Xona, a provider of secure access for critical infrastructure, announced on Tuesday the general availability of Xona Platform v5.4.2, a major update that extends centralized control, unified policy enforcement, and scalable auditability across globally distributed operational environments.

Building on its foundation of secure, zero-trust access for OT (operational technology), IT, and hybrid networks, Xona’s v5.4.2 release introduces new Xona Centralizer management features to extend existing enterprise-grade visibility and control across multiple Xona deployments. Combined with cross-gateway access groups, expanded identity provider support, and enhanced session governance, the release equips critical infrastructure organizations to scale secure access without adding complexity or risk.

“For critical infrastructure operators, the challenge has never been just about remote access; it’s about consistent policy enforcement, auditability, and control across a growing number of users, sites, and third parties,” said Roger Caslow, CISO at HRSD. “What the market needs are solutions that can scale governance as quickly as operations and do it without adding additional risk or complexity.”

The Xona Platform v5.4.2 introduces a range of new capabilities designed to strengthen secure access management across complex, multi-site industrial environments.

One of the key additions is the Xona Centralizer, a centralized management interface that provides real-time oversight of users, roles, and sessions across multiple deployments. This feature helps eliminate operational silos and simplifies governance processes. With cross-gateway group management, administrators can now define access groups once and apply them consistently across distributed gateways. This reduces policy drift and minimizes the overhead associated with configuration changes.

The platform now supports federated identity providers with native integration for multi-domain SAML and LDAP environments. This simplifies IT/OT convergence efforts and enhances zero-trust enforcement based on identity. Enhanced role- and time-based controls allow for fine-grained policy management. Organizations can now enforce precise access governance based on user, site, role, and schedule parameters.

Centralized logging and session metadata provide unified records of user activity and sessions, improving incident response capabilities and supporting compliance with mandates such as NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and TSA SD2. WebGL has been added as a connection option, enabling remote users to access and interact with 3D graphics displays from connected assets.

Multi-monitor VNC support now allows users to access remote systems with multiple displays, offering pan and zoom functionality to better view applications across extended screens. The user experience has been enhanced with a more responsive interface, lower session latency, and improved collaboration tools. These updates make it easier for field teams to work securely and efficiently with remote OEMs and support teams.

Customers can now apply their branding to the platform, including custom logos and favicon support, for a more tailored user interface. Cybersecurity integrations have been improved with the ability to scan file uploads using the PaloAlto WildFire cloud-based malware detection system before introducing files to connected assets. Finally, the platform supports international keyboard layouts, allowing users to connect to Windows-based assets using their localized keyboards.

As critical infrastructure organizations expand operations across regions and third-party ecosystems, the need for secure, scalable access control is more urgent than ever. According to recent industry data, more than 88% of industrial organizations cite insecure remote access as a top cyber risk, while ransomware attacks on OT environments have surged over 80% year-over-year.

Release of the Xona Platform v5.4.2 addresses emerging operational and cybersecurity demands in critical infrastructure environments. The update enables customers to eliminate the reliance on vulnerable legacy tools such as VPNs and jump servers by offering a modern zero-trust access model specifically designed for OT environments.

It also supports consistent policy enforcement for all user types, including employees, OEMs, and contractors, regardless of where they are located. Additionally, the release enhances compliance readiness through real-time logging, video session recording, and centralized audit controls, making it easier to meet regulatory and governance requirements.

Organizations across multiple industries trust Xona’s platform. Global giants such as GE, Baker Hughes, and Mitsubishi Corporation have adopted Xona’s secure access solutions to protect their critical infrastructure.

One of Xona’s long-standing customers in the power generation sector commented, “Xona has allowed our lean IT team to manage and troubleshoot issues remotely across all our sites. This has reduced the need for costly on-site visits and improved our overall operational efficiency.”

“Our customers aren’t just securing one plant, one vendor, or one session. They’re managing secure access across global fleets of assets, users, and sites. With v5.4.2, we’re giving them the tools to govern access at scale with enhanced auditability, operational agility, and enterprise-wide policy control,” said Bill Cantrell, Chief Operating Officer at Xona. “This release reflects our mission to deliver secure access that adapts to the operational reality of critical infrastructure—without ever compromising security.”

As critical infrastructure industries face increasing digital threats and navigate an evolving regulatory landscape, secure, simple access solutions like Xona’s are more critical than ever. The Xona Platform secures critical OT, IT, and cloud environments and supports compliance with leading standards, including IEC 62443, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and NERC-CIP by providing required access controls, auditability, and governance capabilities. Xona provides auditability and governance features that simplify the compliance process, all while reducing the operational burden on IT and OT teams.

Read the original article here: Xona Platform 5.4.2 centralizes secure access, expands zero trust access, unifies policy enforcement.