Practical Guidance for Adopting Zero Trust
June 19, 2024
Written by Alan Nicholson, Executive Advisor
Embrace vigilance, erase boundaries: Adopting a Zero Trust security framework presents enterprises with the challenge of overhauling legacy systems but promises a fortified defense against breaches by verifying every access request as if it originates from an open network. Navigate the digital landscape with confidence, where the concern of insider threats diminishes, and the advantage of a robust, adaptive security posture becomes your enterprise’s new norm.
At a Glance:
Zero Trust is a cybersecurity framework centered on the idea that no user or asset should be implicitly trusted.
Enterprises are struggling to adopt Zero Trust due to technical compatibility issues, costs, and potential operational disruptions, resulting in Zero Trust implementation efforts that could take months or several years to complete
Enterprises should take a practical approach to adopting Zero Trust, focusing on prioritized risks and mechanisms to mitigate disruptions along the journey.
The breadth and depth of the Zero Trust framework touches many domains and technologies, not just network security.
A successful adoption of Zero Trust requires detailed planning, significant changes to IT infrastructure, and a mind-shift towards continuous monitoring and real-time analysis of security policies.
Background:
Most IT leaders agree that Zero Trust is a valuable framework to deploy across the enterprise. Some of the benefits include:
Reducing security vulnerabilities and risks by implementing least-privilege access and end-to-end encryption
Supporting regulatory and compliance requirements by applying consistent, granular policies across users, devices, data, apps, infrastructure, and network
Increasing productivity and efficiency by simplifying security management and automation
Enabling digital transformation by supporting cloud migration and hybrid infrastructure
Onboarding of third-party services and contractors where special data handling policies are required
Enhancing the employee experience by enabling secure and flexible work from anywhere and any device
However, we often observe that many enterprises are either not ready or slow to adopt a Zero Trust Framework. So, if you find your enterprise organization struggling with Zero Trust - congratulations, you are not alone! This begs the question: why is implementing a Zero Trust framework so challenging? Here are a few reasons we see in the enterprise space:
Technical Debt/Incompatibility: Many legacy systems were not designed with Zero Trust principles in mind, making them technically incompatible with the necessary security measures
Financial Demands: Transitioning to Zero Trust often requires significant financial investment to upgrade outdated infrastructure or to develop workarounds
Operational Disruption: Implementing Zero Trust can disrupt existing operations, as legacy systems may need to be taken offline for upgrades or integration
Policy Enforcement: Enforcing new security policies across legacy systems can be difficult, especially if they lack the dynamic capabilities required for Zero Trust
User Adoption: Employees may resist changes to their workflow, requiring careful change management and training
These challenges necessitate a strategic approach to ensure a successful transition to a Zero Trust architecture.
A strategic Zero Trust approach should extend throughout the entire digital estate and serve as an integrated security philosophy and end-to-end strategy. This is done by implementing Zero Trust controls and technologies across seven foundational elements. Each of these is a source of signal, a control plane for enforcement, and a critical resource to be defended. Visibility, automation, and orchestration should be enabled throughout these elements:
Identity: People, personas, or services that follow the principles of least privilege access
Endpoints: Monitor and enforce device health and compliance for secure access
Data: Classify, label, encrypt, and restrict access such that data remains safe everywhere
Applications: Apply controls and techniques to ensure appropriate in-app permissions, monitor for abnormal behaviors, and control user actions
Infrastructure: Assess for versions, configurations, and just-in-time access violations against non-standard patterns
Network: Micro-segmentation, end-to-end encryption, and real-time analytics
As you can see, Zero Trust is a very large and complex topic and undertaking. If adoption were that easy, everyone would do it with 100% success, quickly and efficiently.
While the benefits are clear, the adoption of Zero Trust can take many months, if not years, depending on existing complexities, gaps, and an organization’s ability and willingness to adapt to change. Windval believes strongly that adopting a Zero Trust framework offers enterprises a modern and comprehensive approach to securing critical assets, reducing the risk of data breaches, and continuously strengthening security policies.
How to get started:
Educate and Involve Stakeholders: Engage business units, IT teams, and security personnel. Encourage collaboration and communication to establish a shared understanding of Zero Trust benefits and requirements. Educate employees on new security measures to ensure smooth adoption.
Assess Legacy Systems: Conduct a thorough assessment of existing security infrastructure, policies, and controls. Identify vulnerabilities, gaps, and areas where Zero Trust principles can improve security. This assessment informs your implementation plan.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to understand the financial implications of transitioning to Zero Trust. Plan for transition costs in your IT budget.
Phased Implementation Approach: Rather than a sudden overhaul, adopt a phased approach. Start with low-risk environments or specific departments, gradually expanding to critical areas. This minimizes disruption and allows for iterative adjustments.
Here are few questions to ask yourself as you think about moving forward:
Have you identified and categorized sensitive data and assets, and do you have a comprehensive view of who accesses them, when, and from what locations?
Do you have a strategy for micro-segmentation and least-privilege access controls?
How do you plan to monitor and manage your network continuously to ensure that trust is never implicitly granted?
What skills gaps of your internal teams need to be addressed to adopt Zero Trust?
How adaptable to change is my organization and who within the organization can function as a change agent?
At Windval, we understand the complexities of introducing transformational changes, such as Zero Trust, into large enterprise organizations. We know that embracing new strategies, frameworks, and transformations is especially challenging in large enterprises. Our team of executive advisors and cybersecurity experts welcome the opportunity to learn more about your environment and continue the discussion. From informal discussions to formal workshops, Windval can guide your organization down the right path to Zero Trust success.