Zscaler is a leading cloud security firm, trusted by enterprises globally to drive secure digital transformation. The company’s Zero Trust Exchange platform securely connects users, devices, and applications—anywhere, anytime. In this exclusive conversation with CXO Media and APAC Media, Anand Swaroop Upadhayay, Regional Sales Director, Public Sector at Zscaler, shares how the company empowers organisations to embrace innovation securely and modernise their security architecture for the digital era.
Zscaler has been a pioneer in cloud security. How is the company’s vision evolving with the growing emphasis on zero trust and AI? How is the company integrating AI/ML into its platform to enhance threat detection and response capabilities?
Zscaler’s vision is to redefine cybersecurity for the cloud-first, mobile world—placing Zero Trust at the core of security posture. As threats grow in sophistication and velocity, we are harnessing the full power of AI and machine learning across our global platform. The Zero Trust Exchange now leverages advanced AI/ML to deliver real-time threat detection, intelligent automated response, and predictive analytics at cloud scale.
By analysing over 500 billion daily transactions, our platform continually learns and adapts to new risks, proactively identifying and stopping emerging threats. This AI-enhanced approach both sharpens defence and assures frictionless access, positioning Zscaler as an innovation leader safeguarding organisations in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
How does Zscaler differentiate itself in a competitive landscape that includes many players in the zero trust and SSE (Security Service Edge) space?
Zscaler stands apart through its purpose-built, cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange platform, designed for unmatched scalability, resilience, and advanced threat prevention. As an SSE pioneer, Zscaler unifies security for users, workloads, and IoT across any geography, processing the highest volume of cloud-secured traffic worldwide.
The platform’s end-to-end architecture eliminates complexity while delivering seamless, secure user experiences. Continuous innovation underpins our offering, with AI-driven analytics and inline inspection providing deeper context and smarter controls. Unlike patchwork alternatives, Zscaler provides true zero-trust access and holistic protection, enabling enterprises to accelerate transformation, reduce operational costs, and confidently protect their digital future.
Which are the top five verticals in India where Zscaler witnesses maximum traction? What is their proportionate contribution to the Zscaler topline?
In India, Zscaler sees strong adoption in five strategic sectors: BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), IT/ITeS, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Telecommunications. These industries are leading India’s digital transformation and demand robust cloud security for regulatory compliance, innovation, and business agility. BFSI and IT/ITeS are at the forefront, given strict data protection mandates and their high-risk profile.
While specific topline contributions remain confidential, these five sectors collectively comprise a significant share of our business in India. Zscaler is the partner of choice for securing cloud adoption and driving digital-first growth across the nation’s most dynamic industries.
With organisations accelerating their digital transformation journeys, how is Zscaler adapting its platform to meet hybrid and multi-cloud security demands?
As enterprise digital landscapes evolve, Zscaler ensures uniform, robust protection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Our cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange delivers end-to-end security, granular access controls, and unified visibility regardless of cloud provider or deployment model. Organisations eliminate legacy network complexities, gaining secure, direct access to cloud applications at speed.
For the energy sector, with its mission-critical infrastructure and unique compliance needs, Zscaler offers specialised solutions for secure remote access, IoT and OT protection, and operational resilience. Our scalable, AI-driven architecture ensures a continuous security posture, enabling business continuity and regulatory adherence for energy and other industries alike. As organisations modernise, Zscaler remains their trusted partner for secure, agile digital transformation.
Can you walk us through how Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange architecture works in real-world customer scenarios? What verticals (including the energy sector) are showing the most aggressive adoption of cloud security and zero trust, and why?
Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange operates as a cloud-native security broker that directly and securely connects users, devices, and applications, irrespective of location. In practice, this architecture means every employee, onsite, remote, or mobile, accesses only authorised applications, never the network, significantly reducing attack surfaces and lateral movement. Inline inspection, least-privileged access, and real-time threat blocking are enforced seamlessly.
Verticals including BFSI, IT/ITeS, manufacturing, and energy are leading the charge in adopting cloud security and zero trust, driven by their need for business agility, compliance, and critical infrastructure resilience. Energy enterprises, for example, use Zero Trust to secure remote workers, operational technology, and IoT devices while maintaining regulatory standards. Zscaler’s unified approach enables these sectors to innovate confidently, with security embedded at every step.
What are some emerging cybersecurity threats you’re seeing, and how is Zscaler helping customers stay ahead of them?
Cyber threats continue to evolve, with sophisticated ransomware, advanced phishing, supply chain exploits, and attacks on cloud and IoT environments now commonplace. The rise of AI-driven attacks and targeted infrastructure assaults further heightens risk. Zscaler meets this challenge by analysing 500+ billion transactions daily, leveraging AI/ML for accelerated, real-time threat detection and automated response.
The Zero Trust Exchange eliminates direct network access, enforces least-privileged controls, and inspects all traffic at scale. Automated intelligence sharing and policy orchestration help customers proactively identify and neutralise emerging threats, ensuring business continuity, data integrity, and stakeholder trust in an ever-changing threat landscape.
What are Zscaler’s top strategic priorities over the next two to three years, and how are you aligning your product and go-to-market efforts with them?
Looking ahead, Zscaler is focused on three core priorities: advancing cloud-native zero trust security, harnessing AI-driven threat intelligence, and deepening industry-specific solutions for sectors like energy. Our platform is constantly evolving to protect users, workloads, and IoT across complex hybrid and multi-cloud deployments at scale.
For the energy sector, we are enhancing capabilities for operational technology protection, regulatory compliance, and defence against sophisticated threats. Our go-to-market approach emphasises deep customer engagement, tailored advisory, and an expanding ecosystem of technology and channel partners. By closely aligning innovation with our customers’ transformation journeys, Zscaler empowers organisations to embrace digital acceleration, confident that security, resilience, and trust remain uncompromised.
