Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) provider Citrix updated its NetScaler SD-WAN platform to provide secure cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS) access directly from the branch.

“By identifying and offloading Internet and cloud traffic, you can eliminate the need to backhaul traffic to the data center, without sacrificing reliability, and improve the user experience while enhancing your security profile,” according to a Citrix blog post.

The new release also integrates a zone-based firewall in to NetScaler and the release adds enhanced identification of SaaS applications and websites. This enables secure connections to cloud providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and various SaaS applications from the branch.

Application usage analytics help operators understand which applications are in use and which have firewall access as well as the specific policies for those applications.

Customers are also now able to segregate different kinds of data across these connections to limit what apps certain users have access to. These policies can be managed and configured from a simple user interface.

It’s worth mentioning that Citrix recently completed the spinoff of its GoTo suite, which includes the GoToMeeting conferencing platform. Divesting that business means that the company will be putting much more focus on NetScaler, giving it a stake in cloud networking.