What is Zero Trust and How Can it Help Your Management

Zero trust is the new cybersecurity buzzword. It evolved to address a growing need for better security that matches the increasing skill of hackers and the resulting high costs. One Forbes article estimates that businesses spent a whopping $150 billion on cybersecurity around the world in 2021. This includes spending on proactive measures and recovering from attacks and represents a 12.4% increase over 2020. How can zero trust help your business?

What Is Zero Trust?

Even if you have never experienced distrust from Google when logging into your account, you have likely seen the memes on social media. They often feature a SWAT team breaking into the home of a Google user who had the audacity to sign in from a new device. This is hyperbole at its finest, but it does show how Google’s zero trust model caused it to develop a reputation for account security.

Microsoft and several other tech companies around the world have also transitioned to a zero trust security model. However, Microsoft aims to accomplish this in a manner that is perhaps more user-friendly than Google’s approach. With this goal in mind, Microsoft focused on three foundational principles.

Breach Assumption

Google’s aggressive tendency to assume a breach is at the core of its security reputation, as well as the annoyance of some of its users. Microsoft relies on the following factors when identifying and responding to a potential breach:

• Automated threat detection and response
• Micro-segmentation or sandboxing
• End-to-end encryption
• Continuous monitoring

Explicit Verification

Microsoft considers several factors when verifying a person’s identity beyond just the username and password. It also takes the following information into account:

• Device health
• Data points
• Data classification
• Location
• Anomalies
• Resources

Access Restriction

One way Microsoft aims to take a more user-friendly approach to zero trust security is to hone in on the benefits of using least-privileged access. This risk-averse policy prioritizes providing just enough access and access time.

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How Can Zero Trust Help Your Management Team?

Cloud computing has opened up a world of possibilities for organizations all around the world. Unfortunately, without adequate and proactive security measures, it also creates a world of opportunities for shady characters online. Zero trust cybersecurity helps managers and their teams to address these concerns more easily.

1. Improves Flexibility

Several organizations around the world allowed remote and hybrid work, but only from specific registered locations and via registered networks. Zero trust security from Microsoft and other tech companies may make it possible for companies to rethink this strict approach to telework. This, in turn, can improve flexibility for workers and the companies that employ them.

2. Fills Worker Gaps

Employees represent the biggest cybersecurity risk for U.S. businesses. This stems from the fact that workers often do not follow security best practices. They might write down passwords to make them easier to remember or fail to use VPNs to protect devices on public WiFi networks. Zero trust technology helps to fill these gaps to reduce risks to organizations.

3. Builds Trust

You certainly don’t want your customers thinking the SWAT team will show up if they sign in from a new device, but you do want them to feel that their information is safe with you. Even when customers don’t understand how zero trust technology works, the results will speak for themselves.

4. Strengthens Cybersecurity Budgets

The $150 billion spending on cybersecurity in 2021 represents an increase in overall spending but also the percentage of company revenues dedicated to cybersecurity. Companies experiencing budget cuts can supplement some of this spending by choosing operating systems, productivity suites and apps that use zero trust technology.

5. Reduces Collateral Damage

The primary purpose of the sandboxing component of zero trust technology is to minimize damage when breaches do occur. Sandboxing accomplishes this by breaking software up into different segments, nicknamed sandboxes. Consequently, if an infection or breach occurs, it only compromises the isolated components or resources in that sandbox.

How Can Cloudficient Help You Unlock Zero Trust Capabilities?

Virtually every aspect of technology now uses some kind of zero trust technology to bolster cybersecurity. As customers become more acquainted with the terminology and its meaning, its marketing value will increase. To get ahead of this curve and to access the technology, companies do need to upgrade to the cloud.

Organizations often worry that the process might be complex and disruptive. However, our migration specialists have the experience and professional acumen to handle migration projects of 5,000-plus end users.

With unmatched next generation migration technology, Cloudficient is revolutionizing the way businesses retire legacy systems and transform their organization into the cloud. Our business constantly remains focused on client needs and creating product offerings that match them. We provide affordable services that are scalable, fast and seamless.

If you would like to learn more about how to bring Cloudficiency to your migration project, visit our website, or contact us.