Treating even employees like possible intruders may seem harsh. Yet, with so many devices connected to cloud services and the Internet, “zero trust” may be the best way to keep your company safe from cyber attacks, as it can verify each and every request for access and give workers the resources they need for their roles. Read on to learn more about how zero trust can keep your network secure while keeping you productive. 

The Need for Zero Trust

With innovations like cloud computing come issues involved in protecting digital assets (data, applications, and more). More devices connected to the cloud (via the Internet) and also to business networks, causes the attack surface to expand. No longer can businesses assume that the security perimeter exists within company boundaries. People can connect anywhere, anytime, with the surge in remote work during the last couple of years. “Zero trust” is a way of verifying each and every request for access, and is vital to protecting a company’s digital assets. With millions of dollars and weeks of time needed to heal a breach, zero trust can save your company money, time and even reputation. 

Principles of Zero Trust

According to the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency article, zero trust is “access to an information resource (data, applications, services) for a specified period of time, with the least possible privileges.” A primary principle of zero trust is verifying each and every access request. Questions asked involve the identity of the request, the health of the device the request comes from, and the role of the entity requesting access–so you know who’s trying to access your network.  Even legitimate actors are asked to go an extra step, providing a one-time code, for example. This multi-factor authentication is a good first step toward zero-trust. Even after verification, users may be allowed access only to certain parts of the network (least possible privilege), in order to carry out their duties. These multiple, granular verifications have the additional benefit of gathering intelligence about requests to the network, in order to detect anomalies and possible intrusions by malicious actors.

Zero trust, even with its suspicious connotation, may be what companies need in order to protect their networks against cyber attack. For help setting up zero trust for your organization, contact your trusted technology advisor today.