The traditional perimeter-based approach to network security is no longer sufficient in the rapidly evolving, connected landscape of IT solutions. As organizations manage a myriad of business needs and vendor solutions across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, a wide attack surface for hostile actors to launch attacks has emerged, elevating the necessity of new risk identification and containment methods to safeguard sensitive data and critical systems.

Microsegmentation is a Zero-Trust-based approach, designed to address new cybersecurity challenges by enhancing network architecture to minimize the attack surface, segment workloads, and create autonomous responses to restrict unauthorized access.

Microsegmentation is not only essential to detect and contain lateral movement during breaches, it leverages centralized risk controls to meet stringent and evolving regulatory requirements in industries like healthcare and finance. Pursuing microsegmentation for your organization builds a robust foundation for zero-trust security, ensuring resilience and compliance in the era of rising complexity cyber risks.

6 Reasons Why Microsegmentation is a Cybersecurity Imperative

1. Supporting Zero Trust

• Zero Trust principles incorporate granular controls and a “never trust, always verify” approach. Microsegmentation is not only segmentation but provides the foundation for implementing additional Zero Trust policies in a coordinated manner.

2. Minimizing the Attack Surface

• By isolating workloads and applications, microsegmentation limits the paths an attacker can use to move laterally across a network, significantly reducing the potential scope and damage of a breach.

3. Containment of Breaches

• Unlike traditional perimeter defenses, microsegmentation ensures that even if an attacker gains access, the damage can be contained to a specific segment, limiting damage and potentially preventing a full-scale breach.

4. Mitigating Insider Threats

• By enforcing strict access controls at a workload level, microsegmentation reduces the risk of intentional or accidental insider threats.

5. Enhanced Compliance

• Industries like healthcare and finance require stringent controls to meet regulations (e.g. HIPAA, PCI-DSS). Microsegmentation helps enforce compliance not only by restricting access to sensitive data but also cross-IT ecosystem policy enforcement.

6. Adaptation to Cloud and Hybrid Environments

• As workloads increasingly migrate to the cloud, traditional security models fail to provide adequate protection. Microsegmentation addresses this by offering consistent security across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.

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10 Best Microsegmentation Vendors to Consider for Your Organization

Microsegmentation is a critical cybersecurity practice, particularly in the healthcare, financial services, and IT industries. Leading vendors in the microsegmentation space offer a variety of tools to enhance network security by segmenting traffic, controlling lateral movement, and reducing attack surfaces.

Based on our cybersecurity strategy and implementation experience, we’ve put together a list of leading microsegmentation vendors that we believe are leading the pack.

For a quick chat on any one of our vendors or microsegmentation in general, book some time with us here.

1. Illumio

Illumio specializes in application-based microsegmentation, offering a scalable, agent-based approach suitable for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. Its standout features include real-time visibility into application dependencies and automated policy creation, making Ilumio ideal for industries like healthcare and finance with strict compliance needs.

• Specialty: Application-based segmentation.

• Key Features: Zero Trust Segmentation, real-time visibility of application dependencies, and automated policy generation.

• Best for: Healthcare and finance sectors looking to comply with stringent regulatory requirements.

• Strengths: Scalable, agent-based approach works across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.

2. Cisco Secure Workload (formerly Tetration)

Cisco Secure Workload enables application-aware microsegmentation focusing on workload visibility and Zero-Trust security. Its behavior-based policy recommendations and robust analytics make it a strong choice for enterprises seeking granular control over their applications and network traffic.

• Specialty: Application-aware microsegmentation for precise policy creation.

• Key Features: Automated policy optimization, service dependency mapping, and automated profile creation, enabling zero-trust enforcement.

• Best for: Enterprises seeking native Cisco integration, automation capabilities in mapping the application ecosystem, and ML-based optimization.

• Strengths: Combines microsegmentation with advanced ML integration across implementation, policy creation, and compliance monitoring analytics.

3. Guardicore (acquired by Akamai)

Guardicore, now part of Akamai, offers software-based segmentation designed for diverse IT environments, including legacy systems. Known for its visual network flow mapping and breach containment capabilities, it provides flexible, lightweight solutions for modern data center security.

• Specialty: Software-based segmentation.

• Key Features: Visual mapping of network flows, threat detection, and breach containment.

• Best for: Data centers with a mix of legacy systems and modern infrastructure.

• Strengths: Lightweight, flexible, and provides deep network visibility.

4. Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Cloud)

Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Cloud focuses on cloud-native security, enabling microsegmentation for Kubernetes, containers, and VMs. With centralized policy management and multi-cloud compatibility, it is ideal for enterprises modernizing their applications in hybrid or cloud-first environments.

• Specialty: Cloud-native microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Microsegmentation for Kubernetes, containers, and virtual machines with centralized policy control.

• Best for: Organizations focused on securing modern, cloud-native applications.

• Strengths: Unified approach for multi-cloud and hybrid cloud security.

5. Zscaler Workload Segmentation

Zscaler stands out with its agentless microsegmentation, offering identity-based protection for workloads without requiring network reconfiguration. Its zero-trust architecture is designed for simplicity, minimizing operational complexity while delivering robust security for modern enterprises.

• Specialty: Agentless microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Application identity-based segmentation, risk reduction without network reconfiguration.

• Best for: Businesses prioritizing existing network configuration, enabling simplicity and speed in deployment.

• Strengths: Minimizes operational overhead with a zero-trust architecture.

6. Nutanix Flow

Nutanix Flow integrates microsegmentation natively into its hyper-converged infrastructure, providing application-centric network security. With visual traffic patterns and built-in compliance tools, it is a natural choice for organizations already leveraging Nutanix’s platform.

• Specialty: Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI)-centric microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Application-centric network security, visual traffic patterns, and built-in compliance.

• Best for: Organizations with Nutanix HCI infrastructure.

• Strengths: Integrates natively with Nutanix, simplifying operations for existing users.

7. Check Point (CloudGuard)

Check Point CloudGuard combines cloud security and microsegmentation, offering automated policy enforcement and workload isolation. Its comprehensive suite is tailored for hybrid cloud environments, helping enterprises protect complex cloud operations while meeting regulatory standards.

• Specialty: Cloud security and microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Automated policy enforcement, advanced threat prevention, and workload isolation.

• Best for: Enterprises with extensive cloud operations.

• Strengths: Comprehensive security suite for hybrid cloud environments.

8. VMware NSX

VMware NSX leverages its expertise in network virtualization to provide microsegmentation as part of its SDN platform. With features like distributed firewalls and seamless VMware integration, it’s a go-to solution for organizations already relying on VMware for data center and cloud management.

• Specialty: Network virtualization and security.

• Key Features: Distributed firewall, service-defined firewalls, and seamless integration with VMware infrastructure.

• Best for: Organizations within VMware’s ecosystem for data center and cloud operations.

• Strengths: Deep integration with VMware environments and software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities.

9. ColorTokens

ColorTokens delivers lightweight, cloud-first microsegmentation with zero-trust policies for endpoints and cloud workloads. Its ease of use and quick deployment make it a suitable option for small to mid-sized organizations seeking efficient protection without heavy infrastructure changes.

• Specialty: Endpoint-to-cloud microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Zero-trust access policies, process-level security, and easy deployment.

• Best for: Smaller organizations or those needing a lightweight, cloud-first solution.

• Strengths: User-friendly interface with quick policy creation and implementation.

10. Unisys Stealth

Unisys Stealth uses identity-based microsegmentation to provide dynamic isolation and encryption for workloads. Known for its high-level security and compliance, it is widely adopted by government and enterprise clients requiring protection for critical infrastructure and sensitive data.

• Specialty: Identity-based microsegmentation.

• Key Features: Dynamic isolation, encryption, and zero-trust enforcement.

• Best for: Government and enterprise clients requiring high-level confidentiality and compliance.

• Strengths: Strong in industries with critical infrastructure needs.

Key Considerations When Choosing a Microsegmentation Vendor

Compatibility: Ensure the vendor’s solution integrates seamlessly with your existing infrastructure.

Scalability: Look for solutions that can grow with your organization.

Ease of Deployment: Consider how quickly and efficiently the tool can be implemented.

Compliance: Prioritize tools with strong reporting and compliance features if you operate in regulated industries.

Automation and Analytics Tailoring: Develop environment-specific insight by anticipating, modeling and assessing the impact and response strategy to emerging industry security threats.

24/7 Support and Incident Response Customer Service: Around-the-clock support and fast incident response services can help ensure microsegmentation closes the gap from identification to threat elimination.

Transparent Pricing: Align vendor offerings with your financial and operational KPIs.

Choosing the right microsegmentation vendor is crucial to strengthening your organization’s security posture and supporting its digital transformation goals. The vendors highlighted in this list offer diverse solutions tailored to a variety of industries, infrastructures, and operational needs.

If you’re ready to move ahead or are considering which vendor best fits your organization, reach out to us at Hypershift to start the conversation. We’ve helped hundreds of organizations find the right strategies to move ahead while keeping costs down - let’s talk.

For further reading, check out our other Microsegmentation content:

‍Quick Guide for a Unified Zero Trust, Microsegmentation & Cybersecurity Strategy

Microsegmentation for Financial Institutions

Microsegmentation for Federal Agencies

Microsegmentation in Healthcare