Revolutionizing Cybersecurity for Federal Agencies: Innovations in Zscaler GovCloud

Government agencies handle a vast amount of sensitive data and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) that must be diligently managed and protected. The nature of their work often involves dealing with confidential  information, personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, and other sensitive materials. Safeguarding this data is crucial to maintaining national security, privacy, and public trust. And it must be done in compliance with regulations and mandates.

Zscaler has been a long-time partner with the government so that agencies can uphold their responsibility to citizens, maintain operational efficiency, and mitigate potential risks. To continue to meet these challenges, Zscaler is excited to announce a number of innovations to our GovCloud offerings. 

Zscaler GovCloud 

Zscaler's GovClouds - FedRAMP Moderate and High - are dedicated cloud infrastructures designed specifically for government agencies and organizations with strict compliance requirements. They provide secure and isolated environments for handling sensitive data and ensure that government customers can stay ahead of emerging threats. With Zscaler’s GovClouds, government agencies can leverage Zscaler's advanced security capabilities to access the internet and cloud applications while adhering to government-specific regulations and maintaining the highest levels of data protection.

Launched in 2018, Zscaler’s GovCloud was the first zero trust cloud security solution to achieve FedRAMP authorization, and we have been adding innovative solutions for government customers ever since. In fact, Zscaler is now the most accredited cloud security provider in the world. The Zscaler GovCloud provides security to over one million federal users including 13 of the 15 cabinet level agencies.

New innovations

Today we are excited to unveil a series of breakthrough innovations to extend the power of the Zero Trust Exchange platform for federal customers.

Cyber Threat Protection

• Cloud Browser Isolation (CBI): AI-powered Cloud Browser Isolation provides secure browsing by executing suspicious web pages in a controlled environment within Zero Trust Exchange and streaming safe content to any endpoint browser. This boosts user and admin productivity by simplifying policy exceptions while providing full inline inspection and security policy enforcement together with granular controls on clipboard, upload/download access, read-only web pages etc.
• ZIA now supports event-driven packet capture (PCAP) for detailed analysis, troubleshooting and forensic inspection based on threat signature hits on Allow/Block triggers, as well as custom Header insertion controls that allow the admin to extend tenancy restrictions for SaaS apps and limit access to mission-critical apps based on presence of a custom header.
• ZPA introduces actionable insights into App Segmentation and Policy usage allowing customers to understand their application usage patterns and define secure app segmentation rules. 

Data Protection

• Endpoint DLP: Provides data loss prevention capabilities at the endpoint level, preventing sensitive data from being leaked or accessed in unauthorized ways from channels like USB drives, printing, network share, cloud storage. The solution is fully cloud managed and works with Zscaler Client Connector and existing centralized policy you use for your DLP/CASB.
• DLP notifications in ZCC notify users in real-time through the Zscaler Client Connector (ZCC) when data loss prevention policies are triggered, allowing for immediate action to be taken.
• Workflow Automation: Automates and streamlines security processes and workflows, improving efficiency and reducing manual effort through complete visibility and monitoring of  security incidents with contextual information about users, data and policy as well as clear responsibility assignment for different incident types. Admin defined workflows automate repetitive tasks and notifications. 
• Cloud Browser Isolation (CBI): Cloud Browser Isolation provides secure agentless access to SaaS and Private Web Apps over BYOD or unmanaged devices for VDI alternative scenarios. This is natively integrated into Zero Trust Exchange and provides full DLP capabilities, including granular controls on clipboard, upload/download, print restrictions with watermarking etc. features.

Zero Trust Networking

• Cloud Connector: Enables secure connectivity for cloud-hosted workloads to internet applications and private applications ensuring secure, fast and reliable access.
• Branch Connector: Provides secure and optimized connectivity for branch offices, supporting both virtual machine and hardware-based deployment options.
• Multi-session VDI: Allows multiple users to securely access and use virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments simultaneously, improving productivity and optimizing resource utilization.

Platform and Compliance/Regulations

• ZDX introduces new advanced features such as
  • Availability on iOS
  • Querybuilder to allow the user to Slice & dice and visualize data to gather insights and generate reports
  • Incident Insights to detect problems in applications, Wi-Fi, Zscaler data centers, last mile and intermediate ISP, and the endpoint, with automated AI-powered correlation,
  • Y-engine for automated root cause analysis, and
  • support for Microsoft Teams GCC High with a choice of Teams tenant type (Commercial, Moderate and High) to connect to
• IPv6 enables native support for the next-generation Internet Protocol version 6, ensuring seamless connectivity and security for IPv6-enabled networks.

GovCloud Highlights

In partnership with hundreds of public sector customers, we have accomplished significant advancements in GovCloud over the past year. Some of the key recent deliveries include:

• Achieved FedRAMP Moderate and High Authorization for the entire Zscaler cloud security platform
• Launched Data Protection to ensure that all sensitive government data is secured through advanced encryption, strict access controls and continuous monitoring.
• Expanded capabilities for ZDX including advanced monitoring features, real-time analytics, integrated AI and machine learning capabilities to automate root cause analysis, rolled out predictive analytics features and developed features specifically aimed at optimizing the mobile user experience.

These accomplishments underscore Zscaler's unwavering dedication to advancing cloud security and operational efficiency within the public sector. By continuously enhancing our GovCloud offerings, we are empowering government agencies to securely and effectively navigate their digital transformation journeys.

Transforming Cybersecurity

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, federal agencies and the Department of Defense (DoD) face unique and increasingly complex challenges. Traditional security measures no longer suffice in an era where cyber threats are more sophisticated and relentless. Zscaler’s GovCloud is transforming cybersecurity in four key areas:

1. Cyber Threat Protection 
In the high-stakes cyber environment of the US Government, continuous monitoring and real-time threat detection are paramount. Zscaler GovCloud provides comprehensive visibility into network traffic and user activity. Leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning from 400+ billion transactions and 500+ trillion signals daily, Zscaler GovCloud can detect anomalies and potential threats with unprecedented accuracy. 

2. Data Protection 
At the heart of Zscaler GovCloud is the Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). Unlike traditional perimeter-based security models, Zero Trust operates on the principle that no user or device, whether inside or outside the network, should be trusted by default. Zscaler GovCloud implements Zero Trust by continuously verifying user identities, device postures, and contextual data before granting access to applications and data. This ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can access specific resources, significantly reducing the attack surface and mitigating the risk of threats.

3. Zero Trust Networking
Zscaler GovCloud embodies the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework, converging networking and security into a unified, cloud-native service. This innovation is a game-changer for federal agencies and the DoD, enabling them to securely connect users to applications and data from anywhere, without the need for traditional hardware-based solutions. This is particularly beneficial for agencies with distributed workforces or those conducting operations in remote or hostile environments.

4. Compliance and Regulatory Adherence

Federal agencies operate under rigorous compliance and regulatory frameworks, such as FISMA, FedRAMP, and NIST guidelines. Zscaler GovCloud is designed to meet these stringent requirements, providing agencies with a secure and compliant platform for their operations while modernizing IT infrastructure.

Looking Forward

Zscaler's ongoing commitment to GovCloud exemplifies our dedication to providing secure, scalable, and compliant cloud solutions tailored to the unique needs of government agencies. By leveraging the robust and high-assurance infrastructure of GovCloud, Zscaler ensures that sensitive government data is protected with the highest levels of security and compliance standards, including FedRAMP and NIST guidelines. 

Going forward, we’ve got an impressive roadmap of innovations for our federal customers and several ways to stay informed including:

• GovCloud Innovations deep dive webinar on September 19th at 1:00pm ET
• A monthly blog with details on GovCloud updates. Follow us on LinkedIn and look for a social post when our next blog is live. 
• Visit our Federal page.
• Sign up for one of our upcoming workshops. These are hands-on sessions with your peers, led by Zscaler zero trust experts. Topics include ZDX, Browser Isolation, Zscaler for Users and Zscaler Data Protection.