I’m as tired of the ‘cloud’ word as the next guy. But cloud is everywhere at the RSA Conference in San Francisco. And here’s an interesting twist: The folks at Zscaler, a cloud security start-up, made their case to me that cloud-centric security is pressuring traditional on-premise security appliances. Is that a fact or a marketing claim?
As Zscaler CEO Jay Chaudhry spoke with me, he made the case that managed security service providers will need to shift away from appliance-centric architectures to cloud architectures. The reason: It’s impossible to predict where mobile employees will be working on any given day, so it’s wiser for them to leverage cloud-centric security (running in distributed data centers across the globe) rather than appliances at fixed office locations.
I’ve known Chaudhry for about three years, and he’s a veteran of multiple start-ups and technology waves — so I tend to listen when he speaks. Zscaler, by the way, has set up a SaaS-centric partner program that delivers recurring revenue to MSPs and VARs.
But back to the topic at hand: Are cloud services pressuring on-premise, purpose-build appliances? I realize quite a few companies have made the switch from appliances to SaaS. One example involves Dell shifting its Managed Services platform (the acquired Silverback offerings) from appliances to SaaS.
But on the other hand, I keep hearing from a range of on-premise security hardware providers that are now integrating with a range of online backup, disaster recovery and SaaS security services.
Like everything else in IT, I think this is a case of lines blurring. Zscaler is generating some buzz and has signed up some companies that have as many as 300,000 users. But I think security appliances will stick around for quite some time.
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I agree with him wholeheartedly, but I am biased as well.
The fact remains that if you have more mobile workers you have an option of running all their traffic through your private network (and appliance) through a VPN or something ancient like that, or through the cloud.
It’s a joke folks, I did say I was biased.
-Vlad
Vlad,
I was at RSA listening to the Zscaler story as well. Frankly, it came in as a breath of fresh air! Your point about back-hauling all the remote-user traffic through a VPN implies doubling the bandwidth costs. Compared to all users going through the cloud, I see a clear winner in saving bandwidth costs via the cloud!
Also, I picked up on the very valid point of not having to manage and update a patchwork of appliances.
The more I get to learn about Zscaler, the more I get convinced that the days of dedicated web-security gateway apppliances is numbered. As I said, it has been a refreshing change this year at RSA …
Vlad: thanks for the perspectives.
Raj: Are you an MSP? End-customer? Please keep us posted as you formulate your cloud moves.
-jp
Doubling bandwidth costs? Considering the relatively low cost of bandwidth I don’t think this is an issue.
Invariably hardware and connectivity combine to create a “cloud-like” effect in all on-line operations. The argument over on-prem vs in the cloud is really moot because gear is involved on all sides of the communications continuum. On-site security gear will always be warranted. Even if the “cloud vendor” allegedly scrubs all content at their data center, be it Spam, Web content or viruses, there is NO 100% solution. IT management is a process. It’s not something one can buy from a vendor embodied in a managed device or service.
What is a security appliance? Typically, it’s a PC-based or linux-based box loaded with application code. The primary idea of an appliance is that it eliminates an installation variable for the customer but typically comes at a price premium.
The wide availability of inexpensive hardware, in my opinion, makes the appliance less desirable. Software vendors that offer platform flexibility and support an array of low-end hardware, but which still delivers enterprise performance, deliver greater value. Whether a service is outsourced wholly, partially or not-at-all, someone on-prem still must oversee operations to protect the organization’s best interest. SLA legalese aside, whether you go to the cloud or have both feet firmly planted on the LAN, ultimately someone’s rear-end is on the line. Blaming the mystical cloud boogie man is always a poor excuse, so the terra firma. The cloud is just a bit too ethereal for my tastes.