Zero Trust

WHY ADOPT ZERO TRUST?

As organisations increasingly engage with technology, data has moved beyond traditional security measures, leaving them vulnerable. Storata’s Zero Trust Strategy provides a solution by modernising security practices, enabling secure digital transformation for businesses.

WHAT IS ZERO TRUST?

Zero Trust is a modern security framework that overturns the traditional idea of trust within organizational networks. It operates on the principle that no entity—be it a network, user, device, application, or server—should be assumed trustworthy without verifying its legitimacy first. This approach demands detailed context for each trust decision, ensuring that thorough checks are conducted before granting any access or permissions. Essentially, Zero Trust emphasizes rigorous validation to minimize assumptions and potential security risks.

In today’s technological landscape, Zero Trust is increasingly essential for organizations, as it helps address evolving threats. With the average cost of a data breach rising to $4.35 million in 2022, as reported by IBM, adopting robust security measures like Zero Trust is crucial for safeguarding sensitive information.

Furthermore, organisations have overhauled their technology frameworks with the proliferation of remote work, cloud adoption, and the integration of SaaS applications and services to enhance productivity. However, this digital transformation has inadvertently increased their exposure to risks. Many security programs have struggled to keep pace with these changes; a survey by Avast found that 59% of IT leaders found it challenging to secure employee devices during remote work scenarios.

Traditional perimeter-based security controls are no longer sufficient or effective in this dynamic landscape. Remote workforces and decentralised data and application environments mean that critical business assets now exist beyond organisational boundaries. This necessitates an approach to security that protects data, networks, users, and devices both inside and outside the traditional network perimeter.

Zero Trust provides a solution by promoting a modern security paradigm that addresses these challenges without hindering organisational innovation. It enables businesses to continue innovating securely by ensuring that all access attempts are rigorously authenticated and authorised based on specific contextual criteria, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorised access and data breaches.

In essence, Zero Trust represents a proactive strategy to safeguard organisational assets in today’s interconnected and evolving digital landscape, supporting secure digital transformation initiatives while effectively mitigating emerging threats.

THE BENEFITS OF ZERO TRUST

Address the Modern Threat Landscape

Today, companies are using modern environments, platforms and technologies to drive productivity through greater flexibility and agility. With this comes increased cyber risk. With these forward-thinking Zero Trust principles, Zero Trust methodology and Zero Trust architecture, your cyber security program can address the modern threat landscape.

Analysing the Present Danger Situation
Organisations use contemporary settings, platforms, and technology in today's corporate environment to increase productivity while promoting increased adaptability and agility. But these developments also mean that there are more cybersecurity threats. By putting Zero Trust architecture, methodology, and concepts into practice, your cybersecurity programme will be better equipped to combat these contemporary threats.
Defending Beyond the Perimeter
Previously, organisations heavily relied on perimeter security controls, treating their environments like isolated castles with robust walls. While effective in the past, this approach is increasingly inadequate as data, users, devices, and systems extend beyond organisational boundaries, making traditional controls ineffective. Adopting a modern, Zero Trust-aligned strategy ensures that security measures follow users, devices, data, and assets wherever they are located.
Protecting Inside the Boundary
Despite the proliferation of assets beyond traditional perimeters, internal assets remain critical. Historically, organisations placed significant trust in their internal networks due to secure external perimeters and controlled access points resembling "limited access bridges" to their castles. However, with more access points than ever, relying on assumed trust within internal networks exposes organisations to vulnerabilities once an asset is compromised. A Zero Trust Strategy meticulously segments access within open networks, moving beyond IP addresses and ports to minimise the impact of security incidents and reduce the potential blast radius.
Eliminating the Divide Between Security and Business Enablement
Zero Trust principles can enhance both user experience and security simultaneously, a feat previously challenging to achieve. By leveraging comprehensive contextual information, Zero Trust enables more frequent affirmative responses to business needs without introducing additional risks. This shift transforms security from a restrictive force into a proactive safeguard, supporting business operations securely in today's dynamic digital landscape.
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