Pull up the drawbridge, the hackers are coming!

If you had zero trust in a relationship, you’re probably run for the hills. But when it comes to protecting your data, “zero trust security” is the fastest-growing trend amongst IT security companies. In fact, the zero trust security market is set hit $38 billion by 2025.

So what it is? In IT support terms, zero trust security goes way beyond the ‘moat and castle’ approach IT services usually use. (To get into the castle or network, you have to get across the moat with a password. Swords optional.)

Once inside the network – or castle – your identity is verified and trusted with network access. Yet, as hackers increasingly find their way into networks, one-time authentication is not enough. The vulnerability is even more acute for companies who store data across cloud vendors.

Enter ‘zero trust security’, a security approach in which no one inside or outside the network is trusted with access to everything. Rather than one password – or one key to the castle — strict identity verification is required for every person or device, whether they’re sitting next to the network or working remotely.

Zero trust networks break down IT security perimeters into microsegments, each requiring separate authorization. Like a castle, crossing the moat is just the first step: you now need different keys to unlock every door.

As inconvenient as that sounds, it’s far more palatable than the bottom-line cost of a data breach: a recent IBM-sponsored study put the cost of a single data breach at US$3 million.

Interested in zero trust security for your business? Contact us today.