Google introduces BeyondCorp Enterprise, a zero trust solution
No time right now?
Google has released the new version of its zero trust solution BeyondCorp with the addition of Enterprise. The agentless VPN alternative relies purely on Chrome as the interface.
Google has made the zero trust proxy BeyondCorp Enterprise (BCE) generally available. The new version is a further development of the previous BeyondCorp Remote Access under a new name.
As part of the latest update, Google added new features to the VPN alternative. BCE comes with an extended endpoint security, which among other things provides malware protection. In addition, BCE wants to reliably prevent data loss.
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VPN without VPN: Google’s zero trust concept
The service does not require a VPN client on the user device. Rather, the Chrome browser itself serves as an interface. Like its predecessor, BCE is used for simple and secure access to browser-based applications and services. It does not matter whether these are hosted in the Google Cloud or on-premise, i.e. on-site. Communication between on-premise and cloud applications should now also be easier and more reliable.
The administrator can individually configure policies for access rights. BCE then enforces this based on the identity of a user, the device status and other context-related factors.
For its own needs, Google has been using the BeyondCorp cloud tool since 2014. However, since mid-2020 it has been publicly available under the name BeyondCorp Remote Access.
This is Zero Trust
Even if Google rushes ahead with a packaged solution, that doesn’t mean that Zero Trust is only available with BeyondCorp. In fact, Zero Trust is initially nothing more than a technical concept that IT departments can implement worldwide if they want to.
The authentication of access is the most important component in the zero trust concept. As the name suggests, this concept is about the fact that there are basically no trustworthy participants in the network. All accesses must be authorized and authenticated individually.
If you want to take a closer look at the Trust Zero concept, you will find it in the Palo Alto Networks five-step plan a very good and structured introduction.
In the case of cloud-based applications – and Google’s solution takes care of that – the aim is to only allow authorized users to access defined applications after successful authentication. To ensure this, a central management system monitors all traffic and all access to all resources around the clock.
All cloud service providers offer zero trust approaches. Not all of them have a specific product like BeyondCorp Enterprise on offer.
