How to Implement Zero Trust in Your Business

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to implementing zero trust in your business, but there are some key principles that you can apply to help make it a success. Before embarking on a quest to implement zero trust in your business, you should first be aware of how complex it can be. Zero trust is not a trivial task; it requires intense modifications of your organization’s security processes, technology, and configuration. But the benefits of zero trust are hard to ignore.

Let’s dig a little deeper into how to implement zero trust, how to build a zero-trust network, and how to implement a zero-trust network your employees can use. It all begins with an understanding of zero-trust architecture and zero-trust network access.

What are the Basics of Zero Trust?

The first step in understanding how to implement zero trust is understanding the basics of what zero trust is. Zero trust is a security model that treats all devices and users, both inside and outside of an organization, as untrusted. Every user, no matter their location or device, must be verified and authenticated before accessing any company resource such as an application or company data.  This is different than how we typically built IT systems, where trust was implied: if you were connected to the corporate network you had access to all resources.

There are a few key components to building a zero-trust network under the zero-trust model:

1. Authentication and authorization: Users must be authenticated and authorized before they’re given access to company resources. This can be done through methods like two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication.
2. Microsegmentation: Networks are segmented into small, isolated zones to limit the spread of malware.
3. Continuous monitoring: All activity is monitored in real-time so that suspicious activity can be quickly detected and mitigated.

Even within these fairly simple steps, there are greater levels of complexity within a zero-trust implementation. For instance, just creating a multi factor authentication (MFA) system can take time. Many organizations bring in an outside consultant or managed IT service to make these changes and find the right software solutions.

How to Implement Zero Trust

Now that we’ve covered the basics of zero trust, let’s look at how you can implement it in your business. It starts with secure access, access management and general improvements to network security, all of which follow the zero-trust security model.

1. Understand and document your IT landscape

Today’s IT landscape is dramatically different than it was 5 years ago.  The proliferation of Cloud and mobile, remote workers have removed the concept of a security perimeter.  Workloads are delivered via SaaS, from the data center or hosted in a cloud, and with modern application development, applications can exist in all three environments simultaneously.  It is important to understand the how applications are delivered and where they are hosted as well as the dependencies they have on microservices.

2. Enable continuous monitoring

Today’s IT environment is also much more dynamic than years past so  continuous monitoring is an important part of zero-trust security. Monitoring tools exist across the multiple pillers of Zero Trust from the desktop, through the network and into the applications/workload hosting environment.  By monitoring all activity in real time, you can quickly detect anomalous behavior and with proper tools, can respond to suspicious activity before a disastrous event. Often this will require installing and integrating new security capabilities.

3. Implement strong authentication and authorization measures

One of the most important aspects of zero-trust security is strong authentication and authorization measures. This means requiring all users, both inside and outside of your organization, to be verified and authenticated before accessing company resources.    This requires a central identity management system which works with various policy engines to implement company policy onto the IT environment.  To bolster security even two-factor and multi-factor authentication should be used across the enterprise.

4. Educate your employees

Finally, it’s important to educate your employees on the basics of zero-trust security. They should understand what zero trust is and why it’s important. They should also know how to identify suspicious activity and what to do if they see something suspicious. Your IT staff may need to be retrained on permissions.

Zero-trust security is a complex topic, but by following these steps, you can start to implement it in your organization.

How to Build a Zero-Trust Network

Building a zero-trust network follows the same steps but requires a holistic approach. When you’re building a zero-trust network, all your organization’s tools and tech stack must be integrated. You need to use solutions such as single-sign-on (SSO) to control your organization’s access. And you need to be able to achieve true visibility into your entire system.

How to Train Employees on Zero Trust

Training your employees on zero trust can be a daunting task. But it’s important to make sure they understand the basics of zero trust and how it affects their job. Here are a few tips:

1. Start with the basics: Explain zero trust and why it’s crucial.
2. Use real-world examples: Help employees understand how zero trust can be used in their day-to-day work.
3. Train regularly: Zero trust is an evolving concept, so make sure you train employees regularly.
4. Encourage questions: Employees should feel comfortable asking questions about zero trust. This will help ensure they understand the concept and can apply it to their work.

If you engage with an MSP, they can handle the process of building compliance and training within your employees for you. This will minimize disruption and increase the adoption of your new standards.

How to Build Zero-Trust Processes

Zero-trust processes are the backbone of any zero-trust security system. These are the processes and policies you put in place to ensure that only authorized users have access to company resources. You will need to begin by creating a system of least privilege as a steppingstone to zero trust. Leveraging tools to create application level access controls bring zero trust to the end user device whether it is a computer of a mobile phone.

How MSPs Facilitate Zero Trust

Managed service providers are a valuable asset regarding zero-trust security. They can help you implement and manage zero-trust solutions, as well as train your employees how to use them. MSPs can also help you create and maintain compliance with industry regulations. If you’re looking to implement zero trust in your organization, working with an MSP is a great place to start — you get all the benefits of expert specialists without having to enlist your internal IT team in a disruptive transition.

Conclusion: How to Implement a Zero-Trust Network Security Model

Zero-trust security is becoming standard. It’s based on the principle that no one should be automatically trusted, regardless of their location or relationship to the organization. Controlling access as well as containing environments against the spread of malware via microsementation are critical components of a Zero Trust model.  In the dynamic and complex environments across cloud and remote users, continuous monitoring and automated tools provide CIOs to maintain vigilance and respond as soon as threats are detected.

You don’t need to create a zero-trust network on your own. If you have questions regarding how to implement zero trust, we can help. Contact us today.