Case Study: Hydro achieves zero‑trust security and reduces carbon footprint with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange

Hydro Boosts Its Security Posture and Sustainability Efforts on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange

Hydro, a global renewable energy and aluminum company with operations in 40 countries, set out to become 100% cloud-first while cutting IT CO₂ emissions and improving profitability. The company was held back by energy‑intensive on‑prem security hardware, a low‑bandwidth MPLS network that degraded SaaS performance, and legacy VPNs that contributed to a damaging ransomware incident—prompting a strategic move to modernize workplace security and cloud adoption.

Hydro adopted the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange (including ZIA, ZPA, ZDX and Cloud Firewall) in phases—moving to direct‑to‑internet access, replacing VPNs with policy‑based zero trust, and adding cloud‑native experience monitoring. The implementation secured more than 30,000 users, boosted SaaS performance across 140 locations, reduced reliance on legacy appliances and carbon footprint, simplified management through vendor consolidation, and strengthened the organization’s security posture while enabling faster issue resolution.

Hydro

Armin Auth

Head of I&T Strategic Programs