This article is the zero trust security playbook you need to help guide you with this tool. So, if you are planning to implement this tech, read on.
The Zero Trust Security Playbook
To begin, let us define what zero trust security is. It refers to a security model where all users, devices, and applications accessing a network or system are treated with equal suspicion.
The term zero trust security was coined by Forrester Research as part of their “Zero Trust Security” report released in 2016. According to the report, zero trust security is based on the concept that every user and device accessing an environment is considered untrusted.
So, this requires more time and effort to manage and control the access they have to authorized resources in an environment. This makes zero trust security a significant departure from traditional security paradigms. Such as “user-based” or “perimeter-based.”
Over the years, organizations have spent millions of dollars on:
- network firewalls,
- intrusion prevention systems (IPS),
- anti-virus software,
- threat intelligence,
- endpoint protection platforms (EPP),
…and more to protect their networks from external attacks. This led to a false sense of security for many organizations. Until one day someone told them about how hackers were getting into their networks through their own employees’ computers. This is because employees are bringing in their own devices and connecting them to the corporate networks.
So, this led to organizations realizing that it was no longer sufficient for them to focus on “external” threats alone. However, it took a lot of time and effort for organizations to get this right.
They needed new policies and procedures around BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs. Also, they needed new tools such as EPPs deployed across the enterprise, and more. All this took time and money.
So, this is where zero trust security comes in handy since it allows organizations to implement this security approach. All without making disruptive changes or spending too much money on it without compromising on security either.
The Zero Trust Security Playbook: What Are The Benefits Of Implementing It?
One of the main benefits of zero-trust security is that it allows organizations to protect the entire environment from all external and internal threats. This is then done by implementing a security model where every user or device accessing a network is considered untrusted.
Further, it enables organizations to have a more accurate threat detection capability. This is because you can now focus on detecting and mitigating attacks that are affecting an organization’s resources.
Also, it lets organizations monitor all the activity going on in their network. Meaning, that they can detect, control, and document all activities happening within the network perimeters. This is not possible with traditional security paradigms such as user-based, or perimeter-based security where all users are trusted. Plus, they may result in organizations missing out on several attacks that are occurring within their networks.
Conclusion
These are just some of the benefits organizations stand to gain from implementing a zero trust security model. This is why many organizations have already started embracing this approach for their security needs.