Securing the Cloud’s Third Leg: Aviatrix CEO Doug Merritt on Cloud Native Security Fabric, Podcast

Aviatrix survey reveals only 8% of enterprises have effective Zero Trust — and why network security needs to catch up

“Without all three legs, you don’t have a stool — therefore, you don’t really have Zero Trust.” — Doug Merritt, CEO, Aviatrix

In a revealing interview with Technology Reseller News, Aviatrix CEO Doug Merritt joins publisher Doug Green to spotlight the cloud security gap most enterprises don’t yet realize they have — and what Aviatrix is doing to solve it.

Drawing on a just-released survey of 403 U.S. IT professionals, Merritt paints a sobering picture: only 8% of respondents believe they have an effective Zero Trust security stance in the cloud. While identity and endpoint protections have advanced, the third critical leg — network security — is largely missing. That gap, says Merritt, is what Aviatrix is closing with its Cloud Native Security Fabric (CNSF).

Founded by a pioneering female Cisco engineer, Aviatrix brings deep roots in software-defined networking and cloud infrastructure. Today, the company is evolving into a cloud security leader by embedding inline network protection that adapts to cloud-native realities: atomized perimeters, ephemeral workloads, and increasingly complex DevOps pipelines.

“The internet is now the enterprise network,” Merritt explains. “Your perimeter isn’t five data centers — it’s tens of thousands of ephemeral endpoints, APIs, and SaaS services.”

Key insights from the podcast include:

• Why CNSF matters: CNSF forms the third leg of a Zero Trust framework alongside identity and endpoint security — bringing visibility, enforcement, and micro/macrosegmentation into cloud network traffic.
• Alarming survey findings: 2 out of 3 enterprises struggle with deploying cloud firewalls, over 50% cite visibility blind spots, and 85% report difficulties securing DevOps pipelines.
• Cloud threats on the rise: The shift to agentic AI and increasingly automated cyber threats make it essential to monitor east-west and egress traffic within the cloud — stopping lateral movement and command-and-control attacks before they spread.
• Channel opportunity: Aviatrix offers a partner-friendly CNSF solution that complements existing tools like CrowdStrike, Zscaler, Wiz, and cloud-native firewalls — with modular deployment, flexible integration, and a well-designed partner program.

For organizations seeking to close their cloud network security blind spots, Aviatrix provides a free Network Security Blind Spot Assessment. And for those wanting to dig deeper, the full survey is available at aviatrix.com/resources.

Learn more: https://aviatrix.com