The zero-trust security model has been developed to increase cyber protection for businesses in line with the rapid move to cloud services, increase in hybrid working and technical advances in cyber crime.
Why your security strategy needs to change
Like many businesses, yours may be operating on a castle-and-moat security model. That’s to say, your cyber security measures focus on protecting your network from the outer perimeter to prevent invasion. This approach is great at keeping cyber threats out, but it doesn’t stop insider threats or compromised user identities.
What is the zero-trust security strategy?
The zero-trust security strategy acknowledges the potential of a malicious act from either inside your network just as much as outside. To combat this, nothing is automatically trusted, and all machines and users need to be authenticated and authorised.
Another key principle of the zero-trust model is limited user access to ensure all users have access to only the data they need to do their job. Whilst granting full access for all seems like an easy option, the more machines that have access to sensitive information, the more opportunities there are for a breach.
Why you should choose the zero-trust security model
Over the past few years, the necessary shift to digital transformation for businesses has radically changed how they operate. The zero-trust security strategy greatly increases security to allow for changes such as cloud data storage and hybrid working.
Reports show that in 2020, over 90% of cyber attacks originated in cloud environments.
As the modern network doesn’t have clearly defined perimeters, the zero-trust model homes in to protect individual files. This, combined with the limited user access principle mentioned earlier, significantly reduces the risk of an insider attack.
With such a high proportion of employees working remotely now, an outsider trying to access your network no longer raises a red flag. Without authentication and authorisation requested for every device, this can pose a huge vulnerability for your business.
How to implement the zero-trust security strategy
Your business may have already implemented some of the necessary measures outlined in the zero-trust strategy, but for full security, the implementation must be comprehensive.
Firstly, you’ll need to completely rethink how your business views cyber security before you begin to plan the following:
- A full inventory of all technology and mechanisms
- A review of how traffic flows and is controlled through your network currently
- New policies and technologies meeting the zero-trust principles
Thankfully, Microsoft and security organisations like Sophos have all the components for migrating to the zero-trust security model: Identity and access management, in-app permission, endpoint management, infrastructure and network security, and data protection.
We can guide your business to safety.
Technology moves at a rapid rate which is why we work with our clients to keep their business up to date, protected and growing.
If you’d like to learn more about our unique IT contracts, give us a call; we’ll give you a free audit of your systems and a rundown on how we can make your IT better.
