The Challenge of Securing Non-Traditional Connected Devices
Organizations increasingly deploy internet-connected devices that fall outside traditional endpoint management—autonomous vehicles, IP cameras, shipping containers, point-of-sale terminals, IIoT sensors, OT equipment, and even ambulances transmitting patient vitals. These devices require periodic updates and connectivity back to applications hosted in data centers or public clouds like Azure, AWS, GCP, and OCI. Traditional approaches create significant security challenges: publicly exposing applications creates attack surface where anything reachable becomes breachable, while VPN-based solutions require client installation on devices that may not support agents, place untrusted third-party devices directly onto corporate networks enabling lateral movement, and introduce operational complexity around client maintenance, patching, and network infrastructure management.
Zscaler Cellular Architecture and Zero Trust Implementation
Zscaler Cellular introduces a fundamentally different approach by embedding security directly into a physical SIM or eSIM card. When installed in any cellular-connected device, 100% of traffic routes through the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange before reaching any destination—eliminating the need for client software or SDKs entirely. Applications in data centers and clouds connect to the Zero Trust Exchange via outbound-only connections using Zscaler VM, making them completely dark to the internet with no inbound access permitted. The solution works globally across any mobile network in the US, APAC, and EMEA regions. Beyond device-to-application connectivity, authorized users running Zscaler Client Connector can establish reverse connections to managed devices for troubleshooting, log retrieval, or pushing updates to OT devices in segmented networks—all while maintaining zero trust policy enforcement with complete control and visibility over traffic flows.
