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February 16, 2022How to Implement a Zero Trust Security Strategy in an Enterprise Environment
John Kindervag, a research analyst for Forrester and thought leader, coined the term "Zero Trust," based on the mantra "never trust, always verify." His ground-breaking viewpoint was founded on the notion that threats exist both within and outside the network. As the benefits of adopting a zero-trust strategy become increasingly apparent, the popularization of the model is imminent. It has the potential to secure networks without any adverse effect on productivity and business processes. But how can you define a zero-trust network architecture? And why should you adopt it? These are some of the questions this guide will help answer.
What is Zero Trust Security?
Zero Trust Security is a security model that does not rely on predefined trust levels. Instead, it assumes that users can gain access to any resource, regardless of their location or the security posture of the device they are using. Planning is the key to a successful implementation, and a well-planned zero-trust architecture can benefit the organization. It can help the organization by simplifying the core network architecture and providing a well-rounded user experience. Moreover, it can also help safeguard the organization against threats both within and outside. It’s even capable of combating social-engineering attacks. Based on the recommendations from the NIST, zero trust aims to meet the following principles:
- Zero trust networks: The entire network is safeguarded by defining perimeters around the company's core assets. It is significantly easier to protect these assets by enforcing access control and isolating threats at these well-defined perimeters.
- Zero trust data: Data integrity is one of the defining characteristics of a modern organization, and zero trust implementation can ensure the monitoring of typical data inflows and outflows. Moreover, it can allow caching of sensitive data and granting access to the data only after verifying the users' access credentials.
- Zero trust people: Compromised employee credentials are a common type of social engineering hack, and it can lead to grave losses for the organization. Zero trust security incorporates strong authentication using zero-trust network access(ZTNA) and multi-factor authentication(MFA).
- Zero trust devices: Zero trust security approach calls for the treatment of all devices as hostile and isolation of any device that is a potential threat to the network.
- Zero trust workloads: Given that modern organizations are moving a majority of their infrastructure to the cloud, and the zero-trust strategy must include security monitoring for all the assets in the cloud.
The Benefits of implementing a Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust Security is a journey and not a destination. The elimination of all potential threats is not feasible, but having the right approach to cybersecurity can prove beneficial. Zero trust privilege is an entirely new approach to access management that verifies an approach to security that does not rely on predefined trust levels. The burden of authentication and authorization is on the application instead of the network. The primary benefits associated with a zero-trust implementation are:
- Simplification of core network architecture can lead to a direct reduction in operating expenses.
- The ability to ensure data integrity throughout the organization.
- Streamlined access management, which reduces threats from within the organization.
- The overall security threats to the organization are reduced while operating on the principle of least privilege, where every entity is assumed hostile by default and access is granted based on authentication rather than trust.
- The support for continuous compliance ensures that every request is logged and evaluated, which results in creating a perfect audit trail that can make handling compliance requests easier.
What challenges does Zero Trust Security present?
Zero Trust Security challenges the long-held notion that once a user is authenticated, they are granted access to all resources within the network. Instead, Zero Trust Security mandates that users be authenticated and authorized for every action they take, regardless of their location or prior access privileges. Here are some of the challenges the zero trust security model presents:
- When it comes to the zero-trust cybersecurity model, a fragmented approach could increase vulnerabilities.
- The zero-trust security model calls for a constant commitment towards the maintenance and updating security for effective management.
- Zero-trust implementations can often affect the overall productivity of the organization drastically. While it is fantastic to bring issues to light that would have never raised a red flag otherwise, it comes with certain costs.
How Atidan Technologies Can Help You with Your Zero Trust Strategy Implementation
Atidan specializes in helping your business realize its true potential with the help of the latest technologies to make sure that you come out ahead. With decades of experience and a tremendously powerful platform, our goal is to help you realize the full potential of today's cutting-edge technologies. With a presence in over 14 countries, We have software engineers that can help you maximize your technology investments and bring new efficiencies to your business. Our team of developers, architects, and specialists bring a diverse array of technology frameworks and a rock-solid approach to ensure your application works seamlessly. In addition, Atidan’s expert consultants will work actively with your business process managers, IT staff, and executive leadership to identify your requirements and help you reach your business goals.
