Context
A Fortune 500 insurer operates across 500+ agencies in dozens of countries, managing thousands of devices and a mix of on-premise and cloud infrastructure. The organization faces significant challenges:
- Fragmented authentication systems: Corporate employees authenticate work devices via on-premise NPS servers using 802.1x, but guest Wi-Fi at offices and events remains unsecured with open SSIDs, risking data leaks and non-compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
- Compliance and data sovereignty: Navigating complex global regulations requires localized data storage and audit trails, with non-compliance leading to hefty financial penalties.
- Security risks: Outdated authentication methods, such as manual sponsor approvals for guests and weak BYOD security, expose the insurer to phishing and unauthorized access.
- Scalability issues: Managing authentication across diverse wireless controllers (Cisco WLC, Cisco Meraki, Aruba) creates policy inconsistencies and delays in global deployments.
- Frictionless access for diverse users: Supporting employees, guests, and BYOD devices with consistent multi-factor authentication (MFA) across IoT and legacy endpoints is cumbersome and error-prone.
These challenges hinder operational efficiency, increase security risks, and complicate compliance efforts across the insurer’s global footprint.
How Cloudi-Fi fits
Cloudi-Fi’s centralized, vendor-agnostic SaaS platform streamlines authentication for global enterprises. The solution integrates with existing infrastructure and addresses the insurer’s pain points through the following workflow:
- Cloud-based Captive Portal: Guests and BYOD users onboard via familiar methods like social media logins (e.g., LinkedIn), SMS, or SAML federation with identity providers such as OKTA, Ping Identity, or Microsoft Entra. This eliminates manual sponsor approvals, reducing onboarding time.
- Zero-Touch integration: Cloudi-Fi connects to existing wireless controllers (Cisco WLC, Meraki, Aruba) without requiring new hardware. It supports 802.1x authentication via a cloud-based RADIUS server, replacing on-premise NPS servers for corporate devices.
- Tiered Zero Trust policies: The platform enforces granular access controls—guests receive time-bound, bandwidth-limited access, while BYOD devices undergo device profiling. Corporate devices authenticate securely against the cloud RADIUS server.
- Centralized management: A unified dashboard enables IT teams to manage policies globally, ensuring consistency and rapid deployment of updates across all sites.
- Compliance-ready auditing: Cloudi-Fi provides comprehensive audit logs for all authentication events, supporting compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other data sovereignty regulations.
Outcome
By deploying Cloudi-Fi, the insurer achieves:
- Enhanced security: Zero Trust policies across all devices reduce vulnerabilities to phishing and unauthorized access.
- Regulatory compliance: Comprehensive audit logs and localized data handling ensure adherence to GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations, minimizing financial risks.
- Operational efficiency: Cloud-based authentication eliminates on-premise hardware and reduces policy deployment time from days to hours.
- Improved user experience: Frictionless onboarding for guests and BYOD users via familiar login methods enhances satisfaction at offices and events.
- Cost reduction: Zero-touch integration and cloud-based management lower hardware and maintenance costs.
Cloudi-Fi Zero Trust Authentication
Related Knowledge Base articles:
Learn about the different authentication methods
Introduction to 802.1X and NAC authentication with Cloudi-Fi Cloud RADIUS
