Implementing and achieving a successful ‘Zero Trust’ culture within an organization is a marathon, not a sprint. And trying to rush the process will hardly produce any benefits. Some of the benefits when an organization gets there include: fewer breaches, cost savings on technology related to access management, saved resources on multiple applications, IT systems, and improved productivity. Here are a few things you can do to kick-start your journey to a Zero Trust culture.
Place Verification Over Trust, Always!
The aim here is pretty simple; the fact that devices or users have access to your network does not mean that you should automatically trust them. Always keep in mind that your network security parameters are not always secure enough to identify every threat a visitor or device can pose to your network. Thus, it is important to always verify every user, no matter the device they come on, for every attempt to gain access to your network.
Adopt Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
One of the best (if not the single best) forms of breach defense against any form of unwanted access with compromised credentials is adopting an effective multi-factor authentication. For the best results, always ensure that you use a platform approach that applies multi-factor authentication to every service and app while integrating it with other features to help improve user productivity.
Adopt an Application Gateway Where Possible - Instead of Using VPN
The need to encourage working from home has led to a lot of companies opting for the VPN (virtual private network) route. And although VPN offers a quick fix, it is not always secure - especially when not used properly. The best way to mitigate the risks associated with VPN is by providing a VPN-less access directory by using an application gateway. This should be on-prem apps, restricting access to only the needed apps by the user.
Fuse MFA With Single Sign-On
Fusing MFA with a single sign-on will help to maximize the productivity of the user. This simple move will save companies a lot of money with the increase in productivity, and save users a lot of time managing logins. The combination of single sign-on (SSO) with MFA will create an additional layer of security that will require verification from both the device and the user.
Create a “Next-Gen Access” Territory
After fusing SSO with MFA, the next step is to create Next-Gen access that adds machine learning and artificial intelligence to make real-time access decisions and verify access identity. You can balance application security with usability using conditional risk-based access tools, which will prompt users with the right amount of security processes that will help verify authenticity each time.
Pick the Right Tools for the Job
Finally, it is important to complement all your efforts by picking access and identity management tools or solutions that can work well together and strengthen your endpoint security efforts. Finance is not the only consideration here, your chosen tool should also be able to integrate easily with future IT environments as well as your existing ones.
Choose Emerge IT as your single vendor that has capabilities for all the use cases mentioned here, instead of trying to create a confusing mixture of different vendors that will not be able to offer the consistency and uniformity that Zero Trust security requires. Contact Emerge IT today at 859-746-1030.