Zscaler > Case Studies > Ciena Enhances Employee Engagement and Network Security with Zscaler and VMware

Ciena Enhances Employee Engagement and Network Security with Zscaler and VMware

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Sensors - Camera / Video Systems

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense
Telecommunications

Use Cases

Cybersecurity
Tamper Detection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

About The Customer

Ciena is a leading provider of networking systems, services, and software, headquartered in Hanover, Maryland. The company is committed to delivering top-tier networking technology through high-touch consultative relationships. With a team of over 6,600 specialists spread across more than 35 countries, Ciena helps its customers optimize their existing frameworks while integrating new technologies and ways of working. The company achieves this by adapting and connecting hardware, services, and software in an open environment, thereby enhancing network agility, responsiveness, and efficiency. This approach ensures that Ciena's customers are well-prepared to adapt to future technological advancements.

The Challenge

Ciena, a global networking systems, services, and software company, faced a dual challenge. The CEO, Gary B. Smith, tasked the IT team with increasing employee engagement levels, particularly during daily meetings. The team identified video conferencing as a potential solution, following positive feedback from peers who had seen a significant rise in engagement when video was used for internal meetings. However, implementing video conferencing across Ciena's 70+ global locations, coupled with the growing volume of traffic accessing cloud-based applications, posed a significant challenge. The company's existing hub-and-spoke topology was not equipped to handle this increased demand, leading to concerns about network strain and potential security issues.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Ciena's IT team turned to SD-WAN as part of the company's cloud transformation strategy. They chose a joint solution from Zscaler and VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud, which would provide secure, local internet connectivity at all global locations and ensure all traffic was protected. The solution enabled Ciena to simplify its branch IT operations and rapidly deploy new locations and services with cloud-controlled, centralized security and WAN management. The cloud-delivered service provided identical protection to all users in all locations, including access control, threat prevention, native SSL inspection, and data protection. The implementation of this solution not only addressed the network and security challenges but also facilitated the broader deployment of video conferencing, thereby meeting the CEO's challenge of increasing employee engagement.

Operational Impact

The implementation of the Zscaler and VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud solution had a transformative impact on Ciena's operations. The company was able to establish secure local internet breakouts at all its global locations, reducing latency by 20% and significantly improving the user experience for its employees. The solution also simplified branch IT operations, enabling the rapid deployment of new locations and services with centralized security and WAN management. The cloud-delivered service ensured that all users, regardless of location, received identical protection. This included access control, threat prevention, native SSL inspection, and data protection. Furthermore, the solution facilitated the broader deployment of video conferencing, leading to a doubling of employee participation in meetings and meeting the CEO's challenge of increasing employee engagement.

Quantitative Benefit