The partnership brings together Xona’s clientless, zero-trust remote access platform with Forescout’s continuous device visibility and context-aware enforcement engine. The result is a layered approach to securing OT, IT, and IoT environments, where user access is dynamically aligned to asset posture and system behavior.
“The joint solution from Xona and Forescout is fundamentally about rethinking secure remote access and visibility in OT environments,” said Bill Cantrell, Chief Strategy Officer at Xona. "Traditional approaches, such as VPNs, jump servers, or IT-based remote privileged access management tools, create unacceptably broad, persistent connections from user endpoints into critical systems. This exposes OT networks to lateral movement, ransomware, and insider threats.”
“In contrast, our integration brings together two purpose-built capabilities: Xona delivers secure, zero-trust access through a clientless, browser-based platform that fully isolates endpoints from critical OT systems, and Forescout provides dynamic, real-time visibility and context across the OT, IT, and IoT landscape using its 4D Security Platform.”
Context-Aware Access That Adapts in Real Time
A key differentiator in the Xona–Forescout integration is the use of dynamic context to guide access decisions. Rather than rely on static permissions, security teams can set policies that respond to real-time asset risk and behavioral indicators.“What makes this unique is that Forescout’s asset context and risk scoring can directly inform access decisions within Xona,” Cantrell added. “So, access is no longer static, it can be dynamic based on posture, behavioral anomalies, and policy enforcement. If an asset’s risk profile spikes, access can be revoked or denied, ensuring critical infrastructure stays protected under any conditions.”
Driving Demand in Critical Infrastructure Sectors
While full-scale deployments are still in early stages, interest in the combined solution is strong, especially among energy, utilities, and transportation organizations looking to reduce manual intervention in access control and accelerate response during incidents.“Several organizations have told us they want this integration for two key reasons,” said Cantrell. “First, to improve access decisions in real time by correlating Forescout’s dynamic asset risk scores with Xona’s session-based access controls, helping enforce least privilege access and adapt to changing OT conditions without manual intervention. And second, to accelerate forensic investigations by unifying asset behavior context with Xona’s detailed session logs and video recordings. This makes it faster and easier for security teams to understand what happened, who accessed what, and whether actions aligned with asset risk at the time.”
Built for Brownfield Deployments
Both platforms are designed to integrate into existing OT environments without requiring major network redesigns or new endpoint agents. This makes them suitable for brownfield deployments where uptime is critical and legacy systems are common. “Xona and Forescout are both designed to deploy into brownfield OT environments as an overlay, without requiring a network redesign, endpoint agents, or complex architectural changes,” Cantrell explained.“A typical deployment path includes:
“This approach allows organizations to reduce cyber risk, meet regulatory demands, and modernize OT access, all without disrupting current operations or introducing cloud dependencies.”
