Akamai Introduces Zero Trust Platform

Akamai Technologies, a cloud services provider, has launched the Akamai Guardicore Platform. This platform is designed to support businesses in achieving Zero Trust security objectives. It integrates Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) with micro-segmentation, aiming to prevent ransomware attacks, comply with regulatory requirements, and protect both remote workers and cloud-based systems.

Ransomware attacks have escalated, with attackers employing more forceful tactics and rapidly changing techniques. A report from Akamai shows that the number of affected companies in the Asia-Pacific-Japan (APJ) region rose by 50% from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the same period in 2022. Comparing the first quarter of 2022 with the same quarter in 2023, there was a 204% increase in the number of victims.

The rise in ransomware incidents and strict compliance rules pose challenges for security teams. Traditional security measures like network firewalls and VPNs are proving ineffective against current threats. Moreover, these conventional tools have been adding to security risks due to their vulnerabilities.

Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2026, 60% of enterprises pursuing a zero-trust architecture will implement multiple forms of micro-segmentation, a significant increase from less than 5% in 2023. This trend is particularly important in the APJ region, where a lack of skills and expertise is the main hurdle for organizations implementing network segmentation.

“Across APJ, many security teams are facing challenges in deploying advanced solutions like ZTNA and micro-segmentation because of the scarcity of expertise and knowledge around such solutions. As they navigate this challenge, there’s a growing imperative for solutions like these to be much more streamlined and integrated, offering the key to bolster protection with greater ease and efficiency,” said Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology & Strategy, APJ, Akamai Technologies.

“Security teams are under more pressure than ever as they face ransomware threats and manage stringent compliance standards, all while trying to consolidate vendors and manage budgets,” said Pavel Gurvich, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Enterprise Security at Akamai. “As organizations are adopting Zero Trust, they are looking for simplified experiences that offer broad visibility and granular controls for all assets and access policies. Security professionals can deploy the Akamai Guardicore Platform as a single console to consolidate agents and implement Zero Trust principles across varied infrastructures.”

The Akamai Guardicore Platform is a security solution that enables Zero Trust by integrating micro-segmentation, ZTNA, multi-factor authentication, DNS firewall, and threat hunting. It is now receiving updates to its micro-segmentation feature, which includes authentication checks within the segmentation rules, quick implementation of established policies, and worksite integration for better management.

The platform offers several features:

• It combines microsegmentation and ZTNA, which can be used separately or together, facilitated by a single agent and console. This integration is expected to help more businesses achieve Zero Trust security.
• It provides comprehensive Zero Trust enforcement both on-site and in the cloud, catering to remote and on-site workforces.
• It features a unified policy engine that simplifies the enforcement of internal and external traffic policies without the need for different syntax or consoles.
• The infrastructure is designed to be lightweight and easy to deploy, with minimal impact on system performance.
• It offers extensive visibility into the network, allowing administrators to easily monitor assets and user activities.
• The platform is modular, allowing businesses to use only what they need while keeping the option open to expand capabilities.
• It utilizes AI to enhance the user experience and streamline vulnerability assessments, compliance processes, and incident response.

Additional features and benefits related to AI include:

• An AI assistant that enables security professionals to query their network using natural language, speeding up tasks like compliance checks and incident response.
• AI-driven network labeling automates the labeling process, provides behavior-based label suggestions, and includes confidence scores and rationales for the suggested labels.

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