Cognizant Partners with Zscaler to Transform Security and Efficiency
Cognizant's collaboration with Zscaler marks a pivotal shift in security infrastructure, eliminating legacy tools and enhancing AI integration, setting a new standard in the professional services sector.
Key Facts
- Cognizant eliminated 90% of legacy VPNs, enhancing security and reducing operational complexity.
- AI usage tripled in 6 months, with data transfer reaching 800 Gbps, indicating rapid digital transformation.
- Consolidating security tools cut vendor footprint by 30%, revealing cost-saving competitive advantages.
- Zscaler's platform reduced onboarding time from 120 to 30 days, accelerating revenue generation for Cognizant.
- Improved security maturity may lower cyber insurance premiums, reflecting broader financial benefits.
Summary
Summary
Cognizant, a professional services organization with over 350,000 employees, faced challenges with legacy security solutions that created gaps in visibility and control. By implementing Zscaler's unified zero trust platform, Cognizant eliminated 90% of its legacy VPNs and achieved a 30% reduction in vendor footprint, significantly enhancing its security posture while supporting a rapid increase in AI usage.
Background
Cognizant operates in the high-tech industry, providing technology and professional services to various sectors including healthcare, banking, and retail. Before deploying Zscaler, Cognizant relied on a mix of legacy data loss prevention (DLP) tools and point solutions, which led to agent sprawl, inconsistent policy enforcement, and limited visibility into user activity and data movement.
Challenge
Cognizant aimed to address the security gaps created by its fragmented security infrastructure and to support its CEO's mandate for increased AI usage. The existing solutions were inadequate for managing remote access and lacked enterprise-wide controls necessary for secure AI adoption.
Solution
Cognizant consolidated its security tools into Zscaler's unified zero trust platform, starting with Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). This transition involved eliminating legacy VPNs and implementing browser isolation for secure access. Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX) was also deployed to monitor performance and enhance user experience. The solution provided policy-driven access and visibility into AI usage, allowing Cognizant to manage access effectively while supporting innovation.
Results
The implementation of Zscaler's platform resulted in a 90% reduction in legacy VPN infrastructure and a 30% decrease in vendor footprint. Cognizant achieved close to 80% visibility into app access and prevented 2.9 billion policy violations while blocking 403,843 security threats. The onboarding time for offshore delivery centers was reduced from 120 days to 30 days, leading to faster revenue generation.
Key Insights
Consolidating security tools into a unified platform can lead to significant cost savings and improved security posture. Organizations should prioritize visibility and control, especially when scaling AI usage, to mitigate risks effectively. A collaborative relationship with security vendors can enhance product development and deployment.
Customer Testimonial
“The results have been significant,” says Sivakumar Anantharaman, CISO for Cognizant Corporate Functions and AI. “AI usage across Cognizant has tripled over the past six to eight months, with monthly data transfer now reaching 500 to 800 Gbps.”
Entities Mentioned
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Technologies
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Organizations
Key Concepts
Definitions
- zero trust
- A security model that requires strict identity verification for every person and device attempting to access resources on a private network, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter.
- data loss prevention (DLP)
- A strategy and set of tools designed to prevent sensitive data from being lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized users.
- GenAI
- Generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that can generate new content or data based on existing data.
- browser isolation
- A security approach that separates web browsing activity from the local device to prevent malware and other threats.
- cloud security
- A set of policies, technologies, and controls designed to protect data, applications, and infrastructure associated with cloud computing.
Use Cases
- →Replacing legacy VPNs with a zero trust platform
- →Monitoring performance with AI-powered tools
- →Enabling secure AI adoption across the organization
- →Consolidating security tools into a unified platform
- →Reducing onboarding time for offshore delivery centers
- →Enhancing visibility into AI usage and data movement
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cognizant's approach to security?
Cognizant focuses on a zero trust security model that emphasizes strict identity verification and visibility into user activity. This approach helps to protect sensitive data while enabling innovation.
How has Zscaler impacted Cognizant's operations?
Zscaler has significantly streamlined Cognizant's security infrastructure, reducing the vendor footprint and improving visibility into app access. This has led to measurable cost savings and enhanced security posture.
What challenges did Cognizant face before implementing Zscaler?
Cognizant struggled with a fragmented security stack, limited visibility, and a proliferation of point solutions that created security gaps. These challenges hindered their ability to scale AI usage effectively.
How does Cognizant ensure secure AI usage?
Cognizant employs Zscaler's GenAI Security to monitor and control AI platform access. This allows them to enforce policies and maintain visibility into data movement related to AI prompts.
What are the future plans for Cognizant's security strategy?
Cognizant plans to deepen its use of the Zscaler platform, focusing on extending protection from Zero Trust Network Access to Zero Trust AI Access, and enhancing security measures for AI models.