Zscaler, Inc., a leader in cloud security, today was named the first cloud security provider to be a certified partner in the Microsoft Networking Partner Program (NPP) for Office 365. The program is designed to offer customers a set of partners whose deployment practices and guidance are aligned with Microsoft's networking recommendations for Office 365 to provide users a fast and secure user experience. The announcement was made at Microsoft Ignite.

"Zscaler has made long-term investments in Office 365 innovation, collaboration, and user experience, and we have actively guided our large enterprise customers through their network transformation process with a cloud-first approach to security," said Punit Minocha, Senior Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Zscaler. "Office 365 is a significant business driver in the cloud transformation journey. We are thrilled to partner with Microsoft to make it easier for customers to adopt and use the full Office 365 suite."

"Zscaler is a valuable business partner to our joint customers and has continuously built a high-quality experience for our Office 365 users," said Lori Craw, Director, Modern Workplace Marketing at Microsoft. "The Zscaler Cloud Security Platform provides Office 365 customers a choice that meets our stringent Office 365 Networking Partner Program requirements. Zscaler simplifies connectivity to Office 365 while securing all other traffic through its cloud-first security architecture. Microsoft only recommends NPP partners for Office 365 connectivity."

Zscaler's unique approach to enabling digital transformation-by providing secure access to business applications in the cloud-creates the trifecta of security, performance, and agility for enterprise users. Through Zscaler Internet Access, organizations can easily route Office 365 traffic to Microsoft locally from branch offices for a fast user experience, while fully securing the rest of their direct-internet branch connections.

"Office 365 is designed to be accessed directly. Direct connections minimize latency, the enemy of productivity, and Zscaler made it easy for the Kelly IT team to establish direct connections that provide fast response times and optimize the user experience," said Robb Wilber, Director of Global Networks & Telecom for Kelly Services. "With Zscaler, we have gone from managing 400 rules overall on the branch perimeter devices to managing 10."

Read the Kelly Services case study to learn more about the company's transformation success with Microsoft and Zscaler, and visit the Zscaler website to learn how Zscaler works with Office 365.