{"id":22449,"date":"2022-11-16T09:58:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T09:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/?p=22449"},"modified":"2023-04-12T10:56:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T09:56:05","slug":"mindbody-uplevels-security-experiences-and-ma-with-the-zscaler-zero-trust-exchange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/2022\/11\/16\/mindbody-uplevels-security-experiences-and-ma-with-the-zscaler-zero-trust-exchange\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindbody uplevels security, experiences and M&A with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

California-based Mindbody has implemented Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) connecting users from anywhere directly to applications – without having to place the users on the network – providing fast, easy access while also minimizing the attack surface and eliminating lateral movement.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindbody provides cloud-based online scheduling and other business management software for gyms, salons, spas and others in wellness services. Today, 58,000 health and wellness businesses with 35 million consumers in more than 130 countries and territories use its Software- As-a-Service (SaaS) offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goal: simplify and improve security and user experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite providing a cloud-based service, Mindbody had its share of traditional security infrastructure, including multiple virtual private networks (VPNs), making the environment complex for both users and IT. More importantly, security was increasingly insufficient for staying ahead of advanced threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoving to 100% cloud and allowing users to work from anywhere, we could no longer rely on on-premises technology such as firewalls and network intrusion detection to keep our users safe,\u201d said Michael Jacobs, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and Senior Security Architect. \u201cAnd with VPNs, our users had free reign to access anything on the network. We needed a solution that provided modern, cloud-native security capabilities and a less complex, easier experience for both users and administrators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of use leapfrogs the competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In business for more than two decades, San Luis Obispo headquartered Mindbody has grown both organically and through acquisitions, thus increasing IT complexity along the way. To streamline and simplify operations, improve user experience and bolster security across this growing global enterprise, Mindbody evaluated a range of IT security solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company decided to modernize by implementing a zero trust architecture for building a Security Service Edge (SSE) ecosystem. After conducting a proof of concept, it adopted the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe looked at a wide range of products,\u201d recalled Jacobs. \u201cThe ease of using the services within the Zero Trust Exchange, both for end-users and IT, simply blew away the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secure, easy access to network resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To provide Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Mindbody implemented Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Part of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, ZPA connects users from anywhere directly to applications – without having to place the users on the network – providing fast, easy access while also minimizing the attack surface and eliminating lateral movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindbody users have faster and easier access to the applications and network resources they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsers don\u2019t have to worry about connection or Internet performance issues present with legacy VPNs,\u201d remarked Jacobs. \u201cThey just log on and securely access the applications they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindbody\u2019s IT team also realizes significant operational and productivity gains from reduced overheads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cZPA deploys five times more quickly than traditional VPN solutions and we no longer have to manage physical devices,\u201d noted Jacobs. \u201cPlus, we liked that it provides default least-privilege access and is based on a cloud-native platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boosting security with posture assessment and more<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the granular role-based access policies that ZPA supplies, Mindbody now limits application access to only those that each employee needs to do their job. Pre-built integrations within the Zero Trust Exchange also provide seamless connections to other solutions in the company\u2019s security environment, such as single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). In addition, Mindbody gained device posture assessment-a capability it considered critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlong with user authentication, knowing the device security configuration state is a cornerstone of zero trust,\u201d said Jacobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Functionally, when a laptop or desktop user connects to a resource, ZPA automatically conducts a posture assessment to ensure that the device\u2019s hard disk is encrypted, endpoint detection and response (EDR) agent is installed, and firewall software is enabled. ZPA also inspects mobile devices to make sure they are in compliance with corporate mobile security policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the implementation supplied the Mindbody security operations team with reporting capabilities and critical information for decision making that were previously unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsing ZPA, we can see exactly which applications our users are connecting to at any given time and have visibility into connection trends, which assists in incident response and improves operational efficiencies,\u201d said Jacobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid M&A onboarding and access to 700-plus applications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the company has grown by acquisition, so has the number of configured applications, to more than 700. By providing secure, easy access to applications and other cloud resources that newly acquired employees need, ZPA helps the operations team fully migrate new companies to Mindbody within a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe recently acquired a company with more than 500 users,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cUsing the Zero Trust Exchange to provide access took half the time compared to legacy solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, when a user requests access to a particular application, the response is faster than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith our legacy environment, granting permission typically took days or even weeks and senior technical resources,\u201d said Jacobs. \u201cNow, anyone trained to administer Zscaler can do it in minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secure, instant access with Cloud Browser Isolation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindbody is also beginning to take advantage of Zscaler Cloud Browser Isolation to allow users to securely browse the Internet without the hassle of managing additional endpoint agents or plug-ins on every device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built into the Zero Trust Exchange, Cloud Browser Isolation creates an isolated browsing session that enables Mindbody users to access any webpage on the Internet without having to download any of the web content served by the webpage on to the local device or the corporate network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u2019s security operations team expects this capability to be particularly useful for granting access to third parties, or users in acquired companies, who only need to access specific Internet resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith Cloud Browser Isolation, we can provide web browser access instantly, so they can get to work right away,\u201d noted Jacobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reduced overheads for AWS developers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Mindbody relies on the Zero Trust Exchange to support its extensive Amazon Web Services (AWS) deployment, which currently numbers close to 100 active accounts. Mindbody development teams create and manage cloud-based services for each of the various product verticals – including Fitness, Salon & Spa, and Integrative Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur developers love ZPA,\u201d said Jacobs. \u201cThey can access private applications and workloads in AWS quickly, easily and securely. And it\u2019s extremely easy to grant access to a new resource, almost on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accelerating AWS migration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning of Mindbody\u2019s transformation to the public cloud, it relied on the Zero Trust Exchange to engineer a secure, high-performance deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fast-track migration from the company\u2019s on-premises data center into AWS, Mindbody centralized private access to all of its AWS environments by deploying ZPA in an account designated as the hub. Users connect to all other AWS accounts via this AWS hub account. Pursuing this strategy allows the company to onboard new users and cloud accounts even faster. Once their apps are migrated to AWS, users can connect to them immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindbody also facilitated its migration to AWS by deploying ZPA via Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo help us provide consistent and accelerated private access deployment in the cloud, we leveraged IaC to support our ZPA infrastructure,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cLeveraging the automation capabilities of the Zero Trust Exchange, in combination with those of AWS, we\u2019ve made what was already easy even easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On-ramp to full zero trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, zero trust is more than a buzzword at Mindbody, it is a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the cloud, there\u2019s no such thing as implied trust,\u201d noted Jacobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Mindbody moves forward, it will evaluate an expansion of its Zero Trust Exchange deployment with Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA). No matter how Mindbody ultimately proceeds, Jacobs considers his company\u2019s Zero Trust Exchange implementation \u201can on-ramp to a full zero trust model.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough we will continuously mature our zero trust environment, Zscaler is helping us get where we want to be more quickly and efficiently,\u201d he said. \u201cFor our users, the Zero Trust Exchange simply runs in the background, enabling them to securely access exactly what they need, when they need it and wherever they are, ensuring they can focus on what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saving time and money<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith ZPA, we\u2019ve slashed VPN spending, complexity and time to onboard remote users,\u201d concluded Mindbody Deputy CISO Michael Jacobs. \u201cPlus, our users\u2019 experience is vastly improved, and they can get to work and be productive immediately. I don\u2019t have metrics for those cost and time savings but it\u2019s substantial.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California-based Mindbody has implemented Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) connecting users from anywhere directly to applications – without having to place the users on the network – providing fast, easy access while also minimizing the attack surface and eliminating lateral movement. Mindbody provides cloud-based online scheduling and other business management software for gyms, salons, spas and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":22460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,39,43,49],"tags":[3943,899,747,3944],"class_list":["post-22449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enterprise-security","category-software","category-top-stories","category-west-coast","tag-mindbody","tag-saas","tag-zscaler","tag-zscaler-zero-trust-exchange"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22449"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22459,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22449\/revisions\/22459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}