HONG KONG, 30 September 2021 – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (“CITIC Telecom CPC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), is partnering with Zscaler, the leader in cloud security, to launch TrueCONNECT™ SASE Service. The new cloud-native Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) integrates with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ Platform to keep expanding network edges secure.

The announcement follows increasing interest in SASE deployments as network edge attacks increase. According to Gartner, at least 60% of enterprises will have explicit strategies and timelines for SASE adoption encompassing user, branch, and edge access by 2025, up from 10% in 2020[1]. The integration of TrueCONNECT™ SASE Service with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ offers users holistic protection for the entire SD-WAN network topologies.

“The rise in SD-WAN deployment sees an escalation of network edge attacks. Our partnership with leading zero trust and web security solution provider Zscaler to offer TrueCONNECT™ SASE Service expands our existing TrueCONNECT™ Hybrid SD-WAN value proposition,” said Taylor Lam, Chief Strategy Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC. “The main benefactors of this partnership will be our customers who can now protect their network edges and scale the security as their network edges evolve.”

Companies are increasingly adopting SD-WAN to support hybrid workforces and distributed workloads. They also need an agile, robust, and holistic security solution that scales with their expanding network edge. Traditional on-premises network security solutions struggle to cope with the cybersecurity demands of today’s distributed enterprises, especially at the network edge. Dynamic usage patterns and a complex network landscape that includes cloud platforms and mobile technologies increase staff overheads, delay troubleshooting, and reduce scalability. 

SASE takes a refreshing approach toward protecting distributed network infrastructures by relocating security at the network perimeter. It uses a granular, identity-based access model to eliminate bottlenecks and complexity while enhancing flexibility, trust, and scalability.

CITIC Telecom CPC TrueCONNECT™ SASE solution is a cloud-native SASE service that integrates with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™. The powerful combination offers a Zero Trust answer for distributed enterprises looking to secure their evolving network edges while simplifying edge security management and operational costs.  The solution also builds on CITIC Telecom CPC’s TrueCONNECT™ Hybrid, a fully-managed SD-WAN connectivity solution covering nearly 60 gateways across 50 cities in 20 countries. Distributed enterprises can use the SD-WAN orchestrator to directly steer network traffic via the 150 global data centers backed by the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. 

“Today’s cyberthreats are becoming more sophisticated and frequent. Enterprises in the region need to look at holistic protection that scales as their network topology and edge grow,” said Arun Dharmalingam VP, Channels and Alliances, EMEA & APJ at Zscaler. “We are delighted to partner with CITIC Telecom CPC on their innovative cloud-native SASE service built on Zscaler’s zero trust architecture, and believe it will provide an important tool to keep their evolving SD-WAN network protected.”

The new cloud-native TrueCONNECT™ SASE solution, built on Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange™ offers a wide range of benefits, including:

• Globally Distributed Comprehensive Security: TrueCONNECT™ SASE offers a direct-to-cloud security stack to protect digital assets, users, and devices while reinforcing business continuity, ensuring robust and responsive cybersecurity at all points of access.
• Immediately Responsive Full Spectrum Security: Threats detected anywhere are immediately neutralized across the network for all users. TrueCONNECT™ SASE covers a full range of protective measures, including Browser Isolation, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Firewall/IPS, Data Loss Protection (DLP), Sandboxing, and URL Filtering.
• Full SSL and Content Inspection: TrueCONNECT™ SASE gives total content visibility via full SSL inspection across all ports and protocols, with only microseconds of delay. It allows CISOs and SOC teams to monitor security activities across the SD-WAN topology easily and proactively take actions when malicious activities are detected or network usage patterns highlight an imminent attack.
• Effortless Scalability and Seamless Integration: TrueCONNECT™ SASE easily scales integrated policies and contextual threat visibility to accommodate additional users, security, and other business needs.
• Zero trust network access (ZTNA) capability: The service offers identity-based authentication and granular access control to empower enterprises with secure private access to cloud-native platforms or applications.

For more information about TrueCONNECT™ SASE, please visit: https://www.citictel-cpc.com/EN/HK/Pages/product-services/trueconnect-sase.