As technology has evolved, work has gone digital, and most businesses rely heavily on technology to operate and make money — protecting your business from cyber threats is crucial.
The methods businesses used in years past to protect their information are no longer sufficient. Historically businesses have relied on perimeter security strategies to protect user data and intellectual property. These security strategies involved using firewalls and other network-based tools.
Nowadays, the move to hybrid cloud infrastructure is changing the way industries do business. Relying on a network perimeter is no longer enough to protect sensitive information.
Organizations are facing the challenge of having dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of remote workers connect to their systems through non-secure and unmanaged remote computers.
Business owners are looking for guidance when it comes to implementing cybersecurity best practices to protect company assets. The zero-trust security model provides established rules to follow and provides businesses with a security baseline.
What is the Zero Trust Security Model?
The Zero-Trust rules can be summed up as “Never Trust, Always Verify.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) says Zero Trust comprises “an evolving set of cybersecurity paradigms that move defenses from static, network-based perimeters to focus on users, assets, and resources.”
The zero-trust security model, also known as zero-trust architecture (ZTA), and zero-trust network architecture (ZTNA), requires all users, whether in or outside the organization's network, to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated for security configuration and posture before being granted access to applications and data.
The zero-trust security model was developed with the goal of combating cybersecurity threats that have become increasingly sophisticated and malicious over the years.
The model provides an enhanced layer of cybersecurity protection by verifying every user and device before granting access to the system or application.
How Can the Zero Trust Model Help Your Business?
By adopting a Zero Trust Architecture, organizations can ensure enhanced security. Zero Trust grants access only to those employees who need access to do their job. Limiting access decreases the risk of outsiders gaining access to your business network or sensitive information — giving cyber criminals less opportunity to cause harm.
Applying a zero-trust security model can also help the IT team gain insights into the company’s security. They can enforce security policies consistently and detect and respond to threats faster and precisely. According to IBM, Zero-Trust produces several other benefits, such as:
- Enhanced network performance due to reduced traffic on subnets
- Improved ability to address network errors
- More simplified logging and monitoring process due to the granularity
- Quicker breach detection times
Businesses that adopt the zero-trust model improve visibility into their data environments and reduce complexity when managing cybersecurity systems.
In conclusion, Zero Trust is a practical cybersecurity model that provides an updated approach to protecting business assets, improved visibility into your data environment, and reduced complexity when managing cybersecurity systems. For enhanced business security, the zero-trust security model could be the answer you’re looking for.
To learn more about implementing zero-trust to improve your business security — One Step Secure IT’s cybersecurity experts are available to get you on the path toward stronger security.
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