Zero Trust: a layered security model for modern businesses

In the past few years, modern business has moved beyond the office. Employees of companies get remote access to corporate information, often use personal devices for this and work where they can connect to Wi-Fi. On the one hand, this expands business geography, but on the other hand, it complicates the process of organizing company’s comprehensive security.

Businesses today need a layered security model that adapts effectively to new environments and protects on-premise and cloud resources. It requires strong identity verification for every person and device attempting to access the corporate network.

For its customers, Microsoft offers a security model based on the Zero Trust strategy.

What is Zero Trust?

Zero Trust is a security model that requires strong identity verification for every person and device attempting to access resources on a network, whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter.

The main message of Zero Trust is “Never trust, always verify”. This model assumes that attackers are both inside and outside the network, so no users or devices can be automatically trusted. Zero Trust verifies the user identity and privileges, as well as identity and security of the device.

This model brings together policies, practices, and technology tools that work together to provide companies with a stronger level of security.

Zero Trust protection areas

• Identity
  Organization of verification and control of user identification data using strong authentication throughout the digital environment of the company.
• Endpoints
  Control of all devices accessing the company’s infrastructure. Ensuring status and compliance checks before granting access.
• Data
  Transition from perimeter-based security to data-based security. Using analytics to classify and label data. Organization of encryption and access restrictions based on company policies.
• Apps
  Search for shadow IT in your environment, control of rights and privileges within applications, organization of access based on real-time analytics, tracking and control of user rights.
• Infostructure
  Using telemetry to detect attacks or anomalies and automatically block and flag dangerous activities; organizing access based on the minimum required privileges.
• Network
  Distrust of devices and users due to the fact that they are inside the enterprise network. Organization of encryption of all data exchange channels and access restriction based on company policies.

Each of these levels is an important link in the zero trust model. And each of them can be used by attackers or users themselves as entry points or channels to leak confidential information.

Smart business helps companies deploy their Zero Trust systems to enable secure remote work and mitigate the risks of cyberattacks that continue to grow in number and scale.

Start implementing the Zero Trust security model that’s right for your business. Contact us to find out how to do it: sales@smart.com