EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
In the age of work-from-anywhere , IT teams have had to completely reconceptualize the traditional notion of a ‘ secure perimeter ’, adapting instead to an office that spans the globe and technologies that render the concept of a network edge redundant . Zero Trust networks are segmented into batches of smaller perimeters , each with strict authentication measures .
The notion of Zero
Trust has caught the attention of many organizations over the past few years – so much so that
President Biden enforced the approach for government agencies in an executive order .
These are designed to prevent someone who breaches a network from roaming around your system undetected and accessing your most sensitive data , which can drastically reduce the damage they can cause .
The notion of Zero Trust has caught the attention of many organizations over the past few years – so much so that President Biden enforced the approach for government agencies in an executive order earlier this year .
In today ’ s threat landscape , IT teams must operate on the assumption that they will be subject to a cyberattack and focus instead on mitigating the damage .
With a Zero Trust strategy , businesses are bolstering their existing cybersecurity with a series of virtual firedoors , preventing malicious actors from penetrating the business in search of the most sensitive data .
However , the true cyberthreat to businesses are negligent or malicious insiders . Time and time again , research has shown that human error is the main cause of company data breaches , and in the remote office , social engineering attacks are growing in success and frequency .
People often mistake Zero Trust as an approach that suggests businesses do not trust anyone , including their own staff , but that is not the case .
Zero Trust is a change in approach from the tried and tested methods of cybersecurity and it requires the implementation not just of a network infrastructure , but also a new culture of cyber consciousness .
One of the most critical aspects of Zero Trust is a far greater understanding of the data residing in an organization and the context in which the data is being used in order to better assess appropriate safeguards and ensure policies are in place . Features like Multi- Factor Authentication act as a reminder to employees that the data that they handle day-to-day could be valuable to a malicious actor and instils a culture in which cybersecurity is everyone ’ s responsibility . p
One of the most critical aspects of Zero Trust is a far greater understanding of the data residing in an organization and the context in which the data is being used .
STEPH CHARBONNEAU , SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT
STRATEGY FOR HELPSYSTEMS
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