Zero Trust Security: Transforming Your Approach to Cyber Defense
What is Zero Trust?
Zero Trust is an approach to cybersecurity that follows the core principle of trusting no user or device accessing a system or network. The term was first coined in 2004 by Forrester Research analyst John Kindervag, who proposed its underlying framework: ‘never trust, always verify.’ Unlike traditional security, which assumes trust, a Zero Trust architecture is based on context established through strict authentication policies and least-privileged access controls.
How Does Zero Trust Work?
Traditional Security
The status quo cybersecurity model that has been used since its development in the 1990s is network security based on a secure perimeter and a centralized data center. This type of architecture relies on approved IP addresses and ports to establish access and validate what or who is trusted. In short, this security framework validates based on the origin of a user’s request.
Zero Trust Security
The Zero Trust approach assumes that everything, including all network traffic—even that within the perimeter—is hostile by default. In stark contrast to traditional security approaches, Zero Trust does not prioritize network location as the primary factor. Instead, all your data, applications, workflows, and services are protected by software-defined micro-segmentation. This ensures their security regardless of location, whether in an on-premises data center, in the cloud, or in a hybrid environment.
The 2 Fundamental Changes
1. Implicit – and sometimes excessive – trust is eliminated by removing network location as a position of advantage and replaced with explicit identity-based trust.
2. Network micro-segmentation adds a layer of security by compiling granular layers of information to understand the device, the user, and the behavior.
The 1st Step to Zero Trust:
Securing Identity
Zero Trust is a journey – not a final destination. According to Forrester Research, it takes on average 2-3 years for SMBs to fully implement a Zero Trust architecture. As of 2022, less than 25% of SMBs have put Zero Trust in place.
On that journey, the first step is critical: establish strong identity-based validation protocols, as Zero Trust security fundamentally operates by verifying “who you are,” not where the request is coming from.
Want to learn more about accelerating your Zero Trust journey?
4 Ways to Secure Identity
Cohesive Identity and Access Management (IAM)
“The Zero Trust framework is environment-agnostic, assuming that a threat originating from inside the network is just as likely as one coming from outside. A single, unified IAM platform, like PortalGuard, provides administrators or AD controllers with full visibility into who or what device is gaining network access and what levels of permission that user needs to complete a task. In short, you cannot build a robust, functional Zero Trust network without a strong IAM.
Strong Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
Implementing a strong MFA method—beyond just username and password—is crucial for establishing identity trust and mitigating lateral movement attacks, as a single verification will not be valid for more than one session. For a more robust form of authentication, PortalGuard’s Multi-Factor Authentication offers a biometric solution that verifies the actual identity of the user requesting network access.
Centralized Single Sign-on (SSO)
Having Single Sign-On in place is instrumental in helping organizations shift away from password-based authentication, which is known to create vulnerabilities for hacks, breaches, and account takeovers. To truly uphold Zero Trust security, PortalGuard’s Single Sign-On is protected by MFA, including the option to use biometrics for the highest level of security. Implementing this type of control over your environment’s users and traffic brings you a step closer to establishing Zero Trust.
Conditional Access
Implementing conditional access procedures is a critical part of a Zero Trust strategy. Largely driven by the shift to mobile and cloud, conditional access enables IT teams to either validate or deny requests from devices and users based on a set of automated policies. With workforces more remote than ever, network access outside the perimeter is essential for the daily operations of many businesses. Adaptive Authentication—a form of MFA supported by PortalGuard—directly supports a key aspect of Zero Trust: gathering and analyzing contextual information to validate legitimacy.
Common Zero Trust Use Cases
Distributed or Remote Workforce
Operational Technology
Non-employee Identities (contractors, vendors, temporary employees)
Privileged Access Management
For Government Agencies
In May of 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aiming to migrate all federal agencies to a Zero Trust architecture. Other government agencies like CISA and the NSA have also issued similar guidance on embracing the Zero Trust model. With targets like critical infrastructure to protect from potential attack, it’s imperative that government agencies at every level have the strongest possible cyber defense in place.
Product Recommendations
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