Companies are beginning to adopt zero trust networks because they allow them to eliminate reliance on third parties. They also provide better visibility into user behavior, enabling businesses to proactively address threats before they reach their customers.
Key findings from the Zero Trust Network Access research:
86% of companies with zero trust networks have a plan to expand their zero trust model in the next two years, and more than half (58%) have already rolled it out for more than half of their users.
84% of respondents said they are looking at implementing zero trust networks to support the digital transformation agenda.
More than half (59%) said they want to combine zero trust with other technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence and blockchain.
More than half (59%) said they are planning to integrate zero trust into their incident response and/or forensics processes.
What is a Zero Trust Network?
Zero Trust Network Access refers to a security architecture that uses identity as the basis for access control, rather than the device, location or user’s previous activity. This means that users have to prove their identity every time they access an application or service.
It’s a step up from Identity-based Access Control (IAM). Also, allows users to access systems based on their identity once they pass authentication, usually through a password. It’s also a step up from network-based or host-based access controls. Whereby they grant access based on information provided by the device or computer used by the user.
Advantages of ZTNA
The main advantage of Zero Trust Network Access is that it makes it easier to detect threats and stop them before they reach users. That’s because it uses behavioral analytics and machine learning technology to detect anomalies or unusual behavior.
Unlike IAM which depends on a user’s identity. Further, validated against a database entry or host-based controls. Which then depends on identifying unusual activity by looking at the device or computer used.
Zero Trust Network Access also improves visibility into user behavior, allowing companies to retroactively identify unauthorized access and take action as necessary.
What challenges do companies face when implementing a zero-trust network?
Many companies are concerned about the challenges in implementing zero trust networks, including:
Cost: 33% cite higher costs as a barrier to implementation.
Lack of security expertise: 32% of respondents said their organizations lack the skills needed to implement zero trust.
Complexity: 30% say that it’s more complex than traditional approaches to security.
Confusion with cloud-based solutions: 24% say that cloud-based technologies are often confused with zero trust networks.
Similar goals and characteristics: Zero-trust vs Cloud-based
In fact, they don’t always use the same technologies at all, but they do have similar goals and characteristics. Both cloud-based and zero trust solutions often rely on machine learning technology, for example, and both are to prevent unauthorized access.
But while cloud-based solutions usually rely on identity or device-based access controls, they don’t use behavioral analytics as information is generally stored on a central server rather than being shared across various parts of the network.
In contrast, a zero-trust network relies on identity, device and location-based access control combined with behavioral analytics and machine learning technology to detect threats and anomalies before they reach users.
This makes it more difficult for attackers to bypass security measures by creating multiple identities or using devices from multiple locations in order to access sensitive information. In other words, cloud services can be used independently of each other or alongside a zero trust solution.