Why zero trust security strategy is gaining much prominence now?

Zero Trust security is a significant approach to traditional network security. This security approach capitalizes on advanced technologies such as multifactor authentication, identity and access management (IAM), and next-generation endpoint security system to validate a user’s identity and maintain system security. The need for zero-trust security is increased today owing to the inefficient capability of traditional IT network security which is based on the castle-and-moat concept. Though it is hard to get access from outside the network; but once an attacker gains access, they have free reign over everything inside the network.

Prior to the arrival of zero trust, most companies were used VPNs, allowing users to access the Internet to get connected to a private network. This network security system uses encryption to create a secure connection over unsecured Internet infrastructure. While VPNs are still good enough to satisfy most companies’ work with enhanced security, experts believe that effective zero-trust implementation will take time, commitment, and most importantly cultural change.

Surging Interest in Zero Trust Security

As it is in its initial phase, the interest in the zero trust security model is growing exponentially. And the COVID-19 pandemic is boosting this interest at a striking pace. According to an Okta report, North America leads the world in zero-trust. Organizations in the country that said they have or plan to have a zero-trust initiative in the next 12 to 18 months rose by 275 percent year-over-year. Currently, 60 percent of North American organizations are working on zero trust projects, compared with 40 percent globally, the report found. 

Organizations today realize the value of this security approach as a necessary part of their cybersecurity strategy. Essentially, this is indispensable in industries that store large amounts of sensitive data, including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and others.

As per the Okta research, after North America, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) are leading the world in zero trust initiative, with 50 percent saying they have zero trust projects underway. On the other side, 18 percent of projects are underway in Europe and the Middle East (EMEA). 

Keep Monitoring Networks with Effective Zero Trust Policy

Businesses that have plans to implement zero trust projects must ensure that they are able to continuously monitor and authenticate users and their devices. One-time validation simply won’t suffice, as threats and user attributes are rapidly changing. They must ensure that all access requests are continuously scrutinized in advance of allowing any connection to their enterprise or cloud assets. Business leaders should prioritize user identity, endpoint hardware type, firmware versions, patch levels, applications installed, user logins, security or incident detections, and so on. This is also vital because zero trust networks utilize micro-segmentation, the practice of breaking up security perimeters into small zones to maintain discrete access for separate parts of the network. Hence, having a robust zero trust policy in place, enterprises can thwart breaches and reduce potential damage.