The IT sector has depended on peripheral security tactics to safeguard its most precious assets, such as user information and intellectual property. Zero trust has become a global necessity in cyber security landscape as dependence on static network perimeter is no longer enough. A CISCO report said that companies have reduced their data breach threat by 50% after implementing zero trust. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 60% of digital security product offerings will integrate zero-trust principles.
Zero-trust is a space or a network in which access control and ongoing identity verification are necessary for all digital interaction, irrespective of the device or location. All individuals, devices, and resources are viewed as untrustworthy in zero-trust security. Instead of relying on the implicit trust that exists between network boundaries, it authenticates, approves, and keeps an eye on each and every access request. Nothing is intrinsically trusted in zero-trust.
What are the advantages of going Zero-trust in cyber security?
With Zero Trust, security becomes a business booster. Here are 6 advantages that businesses get by implementing zero-trust principles in their security.
1) Streamlined security
Isolated strategy was the fundamental principle in traditional security models to prevent threats. This implied that every security instrument was configured and used separately from every other one. When security tools were misplaced or improperly set on the network, it made certain areas of the infrastructure more vulnerable. Zero trust eliminates this possibility by deploying a universal policy that is applicable to the entire company. Also, users get access only to the resources they need, minimizing the attack surface and mitigating the impact of breaches.
2) Remote workforce security
With the rise of hybrid and remote work, zero-trust shines. It secures access regardless of location, offering robust protection for dispersed teams and devices.
3) Improved monitoring and alerting
Monitoring a zero-trust architecture might be difficult. Resources that employ a combination of log analysis, event analysis and AI, like SIEM, security orchestration, etc. may identify when security concerns arise and then offer insights into how to fix them. Granular audit trails and real-time monitoring provide unprecedented insights into user activity and potential threats, enabling administrators of security operations centres rapid identification and response to cyber security threats.
4) Accurate inventory of infrastructure
Zero trust mandates that administrators know precisely which individuals, gadgets, information, programs, and services are part of the company network and where they are kept. Precise infrastructure inventory is helpful not just for network security or other security-related issues but also for long-term performance planning.
5) Enhanced brand trust
Brand trust is elevated by zero trust. Despite its name, implementing Zero Trust is essential to building a company that partners, consumers, and staff trust, since it mitigates security breaches. A person’s degree of confidence in a business influences revenue-generating actions like sharing personal information, trying unrelated goods and services, choosing the business over rivals, and being likely to make another purchase.
6) Improved employee and consumer experience
Zero Trust improves employee and consumer experiences to foster growth. Security teams are required to target optimal security policies based on a thorough knowledge of business use cases and customer journeys. Generally, enhanced security and a smooth user experience (UX) don’t go hand-in-hand. However, when companies implement Zero Trust, there is no trade-off in either of those because Zero Trust enhances both security and UX. Accessing files is also tedious as one must remember multiple passwords to do so. The utilization of single sign-on (SSO) technology is a crucial component of zero trust, as it significantly reduces the number of passwords that end users must memorize, improving the UX.