Zero Trust is an approach to security that involves both technology and a shift in your security model. Traditional security methods assume the network behind the firewall is safe, but Zero Trust assumes every inquiry is suspect and verifies each request.
“Never trust, always verify” is the Zero Trust way, and the approach means every access request is fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before access is granted. Microsoft’s Zero Trust solution is one of the most sophisticated, and it involves six security layers. Read on for the details on each.
- Identity
The first layer of identity begins with verifying that only the people, processes, and devices that are approved to access resources are the ones that are granted access. Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory assigns identity and conditional access controls for those access-seeking people and devices, and it can provide a single identity control plane with common authentication and authorization services for all your apps.
- Endpoints
The next layer assesses the security compliance of your device endpoints, including all your internet of things (IoT) systems on the edge of your network. Microsoft Endpoint Manager ensures that devices and their installed apps meet security and compliance policy requirements—no matter if your business owns the device or it belongs to your employee. And this protection applies to devices no matter their origin of connectivity to your network (such as virtual private networks (VPNs), home networks, or public Wi-Fi).
- Applications
Your apps are software-level entry points into your network and can introduce vulnerabilities just like your hardware. Microsoft has several ways of applying Zero Trust principles to software—Azure Active Directory, for one. Microsoft Endpoint Manager can also be used to enforce policy management for apps. And the Microsoft Cloud App Security (MCAS) solution can discover and manage shadow IT services.
- Network
Your network is the next access layer in the Zero Trust model, and if you’re like the typical modern business, your network is a bit complicated. Hybrid services, on-premises architecture, cloud-based solutions, and virtual networks have all contributed to a complex environment. That’s where network segmentation comes in as a control to limit the blast radius and movements of attacks on your network. Additional solutions like threat protection ensure your network perimeter is secured and encryption protects all network traffic.
- Infrastructure
All your deployed infrastructure needs to meet your security and policy requirements, so the Azure Security Center—along with Log Analytics—helps with configuration and software update management for your on-premises, cross-cloud, and cross-platform infrastructure. Your cloud resources, Azure landing zones, blueprints, and policies will all meet compliance requirements, and Microsoft Defender with Azure Sentinel also provides deep threat protection for your multi-cloud workloads.
- Data
One of the core purposes of the Zero Trust approach is to apply the right controls to your data, so a real Zero Trust model should give you control to limit data access to only the people, devices, and processes that need it. Microsoft Information Protection lets you automate the labeling and classification of files and content in your environment. And you can then assign policies to labels to instigate protection actions like access limitation or encryption. Your set policies and real-time monitoring capabilities will restrict or block unwanted sharing of data.
Explore Zero Trust Today with the Point Alliance Experts
Zero Trust is not just for large enterprises—even small businesses can benefit from this security approach. After all, SMBs are some of the most vulnerable organizations. If you’re curious about Zero Trust and how to implement it in your business, get in touch with Point Alliance. We have years of experience and expertise bringing Microsoft’s advanced security solutions to organizations of all sizes, in all industries.
