From innovation to production: why this deeptech company chose Zero Trust
Together with Reliance, this deeptech company built a Zero Trust environment on Zscaler. Full visibility, protected innovation data and a foundation that scales.

This case in 30 seconds


Customer context
This Dutch deeptech organisation develops battery technology with significantly higher capacity than existing solutions. An innovation with major commercial and strategic value. That position also brings risk. Not just cybercriminals, but competitors and other parties may also take an interest in sensitive research data and intellectual property. "We are dealing with IP that is strategically important. You want full control, from endpoint to data."At the same time, the organisation has a compact IT team of two people. That created the need for a security approach that is not only safe, but also stays manageable.
Until recently, security was largely based on traditional network security and firewalls. Fine as a baseline, but not enough for an organisation working with sensitive innovation data and international growth plans.The wish arose to move towards a Zero Trust Network Architecture. A model where no user, application or connection is automatically trusted and everything is continuously verified. The organisation looked at various solutions and eventually chose Zscaler. Reliance was brought in for implementation, guidance and further optimisation.
Reason for
change
Challenge
The challenge was not just technical. The solution needed to be secure without making work more complicated for employees. At the same time, the new environment had to be able to grow alongside future plans.The organisation is going through an important transition, from a research company to a production company. That calls for a security strategy that works today, but also holds up as new production sites, employees and processes are added.
Together with Reliance, the organisation chose a phased implementation of Zscaler. The first step consisted of implementing Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). That secures internet traffic while giving employees safe access to applications without traditional VPN solutions. Access to Zscaler Inception was also set up, an advanced honeypot environment that surfaces suspicious activity early.The next step is already planned. With Data Loss Prevention (DLP), documents can be automatically classified by sensitivity, better protecting confidential information. According to the IT manager, Reliance made the difference by not just implementing technically, but also actively thinking along. "The right people at the table. Technically strong, pragmatic and transparent. They stood beside us in the project, not across from us."
Approach
Collaboration
For a small IT team, capacity matters just as much as technology. That is exactly why the organisation values working with Reliance, not as a distant supplier, but as a partner that stays involved after implementation.Every month, there is a review of security, risks and optimisations. That keeps the environment developing, with improvements rolled out step by step. "Reliance didn't just help with implementation. They still think along, keep a finger on the pulse and make sure our security keeps growing alongside us."
The solutions used

Managed Services

Security
People
Results and future development
The impact is visible on multiple levels. Employees can work safely regardless of location or network. Security policy can be actively enforced instead of only described. Incidents are visible faster and easier to follow up on.Perhaps even more important, the organisation has gained grip on what happens within the digital environment. That brings peace of mind, not so much because risks disappear, but because insight is created and action can be taken faster when needed. Meanwhile, work continues on the next phase. The first factory is being prepared, and the Zero Trust approach forms the security foundation for it. The blueprint now being developed needs to scale to multiple production sites worldwide.
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