With a work-from-anywhere model becoming the new normal, and no end in sight for some, companies all over the globe have had to adapt quickly to support a workforce that went from mostly in the office to 100-percent remote in a matter of days. With this shift, prominent concerns have emerged, with security and productivity at the forefront.
This shift, and its subsequent challenges, became a reality for Coca-Cola Consolidated, the largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S., when it encouraged thousands of employees to work from home indefinitely beginning on March 16.
An unexpected but necessary turnaround
Company leaders knew they needed to act fast to ensure a continued positive user experience for employees migrating off the corporate network. This meant IT could no longer troubleshoot issues as quickly or ensure quality connections to business-critical internal applications, such as Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.
On top of seamless access to internal apps, Zscaler helped Coca-Cola Consolidated ensure open internet traffic security with Cloud Firewall, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Cloud DLP, and Cloud Sandbox defenses. Avoiding VPN connections, which can cause latency and decrease productivity, was also a priority made possible by Zscaler.
Simplifying and securing Office 365
Zscaler is fully compliant with Office 365 connectivity recommendations and has been working with Coca-Cola Consolidated since 2018 to complement the Office 365 experience, making the remote work transition seamless.
Zscaler Client Connector (formerly Zscaler App) was the ideal solution for Coca-Cola Consolidated, when faced with an influx of remote workers, minimizing stress for leadership and employees working from anywhere, and providing reliability in a time of uncertainty.
With Zscaler, all traffic to Microsoft gets peeled off, so Coca-Cola Consolidated didn’t have to worry about scaling its hardware to deploy Office 365, Teams, and other applications, or configuring its security devices to be Microsoft-compliant. Additionally, Zscaler optimizes connectivity to Microsoft and automates all configurations, further streamlining access and enhancing the user experience.
Zscaler provides the following benefits for Office 365 traffic:
- Direct internet for a fast user experience across all ports and protocols.
- Easy deployment with no hardware needed.
- One-click configuration to automate Office 365 IP address changes and exempts from SSL inspection.
- Optimized connectivity with Zscaler Cloud Firewall and Bandwidth Control.
Establishing a culture of visibility to inform leader decisions
With office teammates no longer at headquarters, Coca-Cola Consolidated had to strategize how to maintain visibility to monitor key business metrics. Client Connector was able to provide this visibility to improve applications and the user experience for teammates, validate budget spent on IT resources, and keep leaders informed of progress toward business objectives.
Client Connector provided leadership with data and dashboard metrics, making it easier for company leaders to make important business decisions quickly while also planning for the future.
Making security a priority
With thousands of teammates now working from anywhere, using an array of devices, Coca-Cola Consolidated needed a solution that would provide uniform security, regardless of location or device. Client Connector was able to streamline this process, while seamlessly deploying to teammates behind the scenes without interfering with work or causing a lapse in productivity.
To learn more about how Zscaler helps companies empower their workforce to work from anywhere, watch this webinar: 5 Ways to Improve Your Users Office 365 At-Home Experience.
Steve Grossenbacher is a director of product marketing at Zscaler
