Cyber threats have been present as people use more and more of the internet services. Nowadays, these threats are ever-growing, and as businesses rely more on internet use from marketing to other online transactions, you are now faced with the challenge of protecting your networks, data, and users.

Although traditional security models can help keep these threats at bay, cybercriminals continue to evolve and adapt to bypass them. If you have security models and other models that have worked 10 years ago, they are no longer enough to safeguard modern organizations. This is why Zero Trust Security comes into play.

Zero Trust only has 1 powerful principle, and that is ‘never trust, always verify.’ Instead of you assuming that everyone in your network is trustworthy, all of their accesses are checked, validated, and monitored. Whether the request comes from inside the company’s firewall or from someone accessing outside, you will have to confirm their identity. From the user to the devices, you will have to verify all of them.

These extra layers not only make the network secure from cyber threats but also prepare you to handle the complex demands. If you are working remotely or with remote workers, or you are accessing cloud environments, Zero Trust offers that extra security on top of your traditional security tools.

Why the Traditional “Castle-and-Moat” Model Fails

Organizations have always relied on the castle-and-moat model in their approach to security, and you may have been too. Now, try to think that your important data is behind a fortress with the highest walls and a deep moat with people inside that you trust. Let’s say these are your soldiers while enemies fight their way in on the other side of your fortress. This is how the castle and moat model is.

Years ago, this type of protection worked, like how data stayed inside company-owned servers. Your employees work inside nice office buildings, and your business’s network boundaries are clearly defined. But what’s the problem with this security model? You assume trust once someone passes your perimeter.

Once the attackers are inside your walls, they can do anything within the system. So, in one successful phishing attack, your password gets stolen, and you now have a compromised device. They will have access to everything. Your business may get shut down while others are planting ransomware.

The modern work environment has rendered the castle-and-moat model almost useless. Your remote employees can log into coffee shops, airports, and even other home networks while accessing your data on multiple cloud services. Your business’s mobile devices and Internet of Things (IoT) are difficult to control, and each of these creates more opportunities for severe hackers to slip through your business’s data.

Now that businesses are working with data outside their network, whether with a remote worker or a client. Zero Trust improves your security by proving everyone’s legitimacy. This means every time your employees try to access your data or network, they are required to verify themselves. So if one system is breached, the other attacker will not be able to access everything.

Key Principles of Zero Trust Security

After all this talk about Zero Trust security, is this a product? It is actually a security framework created by a set of principles you set. Once you set these principles, you can reduce the risk of cybersecurity threats and strengthen your protection against modern threats. If you are thinking of setting up a Zero Trust in your system, here is a breakdown of each detail and why they play an essential role in your system.

1. Continuous Verification

If you are dealing with several devices or users, Zero Trust requires you and your team to validate. This does not only happen once, but it happens every time you log in or use a device. Plus, every time your team member accesses your data, it gets evaluated in real time. You can check who accesses your data as well as the health of the device. You also have access to their location and the time of the day.

Through this constant vigilance, you may think that it feels too limiting. But always think about your data and the business you built. One access for all may ruin your years of hard work, so Zero Trust security ensures the access is never taken for granted, and you can also provide security in some parts of your system once one has been accessed.

2. Least Privilege Access

Zero Trust also provides you with the ‘least privilege’ access. So let’s say your finance manager only requires access to financial data and related tools. They do not need access to your engineering features and tools. Your marketing assistant does not need full access to your account as well. With Zero Trust, users only have access to what they need for their jobs. This minimizes possible damage that can happen if one account gets compromised by a team member or a skilled hacker.

3. Microsegmentation

Another valuable aspect that you will love when implementing Zero Trust security is microsegmentation. You can divide your network into smaller zones, and instead of just having one big system, you can create sections and protect them. Think of it as your fortress with several rooms with heavy doors.

So when cyber hackers breach one part of your system, they are only limited to one area in your system. Or in most cases, you still have time to lock down most of your system or have time to find and stop the attack.

4. Assume Breach

Always assume some breach will happen. Zero Trust is an extra layer of security. If you remembered what was written in the first paragraphs of this blog, Zero Trust security limits access to one section of your system only. This prevents access or breaches to the entire business system.

Some employees have access to some sections of your system, and when that happens, you trust them to use the data or tools for work. If some of them use it for other purposes, your other data is kept safe. You also have time to detect and contain these threats. This security framework ensures you are always prepared to minimize damage.

5. Endpoint Security

Your business devices are the weakest link in security, especially when working with people remotely. But with Zero Trust security, you can require that every device meet your security standards before connecting it to your system. You can also monitor the devices and ensure they remain compliant to maintain access.

6. Comprehensive Visibility and Analytics

Zero Trust also emphasizes visibility for your end. You can monitor traffic and even analyze logs as they happen. Once you get this information, you can spot unusual activity before it gets worse or before it even happens. Analytics can help your team understand and identify risks, and then take swift action before the worst things happen.

When you combine the Zero Trust framework with your industry-standard security, you can adapt modern IT environments and work setups. You can keep your critical resources safe and limit access to your team members anywhere in the world.

Benefits of Adopting Zero Trust

Now that you know Zero Trust’s features and purposes, what are the benefits of adopting this security framework? You are not just simply adding another layer of defense against cyber threats, but you can also create a stronger and more resilient business environment.

You can minimize the Attack Surface.

Attackers will do everything to gain entry to your system. While it takes time to learn to attack one section of your system, you can still have time to limit their system. So let’s say someone has stolen a password from your employee. They still need to log in and validate through several layers of authentication and verification.

You Reduce the Impact of a Breach

Microsegmentation ensures that even if some hackers are successful in breaking through your system, they only have access to a small zone. It keeps the damage contained. If you run a big business, your recovery will cost less. Still, it is best to create a team to monitor every access to ensure that cyber threats are prevented before they even happen.

You can Mitigate Insider Threats

You hire employees and contractors for several services, and sometimes this may pose risks. Some of them may have accidentally caused an error within your business’s system, or they may have planned the cyber attack for a while. With the least-privileged access and your team’s constant monitoring, employees and contractors only have limited access, even from inside the system.

You can Secure Modern Work Environments

Your team can work remotely now and even use cloud apps that are currently being used by huge companies. Mobile devices are also part of most companies today. While adapting to the modernization in business, you can access your data and use devices without weakening your security.

You Support Compliance

While some industries require a list of regulatory standards, it can be difficult to get clients from them. You need to deal with auditors who can see how your systems are managed and monitored. With Zero Trust security, you can reduce the headaches during compliance checks and even widen the possibility of acquiring new clients in these industries.

You can Enhance User Productivity

Zero Trust may seem like micromanaging or may result in slowing employees’ productivity. It actually creates seamless and secure access for each user, so they do not have to work with VPNs anymore. As long as they have the right and approved tools, they can work with ease and actually boost their productivity.

How You Can Start Implementing Zero Trust Today

If Zero Trust is not a product, how can you get it for your system? You may feel overwhelmed with the new information about Zero Trust, so take the process step by step. Prioritize the areas that need it first, and you can do it by assessing your current security gaps. Identify your system’s vulnerabilities, which include your password policies, old devices, and even the lack of network segmentation.

Next, you can enforce multi-factor authentication. It is the fastest and most effective way to ensure your passwords alone do not have access to everything, or at least it offers an extra layer of validation before they access your data.

You also need to segment your network by dividing it into smaller sections. A breach is always expected as cyber threat levels increase at a fast pace. By segmenting, one breach in your system does not get access to the whole.

Upgrading your device’s security is vital. You have to ensure that your devices meet your current security standards and constantly monitor them for compliance. Lastly, you must invest in visibility tools. You must use tools to provide insights into the access patterns. You also need to monitor your user activity and system health. Through this, you can detect anomalies as early as possible.

The Future Belongs to Zero Trust

Businesses and the cyber landscape work together to achieve the success you want. But the cyber attacks are also getting more complex. Artificial intelligence, phishing attacks, and ransomware have become sophisticated, so your old security framework may not work as effectively as it did 10 years ago for today’s threats. Zero Trust offers that level of security to get you ready for future attacks.

Continuous verifications and minimizing privileges enable you to build resilience. Although breaches are expected to happen, you can ensure that your business can still grow and serve your customers without fear of cyberattacks.

Zero Trust security gets you ahead of the curve by providing confidence to your clients, partners, and even your employees. Business is all about providing trust, but it is always smarter to add that extra layer of protection to ensure everything you have built will not just be burned to the ground in just one breach.

AUTHOR BIO:

Abby Tan is a content writer with a knack for turning ideas into engaging, SEO-friendly stories. With years of experience in blogging and Pinterest strategy, she writes about travel, skincare, food, and the latest in tech with equal passion and creativity. Abby is currently part of the writing team at Softvire, a leading IT distributor, where she helps bring digital content to life.