Extending Zero Trust access to multi-cloud applications

At Google Cloud, we are committed to supporting our customers who want to use applications hosted outside of Google Cloud. In 2022, we were named the Overall Leader in the 2022 KuppingerCole Zero Trust Network Access Leadership Compass, in part because we introduced the BeyondCorp Enterprise app connector. The app connector can help customers provide Zero Trust access to applications in multi-cloud environments.

To help make it easier for administrators to connect and configure applications hosted outside Google Cloud, our enhanced BeyondCorp Enterprise app onboarding experience includes a new step-by-step workflow to onboard web applications and auto-provision load balancers and backend services. Here’s a look at the “Connect New Application” interface in action.

You can also set up the app connector on your own in minutes using the Google Cloud console or through our APIs.

A U.S.-based contractor and Google Cloud customer has told us they’re deploying the BeyondCorp Enterprise app connector to help simplify and extend their connectivity to a set of web applications hosted in a private data center. Since the app connector works by establishing reverse connectivity and is simpler to configure and operate than options like a VPN tunnel, this customer was able to reduce their implementation time from months to days. 

Using app connector, customers are also able to extend Zero Trust access controls to web apps hosted on third-party clouds. End-users can remotely access these apps without a VPN from anywhere in the world.

Many organizations are attempting to establish multi-cloud networks, but connecting from one cloud to another using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is difficult and can take months to set up.  Additionally, opening specific ports for data ingress, a common practice for any data center or cloud, introduces security risks.  

The BeyondCorp Enterprise app connector helps remove the inherent complexities of configuring and maintaining a VPN. With the app connector in place, customers simply need to onboard their applications and the connectivity infrastructure is completely managed by Google. Once connectivity is established to Google Cloud,customers have access to a fast, reliable, and low-latency global network that stitches users and applications together with high levels of performance and availability.  

If you’d like to learn more, visit our documentation for app connector and our BeyondCorp Enterprise webpage.