Zscaler Case Studies Powerco's Rapid Transition to Remote Work with Zscaler

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	Powerco's Rapid Transition to Remote Work with Zscaler Zscaler

Powerco's Rapid Transition to Remote Work with Zscaler

Zscaler

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Private Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Construction & Infrastructure National Security & Defense
Use Cases	Construction Management Cybersecurity
Services	Cybersecurity Services
Challenge	Powerco, a leading electricity and gas infrastructure business in New Zealand, was faced with the challenge of modernizing its corporate IT infrastructure. The company aimed to transition from a traditional wide area network (WAN) architecture to an internet-only, zero trust strategy across its office locations. This required finding a replacement for legacy web filtering and virtual private network (VPN) capabilities. Additionally, Powerco wanted to change the way its applications were deployed, moving away from the intranet and publishing them behind a secure portal. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to accelerate its deployment plans, adding an additional layer of complexity to the situation. Read More
About Customer	Powerco is a leading electricity and gas infrastructure business based in New Zealand. The company provides distribution services to approximately 1.1 million customers across 452,000 connections throughout the North Island. Powerco employs a staff of around 450 people. The company had a clear vision for its corporate IT infrastructure, aiming to transition from a traditional wide area network (WAN) architecture to an internet-only, zero trust strategy across its office locations. This vision was challenged by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the company to accelerate its deployment plans. Read More
Solution	After evaluating several alternatives, Powerco decided to deploy Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access in late 2019. These products were identified as capable of supporting the planned internet-only network architecture. Powerco's Information Security (IS) team, in collaboration with Zscaler Professional Services, began the deployment in early February. Key applications were removed from the intranet and placed behind a specially configured secure portal. A pilot user group was established in March to test Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) with the aim of rolling it out company-wide over a period of four weeks. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the company had to expedite its deployment plans. Zscaler Professional Services provided invaluable support, working closely with the internal IS team and adopting their preferred agile methodology. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Private Cloud

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Construction & Infrastructure

National Security & Defense

Use Cases

Construction Management

Cybersecurity

Services

Cybersecurity Services

Challenge

Powerco, a leading electricity and gas infrastructure business in New Zealand, was faced with the challenge of modernizing its corporate IT infrastructure. The company aimed to transition from a traditional wide area network (WAN) architecture to an internet-only, zero trust strategy across its office locations. This required finding a replacement for legacy web filtering and virtual private network (VPN) capabilities. Additionally, Powerco wanted to change the way its applications were deployed, moving away from the intranet and publishing them behind a secure portal. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to accelerate its deployment plans, adding an additional layer of complexity to the situation.

About Customer

Powerco is a leading electricity and gas infrastructure business based in New Zealand. The company provides distribution services to approximately 1.1 million customers across 452,000 connections throughout the North Island. Powerco employs a staff of around 450 people. The company had a clear vision for its corporate IT infrastructure, aiming to transition from a traditional wide area network (WAN) architecture to an internet-only, zero trust strategy across its office locations. This vision was challenged by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the company to accelerate its deployment plans.

Solution

After evaluating several alternatives, Powerco decided to deploy Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access in late 2019. These products were identified as capable of supporting the planned internet-only network architecture. Powerco's Information Security (IS) team, in collaboration with Zscaler Professional Services, began the deployment in early February. Key applications were removed from the intranet and placed behind a specially configured secure portal. A pilot user group was established in March to test Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) with the aim of rolling it out company-wide over a period of four weeks. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the company had to expedite its deployment plans. Zscaler Professional Services provided invaluable support, working closely with the internal IS team and adopting their preferred agile methodology.

Impact #1	The deployment of Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access has enabled Powerco to provide seamless, secure remote access for all staff, a critical capability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has also been able to reduce the costs of an organization-wide security infrastructure and increase operational efficiency. The integration with cybersecurity platform CrowdStrike has further enhanced security. The transition to an internet-only office strategy, although delayed by the pandemic, is expected to be completed later this year, leading to significant cost savings for the organization.

Impact #1

The deployment of Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access has enabled Powerco to provide seamless, secure remote access for all staff, a critical capability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has also been able to reduce the costs of an organization-wide security infrastructure and increase operational efficiency. The integration with cybersecurity platform CrowdStrike has further enhanced security. The transition to an internet-only office strategy, although delayed by the pandemic, is expected to be completed later this year, leading to significant cost savings for the organization.

Benefit #1	The publishing of new applications can now be completed in just 10 minutes, compared to a day previously.
Benefit #2	The integration with cybersecurity platform CrowdStrike provides enhanced security by automatically denying access to users without the CrowdStrike app running in the background.
Benefit #3	The transition to an internet-only office strategy is expected to lead to significant cost savings, exceeding the cost of the Zscaler service.

Benefit #1

The publishing of new applications can now be completed in just 10 minutes, compared to a day previously.

Benefit #2

The integration with cybersecurity platform CrowdStrike provides enhanced security by automatically denying access to users without the CrowdStrike app running in the background.

Benefit #3

The transition to an internet-only office strategy is expected to lead to significant cost savings, exceeding the cost of the Zscaler service.

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Overview

Powerco's Rapid Transition to Remote Work with Zscaler

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit