In a rapidly transforming cybersecurity landscape, Zero Trust Network Security (ZTNS) has emerged as a foundational pillar for modern enterprise security strategies. The SPARK Matrix™ reports by Quadrant Knowledge Solutions offer an authoritative lens into this evolving domain. Comparing the Q3 2023 and Q3 2024 reports reveals significant shifts in vendor positioning, reflective of technological innovation, market responsiveness, and customer value realization.
Market Momentum and Strategic Movements
A standout trend in the 2024 matrix is the consolidation of leadership among a few core players while new entrants and rising contenders intensify competition. In 2023, the “Technology Leaders” quadrant was already populated by major cybersecurity vendors like Zscaler, Cisco, Akamai Technologies, and VMware. By 2024, these vendors not only retained their leadership but expanded their positioning further toward the top-right, demonstrating heightened excellence in both technology and customer impact. VMware (Broadcom), in particular, surged to the forefront, marking a substantial leap in customer confidence and technical sophistication. Netskope, Zscaler, and Cisco maintained strong positions in both years, but their 2024 placements reflect deeper maturity in feature integration, threat intelligence, and user-centric policies. Cisco’s continued climb in customer impact suggests increased enterprise adoption, likely driven by improved interoperability across its product suite and enhanced AI-driven threat detection.
It’s particularly interesting to see Cisco’s upward shift. Having followed Cisco’s security trajectory over the years, their 2024 position reflects a well-earned reputation for enterprise trust and platform integration, a move that makes them a compelling option for large organizations seeking consistency.
Rising Stars and Strategic Advancers
Several vendors showed remarkable upward mobility between 2023 and 2024. Ivanti, which was already near the boundary of leadership in 2023, strengthened its profile to become a solid “Strong Contender” by 2024. Likewise, Unisys advanced noticeably, especially on the technology excellence axis. These movements indicate ongoing product refinement and increasing enterprise relevance, particularly in hybrid and remote work security models.
Check Point also improved marginally but remained within the “Strong Contenders” space. Its slow movement suggests consistent performance but limited disruptive innovation compared to the rapid rise of peers like JAMF and Versa Networks, both of which entered the 2024 Leader quadrant from absence or obscurity in the previous year’s matrix.
JAMF’s emergence into the SPARK Leaders quadrant in 2024 signals growing recognition of Apple ecosystem security in ZTNS environments, while Versa Networks appears to be capitalizing on its SD-WAN heritage to drive integrated ZTNA capabilities.
Versa Networks’ elevation speaks volumes about how SD-WAN and ZTNA are converging. From a practical standpoint, Versa’s all-in-one approach appeals to enterprises looking for secure connectivity that doesn’t compromise user experience or performance.
Notable New Entrants and Decliners
New names like HPE Aruba and Citrix entered the scene in 2024, with HPE Aruba making a strong impression by debuting in the Leader quadrant. This is indicative of strategic realignment toward zero trust capabilities across network and access layers.
On the flip side, several vendors from 2023 either declined or disappeared from the matrix entirely. BlackRidge and NeuVector, both of which appeared in the “Aspirants” quadrant in 2023, and Safe-T which appeared in the “Contenders” quadrant, are notably absent in 2024. Their exit may reflect acquisition, business realignment, or failure to scale in a market demanding rapid innovation.
Zentera Systems, while still in the Leader quadrant, shows marginal regression in both dimensions, hinting at possible stagnation or increased competitive pressure. Likewise, Appgate, which held a solid position in 2023, maintains presence in 2024 but appears slightly lower, suggesting a plateau in differentiation.
The departure of vendors like BlackRidge and NeuVector is a reminder of how unforgiving the ZTNS market can be. Innovation is crucial but so is staying aligned with customer expectations and deployment flexibility.
Strategic Insights: Customer Impact vs. Technical Excellence
The SPARK Matrix’s dual-axis evaluation offers insight not only into product maturity but also into vendor ability to deliver measurable customer value. Vendors like Zscaler and Cisco continue to push the boundary on both fronts, supported by platform unification, extensive third-party integrations, and automated policy enforcement.
Meanwhile, Proofpoint and Forcepoint remain mid-tier players. Despite consistency in technological development, their relatively stagnant customer impact scores across both years suggest limited enterprise traction or visibility in ZTNS-specific deployments.
From a buyer’s perspective, balance is everything. It’s easy to be impressed by features on paper, but customer impact, seen through ease of integration, support, and real-world use cases; tells the full story.
Final Thoughts
The Zero Trust paradigm is no longer a niche architectural ideal, it is a mainstream imperative. The 2024 SPARK Matrix illustrates a maturing market, with clear stratification between innovators, incumbents, and those at risk of being left behind. Organizations evaluating ZTNS solutions would be wise to not only assess current positioning but to factor in the strategic trajectory of vendors, many of whom are rapidly adapting to cloud-native, identity-first, and context-aware security demands.
As ZTNS continues to evolve, staying informed through benchmark studies like SPARK Matrix will be essential for enterprises aiming to future-proof their cybersecurity investments.
Having watched Zero Trust evolve from buzzword to business-critical strategy, this comparative analysis reinforces the importance of vendor vision. It’s not just about where a vendor is today, but how well they’re positioned for tomorrow’s threats.