Top 10 Productivity Improvements Unlocked by Zero Trust

Embracing a Future-Proof Strategy 

As the first UK Authorised Service Delivery Partner of Cloudflare solutions, we wanted to highlight the numerous productivity benefits you can achieve through Zero Trust. You're not alone if you're on a Zero Trust journey or considering it; 96% of security leaders say developing a Zero Trust strategy is a top goal. As experts in this area, we understand the immense  security and performance benefits Zero Trust can bring to organisations like yours and how it can drive productivity across the board.

For IT and security administrators, Zero Trust presents numerous advantages:

1. 1. Increased productivity for IT security teams: According to 65% of IT decision-makers and security professionals, Zero Trust significantly boosts the productivity of IT security teams. 
2. 2. Streamlined remote work management: Zero Trust outperforms VPN access, leading to an impressive 80% reduction in time spent addressing remote work IT tickets. 
3. 3. Enhanced operational efficiency: Organisations implementing Zero Trust witness an average of 50% increased operational efficiency within their security teams across various use cases. 
4. 4. Strengthened security operations (SecOps): Mature implementations of Zero Trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) lead to a 35% higher likelihood of reporting strong SecOps. 
5. 5. Simplified integration: Compared to legacy architectures, Zero Trust platforms boast a remarkable 29% reduction in solution complexity and the number of integration points, streamlining overall operations.

Now let's look at the productivity enhancements Zero Trust also delivers for end users:

1. 6. Improved user experience: According to 53% of IT decision-makers and security professionals, Zero Trust significantly enhances the user experience.
2. 7. Accelerated employee onboarding: Provisioning Zero Trust for new employees leads to a 60% reduction in onboarding time compared to VPN access for applications.
3. 8. Increased revenue through employee experience: 85% of IT leaders agree that improved employee experience directly translates to improves customer experience and therefore, higher revenue.
4. 9. Time saving for frontline workers: Enabling secure Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) access and Zero Trust resources saves three days annually per frontline worker.
5. 10. Empowering employees with better technology: A remarkable 65% of employees believe that improved technology access would significantly boost their productivity.

In summary 

The productivity drivers for IT and security administrators are clear:

• Enjoy granular controls without adding unnecessary overhead.
• Experience simplified initial deployment, ongoing policy management, and easy scaling across users and applications.
• Reduce complexity by consolidating various point services onto a single Zero Trust cloud platform.
• Save time by minimising the need to fix problems and vulnerabilities associated with outdated systems.

The productivity drivers for end users include:

• Transparency and less intrusive security checks, ensuring a seamless user experience.
• Faster onboarding and offboarding processes for employees, contractors, suppliers, and third parties.
• Simplified authentication workflows, eliminating backhauling traffic through on-premises appliances.
• Reduced idle-time caused by connectivity, access, or security policy issues.

In conclusion, Zero Trust is not just a technological change but a strategic mindset shift for your organisation. As a Cloudflare Authorised Service Delivery Partner, CDS stands ready to guide you through this transformative journey, unlocking productivity improvements and securing your future with Zero Trust.

References:

"Microsoft Zero Trust Adoption Report," July 2021  
"Global Study on Zero Trust Security for the Cloud," Ponemon Institute LLC, July 2022  
Cloudflare case studies and information sheets 
"The Total Economic Impact TM of Zero Trust Solutions from Microsoft," Forrester Research, December 2021   
Loomis, Amy and Webber, Alan, "Driving Bottom-Line Value by Linking Customer Experience to Employee Experience," IDC Research, January 2022  
"Security Outcomes Study," Cisco, December 2021  
"Realising Cybersecurity Value," Palo Alto Networks, September 2022,   
"The need for improved digital employee experience: How technology enables better employee retention and productivity," Ivanti, 2022