Keep remote users secure with Zyxel Astra

Keep remote users secure with Zyxel Astra

For administrators, monitoring and managing remote users and making sure they do not compromise the security of the network is a big challenge – one that Zyxel is addressing with its Astra service. The new version is now ready for testing and, as Thorsten Kurpjuhn, Market Development Manager Europe explains, Zyxel is looking for partners and customers who want to take part in the pilot phase.

In the “zero trust” world you can’t be certain whether online services, websites, and incoming emails are real or fake – at least, not until they are thoroughly examined and verified.

This makes managing security at the extreme edges of the network a headache for network managers. Making sure users follow security policies and don’t access anything that might be dangerous, is almost impossible. Users will need to connect to all kinds of websites and services to do their work and, inevitably, people will also use their devices for personal banking, online shopping, and social media.

Striking a balance

This is a complicated problem. You have to strike a balance between the freedom users need to do their work and the degree to which you regulate and control them. It won’t always be possible for them to connect through the central network and if you impose limits that are too stringent, you will reduce their productivity.

Zyxel’s answer is Astra – our cloud-based security service for remote devices. We initially launched Astra last year, and it’s been very well received. We have now made significant enhancements to the service, which we are preparing to fully launch in the autumn.

These include a brand new web portal through which administrators (or service providers) can monitor and control security settings on remote devices. We have also made similar capabilities available through the Astra smartphone app. We can provide more details of these and the other capabilities of the new Astra on request.

Trial run

As I mentioned before, providing the right level of monitoring for remote users is quite a complex matter, and we are now putting Astra through a pilot phase before making it fully available to our customers and partners. The message then is that Astra is coming; and you can be sure that it will provide the protection your organisation needs, whilst also allowing remote users to be efficient and productive at all times.

We will be inviting a limited number of customers and partners to get involved in the trails of the new Astra over the spring and summer. If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with us here at Zyxel or contact your local partner.

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