Appgate SDP 6.0 accelerates zero trust implementations for enterprises

At RSA Conference 2022, Appgate unveiled Appgate SDP 6.0, the latest version of its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution.

The new version features a new risk model capability that will enable customers to extend the value and reach of their existing enterprise security tools to simplify and accelerate their Zero Trust deployments.

“While Zero Trust is becoming more widely adopted, many organizations have very complex IT environments, including a wide range of already-deployed security tools, and it can be difficult to know where to begin,” said Jawahar Sivasankaran, President and Chief Operating Officer, Appgate. “The user-friendly risk model in the latest version of Appgate SDP will help organizations get the most out of the cybersecurity investments they’ve already made, while bringing these tools forward into a Zero Trust security model. We’re focused on continually innovating our solutions to help our customers simplify their cybersecurity journeys, accelerate progress and scale as their IT infrastructures evolve.”

Appgate SDP 6.0’s new risk model capability will enable customers to assign high/medium/low sensitivity levels to specific workloads and resources. It will provide a simple, flexible way to measure user/device risk at sign-on—via security tools they already have in place—against the sensitivity of the resource they are trying to access. The risk model will then dynamically adjust access rights based on the risk score.

For example, if a user behaves in a way that has been deemed high risk by the organization’s endpoint management system (i.e., trying to access a resource at 3 a.m.) and the resource has also been classified as highly sensitive, the access would immediately be blocked, and the user would receive a notification with actions to take. Or, if the user behavior and resource are both classified as “medium” risk/sensitivity, then additional user action (i.e., multi-factor authentication) may be required to allow access, whereas a “low” risk/sensitivity score would result in immediate access.

“Advancing Zero Trust maturity is an iterative, multi-year process, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make real progress in a relatively short period of time,” said Jerry Chapman, engineering fellow at Optiv. “A solution like Appgate SDP can provide organizations with the flexibility they need to easily integrate into their cybersecurity stack and simplify the process of defining risk parameters for secure access.”

Appgate SDP’s new flexible risk model will allow organizations to integrate with existing security tools and map workloads and users easily, so they can deploy and scale the solution quickly. It will also support the way people work today by providing seamless access to the resources they need to do their job, while still providing automated protection for organizations’ highest-value assets.

Other benefits in Appgate SDP 6.0 will include:

• Significant user interface enhancements: Users can navigate the intuitive console and client software much more easily. The new version will also provide support for “hot switching” between multiple client profiles, helping improve productivity for power users and system administrators
• Additional authentication methods: Appgate SDP 6.0 will add support for OpenID Connect, a simple identity layer on top of the OAuth 2.0 protocol, to better support modern enterprise identity providers. This expands on Appgate SDP’s continued support for other authentication protocols including LDAP, SAML and RADIUS
• A new macOS always-on, headless client: This new feature will match what has already been introduced for Windows and Linux, extending customer choice, protecting networked resources even before a user logs into a device, and simplifying remote device onboarding

With these new capabilities, Appgate SDP 6.0 will serve as a foundation on which Appgate will build additional services and integrations to help customers advance their Zero Trust security progress.