“Five ways on how businesses can fully harness the potential of Zero Trust”

Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey, Africa (CEEMETA) Dell Technologies.

If trust is the true currency in today’s competitive business environment, then Zero Trust is the ultimate measure of an organization’s cyber resilience posture.

Today, in an era dominated by rapidly evolving digital landscapes and relentless cyber threats, the need for a robust Zero Trust cybersecurity strategy has never been more critical. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2023, widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity feature among the top 10 risks facing economies within the next ten years.

For most businesses today, navigating security is like trying to make your way through a high-stakes labyrinth with many different, complicated passageways that make it hard to reach the destination. Zero Trust can help ease this journey. The Zero Trust security model reverses the conventional approach of “trust, then verify.” Instead, it champions “never trust, always verify,” urging organizations not to automatically place trust in any user, device, or network, whether internal or external.

A good cyber resilience posture starts with knowing who or what has access to your company’s vital assets. Deploying a Zero Trust architecture within your infrastructure gives you peace of mind that the integrity of your devices, applications and data are secure.

Across the world, as organizations mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, here are five ways in which they can practice and fully harness the potential of Zero Trust.

1. No Trespassing: Hackers, as the saying goes, do not break in, they log in. Hackers often prioritize stealing login information rather than defeating security controls. Zero Trust can help by implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) to restrict API and user access.

2. Limit Freedom of Movement: Once hackers breach a system, they typically acquire the freedom to navigate the entire network. Advanced Zero Trust systems focus on privileged access management, controlling how access is authorized and used, and removing privileges in case of abuse.

3. Minimize Area of Impact: Zero Trust minimizes cyberattack damage by restricting the reach of unauthorized users or malware. It limits the impact of an attack, confining it to a specific user and application. Network resets when users switch tasks prevent attacks from spreading across the organization.

4. Cut Down on Entry Points: An excessive number of entry points such as remote work, interacting with customers through a phone app, and connecting remote devices with the main office or Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) setups leads to an increase in attack surface and expands the potential access points for hackers. Zero Trust ensures devices meet specific criteria before joining the network.

5. Swiftly back on your feet: Cyberattacks happen fast and often when they’re least expected, causing significant financial damage. That’s why it’s crucial to act swiftly and get back to normal operations. An advanced Zero Trust solution continuously monitors both good and bad system behavior and speeds up the security response as soon as threats occur.

The paradigm shift to Zero Trust in cybersecurity is a necessary response to the evolving threat landscape and the changing nature of work. Embracing Zero Trust is not without its challenges. Organizations must embed the Zero Trust philosophy within their business culture, and this requires a cultural shift and investments in technology and training, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges, making it a worthwhile endeavor.

It’s time to embrace Zero Trust as the new standard in cybersecurity and fortify our defenses in this ever-changing digital age.