Zscaler Case Studies Falkirk Council's Transition to Zero Trust Cybersecurity with Zscaler

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	Falkirk Council's Transition to Zero Trust Cybersecurity with Zscaler Zscaler

Falkirk Council's Transition to Zero Trust Cybersecurity with Zscaler

Zscaler

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Public Cloud
Applicable Industries	Education Transportation
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases	Construction Management Cybersecurity
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services Cybersecurity Services
Challenge	Falkirk Council, a unitary authority in Scotland, was faced with the challenge of rapidly transitioning its cybersecurity to a zero trust, cloud-centric approach in support of work-from-anywhere (WFA) model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The council, responsible for a wide range of services for its 160,000 residents, had to modernize its existing cybersecurity solutions to accommodate the sudden shift to remote work and learning. The existing IT systems were strained under the load of the increased demand, and the council was looking for an effective way to use taxpayer funds to enhance its systems. Falkirk Council had already conducted a proof-of-concept (POC) with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform as part of a larger initiative for transitioning to a hybrid cloud and on-premises IT environment. Read More
About Customer	Falkirk Council is a unitary authority providing comprehensive local government services for its approximately 160,000 residents spread across a geographic area encompassing 112 square miles. The council is responsible for activities ranging from environmental management to transportation, and it owns and manages about a quarter of all area housing stock. It also administers primary and secondary education for more than 30,000 students. Like many regional government agencies worldwide, Scotland’s Falkirk Council needed to fast-track its cloud and digitalization transformation when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Read More
Solution	Falkirk Council decided to roll out the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform across its footprint. The council deployed Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) to create a holistic zero trust environment that provides work-from-anywhere (WFA) application access. ZIA allowed the council to furnish access to SaaS applications and the Internet for on-site and remote workers, while ZPA provided VPN-free access to the Council’s internal applications running on public clouds, such as Microsoft Azure, or within its data center. The zero trust deployment focused on user engagement, with early adopters identified in each department to champion the initiative. The council also issued mobile devices to replace its existing VDI environment, secured by Zscaler, for on-site and remote work. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Hybrid Cloud

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Public Cloud

Applicable Industries

Education

Transportation

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Construction Management

Cybersecurity

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

Cybersecurity Services

Challenge

Falkirk Council, a unitary authority in Scotland, was faced with the challenge of rapidly transitioning its cybersecurity to a zero trust, cloud-centric approach in support of work-from-anywhere (WFA) model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The council, responsible for a wide range of services for its 160,000 residents, had to modernize its existing cybersecurity solutions to accommodate the sudden shift to remote work and learning. The existing IT systems were strained under the load of the increased demand, and the council was looking for an effective way to use taxpayer funds to enhance its systems. Falkirk Council had already conducted a proof-of-concept (POC) with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform as part of a larger initiative for transitioning to a hybrid cloud and on-premises IT environment.

About Customer

Falkirk Council is a unitary authority providing comprehensive local government services for its approximately 160,000 residents spread across a geographic area encompassing 112 square miles. The council is responsible for activities ranging from environmental management to transportation, and it owns and manages about a quarter of all area housing stock. It also administers primary and secondary education for more than 30,000 students. Like many regional government agencies worldwide, Scotland’s Falkirk Council needed to fast-track its cloud and digitalization transformation when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Solution

Falkirk Council decided to roll out the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform across its footprint. The council deployed Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) to create a holistic zero trust environment that provides work-from-anywhere (WFA) application access. ZIA allowed the council to furnish access to SaaS applications and the Internet for on-site and remote workers, while ZPA provided VPN-free access to the Council’s internal applications running on public clouds, such as Microsoft Azure, or within its data center. The zero trust deployment focused on user engagement, with early adopters identified in each department to champion the initiative. The council also issued mobile devices to replace its existing VDI environment, secured by Zscaler, for on-site and remote work.

Impact #1	The implementation of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform has brought significant rewards to Falkirk Council and its employees. Faster application access and higher network performance have considerably improved productivity, while consolidating multiple sign-ons to one has enhanced employee efficiency and satisfaction. Collaboration is now facilitated through files held in shared drives, as the Council also deployed Microsoft 365 as part of the initiative. The performance gains from Zscaler’s direct peering with Microsoft and its tight integration with the Azure cloud, where a variety of Falkirk Council’s business-critical applications reside, have further enhanced the implementation. The council plans to continue leveraging Zscaler to help it innovate in support of workers and constituents.

Impact #1

The implementation of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform has brought significant rewards to Falkirk Council and its employees. Faster application access and higher network performance have considerably improved productivity, while consolidating multiple sign-ons to one has enhanced employee efficiency and satisfaction. Collaboration is now facilitated through files held in shared drives, as the Council also deployed Microsoft 365 as part of the initiative. The performance gains from Zscaler’s direct peering with Microsoft and its tight integration with the Azure cloud, where a variety of Falkirk Council’s business-critical applications reside, have further enhanced the implementation. The council plans to continue leveraging Zscaler to help it innovate in support of workers and constituents.

Benefit #1	Established VPN-free, zero trust WFA access to internal apps and the Internet, significantly boosting productivity
Benefit #2	Slashed infrastructure and cybersecurity costs by half, compared to previous VDI-based environment
Benefit #3	Deployed secure, zero trust network access to iPads for 1,000 teachers in less than a week

Benefit #1

Established VPN-free, zero trust WFA access to internal apps and the Internet, significantly boosting productivity

Benefit #2

Slashed infrastructure and cybersecurity costs by half, compared to previous VDI-based environment

Benefit #3

Deployed secure, zero trust network access to iPads for 1,000 teachers in less than a week

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Overview

Falkirk Council's Transition to Zero Trust Cybersecurity with Zscaler

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit