How it works
Download our Technical Whitepaper
Zener takes its name from the type of diode used in electronic circuits to regulate flow. Zener regulates the dataflow at every Node in the network, supporting and building n number of segments. This fine-grained control ensures that only explicitly allowed traffic is passing through any part of the system.
Zener controls dataflow on every Node
Zener is a distributed Software Defined Firewall (SDF) solution that protects assets (data and application) locally, as close to the source as possible. This is done by enforcing local firewall rules based on a simple, dynamic and unified rulesets defined in the Zener Rule Engine.
The individual firewall rules are automatically generated and distributed to local Nodes. Utilizing automation, Zener guarantees that correct rules are enforced at the correct Node.
Zener works by utilizing the best local firewall technology available on each node. This allows Zener to function across various server architectures, containers, virtual environment and even unikernels.
The Zener backend provides firewall rules, full insight to the network state and data traffic.
Zener is model based. Thanks to underlying automation Zener makes it easy to define firewall rules even to the largest and most complex IT infrastructure. Applying a firewall rule to all Nodes where a specific application run, or create security baselines only takes a few steps.
With Zener it becomes feasible to default to “Deny all” traffic. No more accidental or surprising traffic allowed. Adopting a Zero Trust Model, all traffic must explicitly be defined to be allowed. This adds security and improves the life of SysOps, DevOps, SecOps and NetOps.
Zener can easily be added to existing infrastructure whether on-premise or in the cloud. Spending millions of dollars with incumbent network companies becomes less attractive with Zener, thanks to its security attributes.
Architecture: from user defined rules to granular insights
Zener is built on a simple, mature, and highly scalable architecture. Each Node runs a Zener Agent, that makes sure the firewall rules are applied correctly. The Agent reports back status and attributes of the Node the the Zener Rule Engine. This open sup for rapid segmentation and allows rules to be created and deployed in tight integration with CI/CD systems.
The Zener Insights module gets all the information from the Agents, providing the users with full knowledge of historic and current status of the system.