Financial institutions face mounting pressure to strengthen access controls while supporting rapid growth, acquisitions, and third-party integration. Regulatory scrutiny, cyber insurance requirements, and customer trust expectations leave little margin for error—yet legacy access models often slow the business and increase risk.
Based on Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) review of AppGate ZTNA, organizations deploying AppGate ZTNA achieved significant, measurable improvements in risk reduction, operational efficiency, and business agility. When applied to regulated financial environments, these outcomes translate directly into reduced audit burden, lower breach exposure, faster onboarding, and stronger regulatory confidence.
Quantified ROI and Risk Reduction from the Forrester TEI Report
The following benefits are based on independent findings from Forrester’s composite organization, which evaluated results from multiple organizations, including a major global financial institution.
Financial Impact at a Glance
• 210% ROI over three years
• $11.6M net present value (NPV)
• Payback in under 6 monthsThese results reflect both cost avoidance and productivity gains tied directly to access modernization.
Reduced Audit Burden and Regulatory Confidence
Regulators increasingly require provable enforcement of access controls—not just documented policy. The TEI study found that organizations using AppGate ZTNA improved audit readiness through centralized, policy-driven access enforcement and continuous logging.
Measured outcomes include:
- Reduced time spent preparing audit evidence
- Improved visibility into who accessed sensitive systems and when
- Stronger alignment with frameworks such as PCI-DSS, SOX, GLBA, NYDFS, and FTC Safeguards
For financial institutions, this translates into lower audit fatigue, fewer remediation cycles, and increased confidence during regulatory reviews.
Lower Breach Exposure and Cyber Insurance Impact
Access-related risk remains a leading contributor to financial sector breaches—particularly through lateral movement and excessive third-party access.
The TEI reported:
- 80% reduction in exposure to costly data breaches
- 90% reduction in lateral movement risk
Several organizations also reported improved cyber insurance posture, citing stronger access controls, reduced attack surface, and demonstrable Zero Trust enforcement as favorable factors during underwriting and renewal discussions.
Faster Office and Acquisition Onboarding
Financial growth depends on speed—yet legacy access models often delay office openings and M&A integration.
The TEI found:
- 90% faster time to integrate new sites
- Significant reduction in manual network reconfiguration effort
In practical terms, this means:
- Faster time to revenue following acquisitions
- Reduced reliance on firewall changes or managed network delays
- Secure access enabled without months-long infrastructure projects
Operational Efficiency and Productivity Gains
By simplifying access management and reducing IT overhead, organizations reclaimed:
- 146,000 productive end-user hours over three years
- Reduced networking and access management costs
- Improved availability and resilience for remote users
These gains are especially impactful in financial services, where uptime and responsiveness directly affect customer experience and trust.
Performance and Scalability Validation (AppGate Technical Results)
The following performance metrics are based on AppGate internal testing and customer deployments and are not part of the Forrester TEI.
Throughput and Latency
- Direct-routed, point-to-point access minimizes latency by avoiding cloud detours
- Consistent performance for transaction-sensitive and customer-facing applications
Resilience and Failover
- Support for multiple gateways and profiles enables rapid failover
- Access continuity maintained even during network or gateway disruptions
Scalability
- Proven ability to onboard thousands of remote users in days, not months
- Policy-driven scaling without additional network complexity
These capabilities allow financial institutions to scale access securely while maintaining operational control and performance.
Why This Matters for Financial Services
For regulated financial organizations, access control is no longer just a security function—it is a business enabler. The combination of Forrester-validated ROI and AppGate-proven performance demonstrates that modern Zero Trust access can:
- Reduce regulatory and audit risk
- Lower breach exposure and insurance impact
- Accelerate growth initiatives
- Improve resilience and customer trust
Conclusion
For financial institutions seeking measurable outcomes—not theoretical benefits—AppGate ZTNA delivers proven economic value, risk reduction, and operational performance. By aligning Zero Trust principles with the realities of regulated, high-performance environments, AppGate enables secure access that keeps pace with the business.
See how AppGate ZTNA delivers measurable ROI, reduced risk, and operational agility for financial services organizations. Explore AppGate ZTNA for Financial Services. [link when available]