Zscaler Achieves Zero Trust Security-as-a-Service FedRAMP High Authorization

Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the leader in cloud security, today announced that Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA™) achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Authority to Operate from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board (JAB). This federal government certification enables ZIA to meet civilian agencies’ high security requirements, as well as those of the Department of Defense (DoD) and other intelligence organizations. ZIA is currently the only Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 solution that has achieved FedRAMP’s highest authorization.

FedRAMP High authorization indicates to federal decision-makers that ZIA and ZPA have undergone rigorous audits of critical security controls to protect the government’s most sensitive unclassified data in remote cloud computing environments.

The company’s Zscaler Private Access™ (ZPA™), the other key component of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform, is also JAB High authorized, and along with ZIA, comprise the JAB High authorized Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ for federal customers.

The certification confirms that ZIA can securely connect government users to external applications, including SaaS applications and internet destinations, regardless of device, location, or network, providing superior cyber and data protection for mission-critical government information. With both ZIA and ZPA now JAB-High authorized, agencies can resolve ongoing user experience and cost challenges associated with securing the explosive use of cloud-based applications. These challenges include continued poor user experience through VPNs, security risks from users who bypass VPNs leading to a lack of visibility and protection, and increased network usage costs associated with backhauling the growing volume of internet traffic flowing through the government's TIC.

Since achieving FedRAMP Moderate certification in 2018, Zscaler, a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Service Edge (SSE) – a security-specific component in the SASE framework – has completed SSE deployments for more than 100 US federal government and federal systems integrator customers at the Moderate impact level. Many of these deployments supported the requirements of the Executive Order 14028, including zero trust, as well as met TIC 3.0 use cases. 

"This FedRAMP High authorization elevates Zscaler and our support of the US government as currently the only cloud security company with two FedRAMP High JAB authorizations in the market," said Drew Schnabel, Vice President of Federal at Zscaler.

Federal agencies, DoD commands, and federal contractors can now take full advantage of the Zero Trust Exchange at the JAB High or Moderate level. Customers can align their security posture with their workload requirements and meet Executive Order 14028 zero trust goals at all levels available under the FedRAMP program.

“Delivering zero trust and SASE through FedRAMP authorized platforms at the highest impact levels is crucial for the security of our nation's future,” said Stephen Kovac, Chief Compliance Officer at Zscaler. “Zscaler committed to our customers that we would deliver a comprehensive zero trust and SASE platform at the High and Moderate baseline levels. Today, we are proud to announce we have met that commitment. The Zscaler team continues to follow the guidance of Executive Order 14028, CISA’s TIC 3.0 and zero trust use cases, DOD/DISA’s National Defense Authorization Act, and our customers and partners. We are delivering FedRAMP High authorized cloud platforms, while helping agencies modernize and transform their legacy cybersecurity environments to cloud-based SASE and zero trust solutions.” 

“FedRAMP High is a must-have for many federal agency deployments,” said Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research. “We see more and more CISOs and CIOs across state and local government, education, and the private sector recognizing the value of a third-party validated security assessment.”

The Zero Trust Exchange is a cloud-native security platform that securely connects any user, device, and application, regardless of location. Following the principle of least-privileged access, the platform establishes trust through user identity and context – including location, device, application, and content – and then creates secure, direct connections based on policy enforcement. The platform supports IT federal mission transformation by reducing costs, eliminating the internet attack surface, and preventing lateral movement of threats while providing an excellent user experience.

The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange is powered by the world’s largest security cloud, with more than 10 years of operational excellence enabling the processing of more than 240 billion daily transactions and stopping over seven billion threats and policy violations per day for the largest, most demanding organizations around the globe. Today’s news builds on recent announcements including:

• Zscaler Private Access Achieves DoD Impact Level 5 (IL5)
• Zscaler is chosen to run a pilot program in support of Executive Order 14028 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Zscaler is First Zero Trust Remote Access Cloud Service to Achieve FedRAMP-High JAB Authorization
• ZIA™ receives Authorization to Operate (ATO) at the Moderate Impact level
• Zscaler is a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge (SSE), following up 10 consecutive years as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Secure Web Gateway

To learn more about Zscaler, visit zscaler.com/industries/public-sector. For more information about today’s announcement please see Zscaler’s blog post here.