Zero Trust dashboard gets a Cloudflare-wide navigation update

On March 20, 2023, Cloudflare is rolling out an updated navigation for the Zero Trust dashboard. The change brings Zero Trust management in line with the rest of the Cloudflare platform, so teams can handle their Zero Trust organization, application and network services, and developer tools from a single, consistent interface.

The update centers on three navigation improvements:

  • Quicker navigation: Return to the main Cloudflare dashboard in one click, without opening a new window or entering a URL.
  • Account switching: View and switch between accounts directly from the top of the sidebar.
  • Resources and support: Access links to the Community, developer documentation, and support team from the top of the navigation bar.

Why the navigation is changing

In 2020, Gateway became the first Cloudflare product that didn't require a site hosted on Cloudflare's infrastructure. Because Gateway was unconstrained by the site-specific model used by most other products, and was frequently used alongside Access, the Cloudflare for Teams dashboard was built from scratch on a new, product-specific model. That gave Teams customers a dedicated home to manage their products and accounts under one roof.

Since then, Zero Trust has expanded significantly in both capability and reach, and many customers now combine Zero Trust with other Cloudflare offerings like Cloudflare One. The navigation update is a step toward expanding that original roof to cover Cloudflare's broader platform footprint.

The user experience work is guided by three principles:

  • Consistency: A predictable experience across the entire Cloudflare ecosystem, whether you're doing routine work or exploring new products.
  • Interconnectivity: Smoother movement between Zero Trust and other Cloudflare services.
  • Discoverability: Easier access to resources, documentation, and product features.

Other user experience improvements

The March navigation change is not the only UI update Cloudflare has shipped recently. A few related improvements are already in place:

User authorization and loading

The previous experience could show repeated loading screens or fail to match your Zero Trust account with the account you used to log in for other tasks, such as managing DNS. A rebuilt authorization flow now handles user and account authorization more quickly and seamlessly.

Unified tables

Zero Trust now uses the same tables UI found elsewhere in Cloudflare, giving large data sets a consistent presentation across products.

Visual consistency

Changes to the color scheme and page layout bring the Zero Trust dashboard into the same visual family as the rest of Cloudflare, reinforcing that Zero Trust sits under the same platform roof.

What's next

These updates are intended to make Zero Trust management more consistent and efficient, and Cloudflare says more improvements are already planned. To prioritize future work, the team is asking users to complete a short survey sharing the user experience issues they'd most like to see addressed.