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company was using OpenVPN, an open-source VPN product, to provide access to applications housed in the VPCs. However, this system had several drawbacks. Firstly, to access a specific application, the end user had to know which VPC hosted that application, requiring the user to have knowledge of the network. Secondly, OpenVPN had performance, usability, and redundancy challenges. Lastly, it lacked granular access based on policy, and policy management was difficult as each VPN instance needed to be updated every time an application access policy was changed. Despite having built its infrastructure on the latest cloud-based technology with AWS, Curalate's day-to-day operations were being impacted by the legacy 20-year-old VPN technology required to access that infrastructure. Read More
About Customer	Curalate is a digital commerce optimization platform based in Philadelphia, PA. The company's mission is to create an adaptive commerce experience that is visual, personal, and contextual to the consumer by adapting offsite touchpoints for commerce, and onsite experiences for discovery. This mission is built on the web’s promise of high performance, elastic scalability, and consistent uptime. The Curalate platform optimizes digital commerce for more than 800 brands, providing tools to help consumers discover their next purchase. The company runs its entire IT infrastructure on AWS, including software development and production. Read More
Solution	Curalate found a solution to these challenges with Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). ZPA abstracts the application from the network upon which it resides, making access seamless and identical whether the user is in the corporate office or on the road. The end user does not need to know where an application is housed, nor does a user have to choose between different locations. Redundancy and high availability are built in with ZPA, just as they are with AWS. ZPA also provides application-specific access, restricting access to authorized users only, making the applications themselves completely invisible to unauthorized users. This makes lateral movement within the VPC impossible, as access is specific to applications, not to IP addresses. ZPA was also easy to configure and deploy, with Curalate going from proof of concept to production deployment in only three weeks. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud

Applicable Industries

Cement

Construction & Infrastructure

Applicable Functions

Procurement

Use Cases

Construction Management

Infrastructure Inspection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

Challenge

Curalate, a digital commerce optimization platform, was facing challenges with its Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) instances housed on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company was using OpenVPN, an open-source VPN product, to provide access to applications housed in the VPCs. However, this system had several drawbacks. Firstly, to access a specific application, the end user had to know which VPC hosted that application, requiring the user to have knowledge of the network. Secondly, OpenVPN had performance, usability, and redundancy challenges. Lastly, it lacked granular access based on policy, and policy management was difficult as each VPN instance needed to be updated every time an application access policy was changed. Despite having built its infrastructure on the latest cloud-based technology with AWS, Curalate's day-to-day operations were being impacted by the legacy 20-year-old VPN technology required to access that infrastructure.

About Customer

Curalate is a digital commerce optimization platform based in Philadelphia, PA. The company's mission is to create an adaptive commerce experience that is visual, personal, and contextual to the consumer by adapting offsite touchpoints for commerce, and onsite experiences for discovery. This mission is built on the web’s promise of high performance, elastic scalability, and consistent uptime. The Curalate platform optimizes digital commerce for more than 800 brands, providing tools to help consumers discover their next purchase. The company runs its entire IT infrastructure on AWS, including software development and production.

Solution

Curalate found a solution to these challenges with Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). ZPA abstracts the application from the network upon which it resides, making access seamless and identical whether the user is in the corporate office or on the road. The end user does not need to know where an application is housed, nor does a user have to choose between different locations. Redundancy and high availability are built in with ZPA, just as they are with AWS. ZPA also provides application-specific access, restricting access to authorized users only, making the applications themselves completely invisible to unauthorized users. This makes lateral movement within the VPC impossible, as access is specific to applications, not to IP addresses. ZPA was also easy to configure and deploy, with Curalate going from proof of concept to production deployment in only three weeks.

Impact #1	With the implementation of Zscaler Private Access, Curalate was able to overcome the challenges it faced with OpenVPN. The solution provided seamless and identical access to applications, regardless of the user's location or knowledge of the network. It also offered application-specific access, restricting access to authorized users only, thereby enhancing security. The ease of configuration and deployment of ZPA also proved beneficial, with Curalate able to move from proof of concept to production deployment in just three weeks. Furthermore, the redundancy and high availability built into ZPA, similar to AWS, ensured consistent and reliable access to applications.

Impact #1

With the implementation of Zscaler Private Access, Curalate was able to overcome the challenges it faced with OpenVPN. The solution provided seamless and identical access to applications, regardless of the user's location or knowledge of the network. It also offered application-specific access, restricting access to authorized users only, thereby enhancing security. The ease of configuration and deployment of ZPA also proved beneficial, with Curalate able to move from proof of concept to production deployment in just three weeks. Furthermore, the redundancy and high availability built into ZPA, similar to AWS, ensured consistent and reliable access to applications.

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Overview

Curalate's Digital Commerce Optimization with Zscaler Private Access

Operational Impact