Zscaler Case Studies Watercare Enhances Security and User Experience with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

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	Watercare Enhances Security and User Experience with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform Zscaler

Watercare Enhances Security and User Experience with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Zscaler

Technology Category	Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Equipment & Machinery Telecommunications
Applicable Functions	Maintenance
Use Cases	Leakage & Flood Monitoring Water Utility Management
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
Challenge	Watercare Services, a public utility company in Auckland, New Zealand, faced significant challenges in securing its network and optimizing work-from-anywhere (WFA) and remote access for its IIoT and IoT devices. The company had initially weathered the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns using a combination of security solutions, including a secure cloud gateway and virtual private networks (VPNs). However, during the second lockdown, these solutions proved insufficient. The company's existing secure cloud gateway was obtrusive and unpopular among users. Furthermore, Watercare's primary VPN product collapsed just before the second lockdown, leaving the company in urgent need of a more reliable and comprehensive solution. The company was committed to adopting a zero trust security approach and needed a platform that could deliver exceptional user experiences while also providing robust security. Read More
About Customer	Watercare Services is a public utility company based in Auckland, New Zealand. The company converts approximately 400 million litres of collected fresh water into drinking water for 1.7 million residents of the greater Auckland region every day. It also treats a similar quantity of wastewater and returns it safely to coastal waterways. In addition to these services, Watercare operates a substantial construction division to complete and maintain its various facilities. The company has approximately 1,100 employees serving 1.7 million residents and operates across 1,300 sites. Watercare is committed to using technology effectively to improve productivity and user experiences. Read More
Solution	Watercare decided to standardize on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform, which included the granular user experience monitoring and analytics solution, Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX). The company expanded its Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) deployment by 800 people in less than half a day, securing access to Watercare applications running in its data center and in its multicloud environment. The ZPA connects users and devices to applications, rather than to the network, preventing lateral infections while making users and applications invisible to external threats. The platform also inspects traffic, including encrypted traffic, for effective prevention of threats and data loss. Watercare also adopted Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) to speed up internet connections and boost security. Finally, the company implemented ZDX to improve user experiences and resolve application performance issues more efficiently. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery

Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Maintenance

Use Cases

Leakage & Flood Monitoring

Water Utility Management

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

Challenge

Watercare Services, a public utility company in Auckland, New Zealand, faced significant challenges in securing its network and optimizing work-from-anywhere (WFA) and remote access for its IIoT and IoT devices. The company had initially weathered the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns using a combination of security solutions, including a secure cloud gateway and virtual private networks (VPNs). However, during the second lockdown, these solutions proved insufficient. The company's existing secure cloud gateway was obtrusive and unpopular among users. Furthermore, Watercare's primary VPN product collapsed just before the second lockdown, leaving the company in urgent need of a more reliable and comprehensive solution. The company was committed to adopting a zero trust security approach and needed a platform that could deliver exceptional user experiences while also providing robust security.

About Customer

Watercare Services is a public utility company based in Auckland, New Zealand. The company converts approximately 400 million litres of collected fresh water into drinking water for 1.7 million residents of the greater Auckland region every day. It also treats a similar quantity of wastewater and returns it safely to coastal waterways. In addition to these services, Watercare operates a substantial construction division to complete and maintain its various facilities. The company has approximately 1,100 employees serving 1.7 million residents and operates across 1,300 sites. Watercare is committed to using technology effectively to improve productivity and user experiences.

Solution

Watercare decided to standardize on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform, which included the granular user experience monitoring and analytics solution, Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX). The company expanded its Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) deployment by 800 people in less than half a day, securing access to Watercare applications running in its data center and in its multicloud environment. The ZPA connects users and devices to applications, rather than to the network, preventing lateral infections while making users and applications invisible to external threats. The platform also inspects traffic, including encrypted traffic, for effective prevention of threats and data loss. Watercare also adopted Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) to speed up internet connections and boost security. Finally, the company implemented ZDX to improve user experiences and resolve application performance issues more efficiently.

Impact #1	The implementation of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform has brought significant operational benefits to Watercare. The platform's AI-powered analytics and real-time insights have drastically reduced the time taken to resolve application issues, improving user satisfaction and productivity. The optimization of Microsoft Teams and M365 has also improved user experiences and reduced IT overhead. Furthermore, the platform has enabled Watercare to provide IIoT, IoT, and other connected devices with direct internet access across its 1,300 sites, enhancing connectivity and security. The company is now able to proactively address application performance issues before they affect user performance, thanks to ZDX's application scoring feature. Looking ahead, Watercare plans to leverage the Zero Trust Exchange platform in multiple ways, including using ZDX scores during application testing and deployment, and providing secure, direct internet connections to IIoT and IoT-enabled equipment throughout its network.

Impact #1

The implementation of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform has brought significant operational benefits to Watercare. The platform's AI-powered analytics and real-time insights have drastically reduced the time taken to resolve application issues, improving user satisfaction and productivity. The optimization of Microsoft Teams and M365 has also improved user experiences and reduced IT overhead. Furthermore, the platform has enabled Watercare to provide IIoT, IoT, and other connected devices with direct internet access across its 1,300 sites, enhancing connectivity and security. The company is now able to proactively address application performance issues before they affect user performance, thanks to ZDX's application scoring feature. Looking ahead, Watercare plans to leverage the Zero Trust Exchange platform in multiple ways, including using ZDX scores during application testing and deployment, and providing secure, direct internet connections to IIoT and IoT-enabled equipment throughout its network.

Benefit #1	Deployed WFA access to private applications for 800 users in less than half a day
Benefit #2	Reduced application issue resolution time from weeks to minutes with AI-powered analytics and real-time insights
Benefit #3	Optimized Microsoft Teams and M365 for improved experiences and reduced IT overhead

Benefit #1

Deployed WFA access to private applications for 800 users in less than half a day

Benefit #2

Reduced application issue resolution time from weeks to minutes with AI-powered analytics and real-time insights

Benefit #3

Optimized Microsoft Teams and M365 for improved experiences and reduced IT overhead

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Overview

Watercare Enhances Security and User Experience with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit