How Enterprises Can Master Zero Trust

Zero trust is a cybersecurity strategy designed to counter the threats of today and tomorrow. It replaces the traditional perimeter-based security model with a zero trust architecture (ZTA) based on three core principles.

Implementing zero trust isn't just a technical shift, it's a cultural one, too. Teams need to collaborate like never before. Enterprise IT and security teams are often funded in silos, with each group prioritizing their own needs and agendas. While IT teams typically look to provide the most frictionless experience, those on the security side of the business take a security-first approach. Today's threat landscape requires a holistic, cross-business defensive strategy that provides greater visibility, control, orchestration, and automation across all zero trust pillars. Zero trust can strengthen protection for resources, build resilience to sustain critical operations, enable more stable cybersecurity investments, and accelerate business outcomes.

Now more than ever, cybersecurity is a crucial enabler for strategic business priorities and vital operations. Enterprises need resilient architectures to defend against escalating nation-state threats. Critical infrastructure businesses need to stay ahead of regulators' rising risk-management expectations. Leading organizations are seizing the opportunity to harness lessons learned from the ongoing at-scale implementation of zero trust at the Department of Defense (DOD). This opportunity can be harnessed using either DOD's zero trust maturity model or the functionally equivalent model from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The adoption of zero trust is a multiyear journey toward better cyber outcomes and meaningful, measurable impact. Businesses need to start rearchitecting their security strategies now to keep pace with what's to come.

Zero trust is a mindset and architectural shift that continuously assesses threats, reducing risk and hedging against potential loss. It enhances productivity and saves money by automating defense tasks and cutting down reaction time to combat threats. With granular access control, a strong zero trust posture simplifies compliance, aligns with regulatory requirements, and drives operational excellence by streamlining resource access and improving risk management for all stakeholders.

• Reduces Risk. Zero trust serves to reduce the overall attack surface by ensuring only authorized users and devices have access to sensitive resources. A ZTA helps organizations increase resistive strength to the most sophisticated cyberattacks.
• Aligns with Business Priorities. ClOs and business stakeholders ensure the approach enables corporate goals, while CTOs drive technology adoption. Expert integration of zero trust principles within the existing security infrastructure enables a tailored approach.
• Improves User Experience. Stakeholders across the enterprise benefit from improved risk management and user experience. A ZTA also streamlines access to digital resources in hybrid environments.
• Enhances Efficiency and Operational Excellence. A ZTA reduces reaction time to threats and lowers data breach costs. With increased maturity, defense and remediation become automated, enhancing IT and cybersecurity team productivity.
• Simplifies Compliance. The granular access control required in a ZTA aligns with data privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Payment Card Industry (PCI), making it easier and less costly to meet regulatory requirements.
• Dovetails with NIST CSF. Business leaders often ask why their organization should move to a ZTA if they are already using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). Put simply, zero trust is the "what" of security, and NIST CSF is the "how-to." Zero trust offers focus by providing a more prescriptive set of principles to guide your security strategy, while NIST CSF enables a flexible approach that you can tailor to achieve security objectives.