SOLUTION BRIEF

Securing the University for the Future
Zscaler™ for Higher Education

SOLUTION BRIEF

Higher education institutions have been on the cloud path for years.
Forward-thinking CIOs have known that although there will always be
the need for some infrastructure in the data center the majority of IT
can be consumed via the cloud. The rapid move to online learningand remote work has accelerated the need for cloud adoption anddigital transformation. SaaS and cloud-based infrastructure opens
opportunities for new education models, expanding remote and online
learning capabilities to students and teachers around the globe.
Securing cloud and on premise systems is a complex balance of championing the ability toaccess resources to drive academic discovery while protecting critical data, Personally Identifiable
Information (PII), and Intellectual Property (IP). Zscaler’s Zero Trust exchange provides customers aZero Trust approach, only allowing the right users to access to the right data while also enabling eachdepartment to manage its own environment as needed. The Zscaler Secure Access Service Edge
(SASE) architecture delivers secure connections while ensuring users are only a short hop fromtheir applications.

• SAML 2.0 Native• Identity-based Policy• Major SIEM, Endpoint, MDM
SD-WAN Integrations• Global Policy Engine• Real-time, instantaneous
Update & Analysis• ThreatLabZ & 30+ industry
threat intelligence feeds• Continuous addition &review of URL categories

Secure Access Service Edge for Education
Zscaler Internet Access delivers a completely integrated
gateway that inspects all ports and protocols, eventraffic encrypted with SSL.
Content Security & Control

Threat Prevetion

ZERO TRUSTEXCHANGE
Zscaler is your first
hop to the internet.
See all your traffic,
block the bad,protect the good

Full SSL Inspection

Content Filtering

IPS & Adv Protections

Turn-key CIPA compliance

Cloud Sandbox

Clientless filtering options

DNS Security

Safe Search

Prevent Ransomware
The student, faculty, staff, and research data held within colleges and universities make them a ripetarget for ransomware hackers. The way in which universities offer students access to their networks
increases the allure for and vulnerability to these bad actors. A Zero Trust approach allows forransomware risks to be mitigated. All internal communications are treated as potentially hostile andeach communication between workloads must be authorized before it is allowed. In this way, Zero
Trust can stop ransomware from moving laterally across the network, which can mean the difference
between the malware encrypting a single laptop and encrypting hundreds of servers and datastoresaround the globe.

©2021 Zscaler, Inc. All rights reserved.

2

SOLUTION BRIEF

Phishing
EmailMalicious
Macro

InstallMalware

Own domain
Controller

Stealcredentials

Move
LaterallySteal
Data

Installransomware

DemandRansom

Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) with Advanced Threat Protection and Cloud Sandbox delivers
protection against ransomware, zero-day threats, and unknown malware. The Zscaler security cloudensures that every packet from every user, on- or off-network, gets fully inspected from start tofinish, with unlimited capacity to inspect SSL.
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) provides secure access to private applications. Using a Zero Trust
Network Access (ZTNA) architecture, ZPA doesn’t connect users to the network, but rather it
abstracts the network entirely from the user. This ensures that applications are never exposed to theinternet, making them completely invisible to unauthorized users. All of this is done with the needsof faculty, staff, students, and third parties (vendors, contractors, and research collaborators) in mind-- removing the complexity and allowing seamless connection to systems both on premise and in thepublic cloud.

Securing Workloads in the Data Center and the Cloud
While many applications and systems are moving to the cloud, data centers are likely to remain a partof the campus infrastructure. Security solutions need to employ workload security and segmentation
to meet this reality.
Zscaler Workload Segmentation is a new way to segment application workloads. Flat networks allowexcessive access via unprotected pathways that allow attackers to move laterally and compromise
workloads in cloud and data center environments. Shrinking segments and eliminating unnecessary
pathways is a core protection strategy for workloads. However, the cost, complexity, and time
involved in network segmentation using legacy virtual firewalls outweighs the security benefit.
With Zscaler Workload Segmentation, microsegmentation happens in mere minutes rather thanmonths —with just one click. From mapping data flows, to measuring exposure risk, to deploying
policies for enforcement, our microsegmentation is quick and simple.
Zscaler Workload Posture remediates misconfigurations, secures sensitive data, and enforces
least-privileged access. Workload Posture discovers assets and their configurations across IaaS,PaaS, and SaaS, enabling colleges and universities to understand the security posture of workload
configurations mapped to policies, prioritize security gaps, and remediate prioritizedissues automatically.

Data Protection
Higher Education institutions have unique needs when it comes to openness and collaboration.
Users need access to courseware and data to complete their work, but much of that data can beproprietary. With the Zscaler platform, educational institutions can meet these competing needs andinspect the data that is being sent outside to gain visibility into what is being sent and who it should
be shared with.
Zscaler also enables data protection with Cloud Data Loss Prevention that follows users and theapplications they are accessing, always protecting against data loss. Zscaler inspects traffic inline,
encrypted or not, and ensures SaaS and public cloud applications are secure, providing protection
and visibility your IT teams need.

©2021 Zscaler, Inc. All rights reserved.

3SOLUTION BRIEF​​Zscaler Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
mitigates the risk introduced by the inherent
collaboration and sharing of SaaS applications.
CASB enables organizations to securely adopt
and govern the use of SaaS applications, IaaS
offerings, and PaaS, providing real-time visibility
and controls access and user activity acrosssanctioned and unsanctioned applications.
The fully integrated platform eliminates overlay
architectures and simplifies policy creation andadministration, ensuring data is protected andcompliance is maintained.

MOBILE CAMPUS BRANCH

Enabling New Learning Models & Improving the User Experience
Colleges and universities can use virtual learning platforms to engage academics and experts outsideof campus, expanding their course offerings. Additionally, schools can look to increase enrollment
and reach via online class options without having to host more students on campus.
Zscaler can enable this expansion by providing secure remote access and a full security stack asa-service for students, faculty, and staff, replacing the need for legacy VPN solutions and filling thegap left by traditional network-centric approaches to security. Built to work with Banner, StudentInformation Systems, Blackboard, Google, Zoom, WebEx and more, Zscaler ensures user experienceis met and provides visibility into any issues with latency.
External apps

Private apps
PublicCloudSaaS

Internet

DataCenter

Access to Internet & SaaS

Access to Private Apps

Block the bad, protect the good.

Direct access, no legacy VPN.

ZERO TRUSTEXCHANGE

150 Exchanges Worldwide

Internet Exchange Peering

Digital Experience Monitoring
Ensure great user experience.

Any Location|Any Device|Any Application©2021 Zscaler, Inc. All rights reserved.

4SOLUTION BRIEF
Additionally, with Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX), institutions can now fully monitor the cloud
application experience simply and intuitively from the end-user perspective. ZDX restoresvisibility across the complete connection and quickly isolates user experience issues. ZDX delivers
holistic, end-to-end user experience monitoring across any network, helping IT teams streamline
troubleshooting and improve user productivity.

How Zscaler Helps Higher Ed Earn an “A” in Security
The delivery of Higher Education is changing rapidly. As more parties -- students, faculty, staff, thirdparty partners -- connect and collaborate online, securing the data and the networks that data
resides on becomes more complicated by the day. This complexity can be mitigated with a Zero Trust
approach that verifies identity and access in a way that is seamless to users. In fact, Gartner listed
Zscaler’s approach as the sole “Leader” in its Magic Quadrant for Secure Web Gateways.

To learn how we can help your institution meetyour security needs today and into the future visit
zscaler.com/industries/education LONG-ARROW-RIGHT
About Zscaler
Zscaler accelerates digital transformation with its Zero Trust Exchange, a SASE-based platform that provides fast, secure connections between
users, devices, and applications over any network. Learn more at zscaler.com or follow us on Twitter @zscaler.

Zscaler, Inc. 120 Holger Way | San Jose, CA 95134 | +1 408.533.0288© 2021 Zscaler, Inc. All rights reserved. Zscaler™and Zero Trust Exchange™are either (i) registered trademarks or service marks or (ii) trademarks
or service marks of Zscaler, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Any other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

www.zscaler.com