Following are key takeaways from the discussion, offering actionable insights and strategic direction for anyone looking to strengthen their Zero Trust journey:
Zero Trust is an ongoing journey, not a destination. The panelists emphasized that Zero Trust is no longer a checkbox or a one-time project—it is a continuous strategy. Zero Trust has matured from an emerging concept to the foundation of most enterprise security programs, now backed by national mandates and industry best practices. Organizations must constantly reassess and adapt their controls as business needs, threats, and technologies evolve. As Yentile put it, “It’s not something you deploy once. You need to constantly reassess and adjust your controls based on changing risks and business objectives.”
Universal ZTNA is becoming the standard for securing access everywhere. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of ZTNA as a replacement for traditional VPNs, but with hybrid work here to stay, the traditional perimeter has dissolved. The new paradigm is to treat every environment—remote, on-prem, or in the cloud—as if it were a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Universal ZTNA, popularized by Gartner, means applying Zero Trust principles everywhere, ensuring every actor—human or machine—only has access to what they strictly need, regardless of location or device. Appgate ZTNA’s direct-routed architecture ensures low latency and high performance, while its AI-driven insights help organizations continually refine their policies for maximum security and usability. This approach not only enhances security but also streamlines access controls, reduces complexity, and drives down costs by minimizing reliance on redundant solutions like NACs and firewalls.
Identity plus context equals a true trust profile. While identity is often touted as the new perimeter, the panelists emphasized that identity alone is not enough. True Zero Trust requires a multidimensional approach, layering identity with context—such as device posture, geolocation, time of day, and behavioral analytics. Appgate ZTNA solution integrates with leading identity providers and leverages AI to provide continuous visibility and actionable insights. By automating policy recommendations and enabling manual review, security teams can adapt quickly to new threats without hindering productivity.
Operational resilience is the new gold standard for business continuity. It’s no longer just about disaster recovery—it’s about ensuring business-critical systems remain available, even in the face of ransomware or other disruptions. New regulations, such as the Digital Operational Resiliency Act in Europe, underscore this shift. Zero Trust plays a pivotal role in securing third-party access. As Levy noted, “You need to ensure that third parties—whether contractors or service providers—can’t gain unauthorized access to critical systems, regardless of signed agreements or NDAs.” Appgate ZTNA’s architecture is designed for high availability, resiliency, and seamless failover, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical resources.
Appgate ZTNA is designed for the modern enterprise, offering direct, scalable, and integrated access controls that adapt to evolving business needs. Not all ZTNA solutions are created equal. Legacy solutions that rely on cloud-based proxies or offer one-size-fits-all access can introduce latency, complexity, and unnecessary risk. Organizations should look for solutions that provide direct, low-latency routing for seamless user experience; fine-grained, dynamic access controls that adapt to changing risks; consistent policies across all environments and user types; and integration with existing security stacks for enterprise readiness. Appgate’s direct-routed, highly scalable architecture avoids the pitfalls of cloud-based proxies, delivering predictable performance and centralized control. Its integration with endpoint security and ITSM tools ensures seamless, enterprise-wide deployment.
Appgate delivers a seamless, adaptive user experience and robust controls for both human and machine identities, ensuring secure, productive access across all environments. A successful Zero Trust strategy should be invisible to end users. Access should be consistent, intuitive, and adaptive—whether users are in the office, at home, or on the go. Clear messaging and self-service options help users troubleshoot issues without burdening IT teams. As the number of nonhuman actors—such as IoT devices and AI agents—continues to grow, organizations must extend Zero Trust principles to machine identities. Appgate ZTNA provides consistent, high-performance access for all users and devices. Its AI-driven insights and automation ensure that policies remain adaptive and secure, without hindering productivity.
Zero Trust is no longer optional—it’s a business imperative. As threats grow more sophisticated and regulatory requirements tighten, organizations must adopt a Zero Trust ethic, continuously refining their strategies and leveraging advanced technologies like AI to stay resilient and secure. Appgate’s leadership in universal ZTNA, identity-centric policies, and operational resilience positions it at the forefront of this transformation. By embracing these principles, organizations can protect their critical assets, enable business continuity, and thrive in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
To explore these topics in detail, watch the webinar replay.