Replacing Traditional Security Models: Why the Shift to Zero Trust Matters

The increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, the proliferation of cloud services, and the new normal of remote work have all changed the modern cybersecurity landscape. As traditional perimeter-based approaches to security become increasingly vulnerable to these modern cyber threats, zero trust has emerged as the modern security strategy of choice. 

Zero trust architecture is critical for any organization seeking to improve resilience, reduce breach risk, and enhance data protection. Let’s explore how organizations can graduate from traditional models and strengthen their security posture using zero trust security solutions.

‍

Zero trust architecture vs. perimeter-based security

Legacy security frameworks take a perimeter-based approach to security. Organizations using this approach assume that requests originating within the network are inherently trustworthy. Resources inside the network are protected by firewalls and VPNs that guard the network’s perimeter from external attacks. If an entity has gained access in the past, the organization allows it to maintain that access going forward.

But this approach leaves organizations vulnerable to attack in the rapidly changing security landscape. Insider threats, for example, are on the rise, and perimeter-based security is essentially useless against this rising cyber trend. According to research by Gurucul, 83% of organizations reported insider attacks in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.

The static and defined network structures that once dominated enterprise IT are also largely a thing of the past. Today, bring-your-own-device policies mean that personal smartphones, tablets, and laptops are commonly used for work purposes or to access an organization’s resources. At the same time, the rise in hybrid and remote work structures takes those devices far and wide as employees connect to unprotected networks in unsecured locations. And the widespread adoption of cloud services means that critical business functions are spread across multiple cloud environments.

As organizations’ networks continue to expand, the idea of a defined perimeter has become obsolete. Zero trust has emerged as the gold standard that organizations can use to strengthen their security postures. The core tenet of “never trust, always verify” means that instead of granting access based on position within the network or past access to resources, zero trust security solutions help organizations carefully assess each individual request, requesting entity, and requested asset before granting access.

‍

Key principles of zero trust architecture

NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-207 lays out a detailed definition of zero trust architecture in order to create a standard against which organizations can measure their progress. The document outlines zero trust implementation guidance, potential use cases, and specific threats to be aware of. Ideally, a zero trust security solution will help your organization manage these key principles:

Least privilege

The principle of least privilege is one of the best-known tenets of zero trust architecture. Zero trust makes the process of gaining access intentionally strenuous in order to prevent breaches. But even once access is granted, it is strictly limited. The principle of least privilege limits exposure by dictating that users are only given the necessary access based on their specific request. So access to a specific resource or application doesn’t guarantee access to any others, and access, when granted, is often time-bound. Once that timeframe expires, or if an entity requires access to another resource inside the network, the request process begins all over again.

Robust access control

Unlike perimeter-based security, the zero trust model aims to protect against attacks originating inside and outside the organization’s network. Identity-based access controls, including authentication (confirming a user or entity is who or what they claim to be) and authorization (determining the level and duration of access they can have), are absolutely critical. 

On top of limiting access based on identity, zero trust architectures must also control device-level access. Tracking all the devices that have access or are requesting access to the network and assessing their security hygiene and authorization status serves to limit the organization’s attack surface.

Microsegmentation

If granting blanket network-wide access is at one security extreme and managing individual access requests to every single resource one at a time is at the other, microsegmentation facilitates a goldilocks option. By breaking up the network into more manageable areas known as microsegments, organizations can group resources together in granular zones. This way, access can be granted to a particular zone, without having to manage access to every resource included within it. And following all the other principles of zero trust, just because an entity has gained access to one zone does not automatically grant them access to any others. 

When microsegmentation strategies are in place, attackers can’t accomplish complex attacks through lateral movement. Even if a particular zone or asset is breached, the attacker won’t immediately be able to escalate their attack to locate and corrupt or retrieve sensitive resources.

Continuous monitoring

Because zero trust insists that no users, entities, machines, or resources are inherently trustworthy, every element of the architecture must be continuously monitored. That means creating dynamic policies, constantly reassessing network infrastructure, and regularly updating the security status and privilege level of users, devices, and resources alike. Zero trust demands that even if access has been granted, that trust is not a permanent state. Every aspect of the organization’s network and IT infrastructure must be continuously assessed and verified.

‍

Implementing successful zero trust security solutions

Zero trust security solutions provide an essential shift away from the perimeter-based legacy approach. To build zero trust architecture, organizations must implement strict identity verification protocols, continuously monitor every aspect of IT infrastructure, and restrict access based on dynamic policies and least privilege principles. With a zero trust security solution in place, organizations will have an easier time managing the many concurrent parts of this critical cybersecurity approach.

Finding the right zero trust security solution for your organization will always be more effective than cobbling together a mess of third-party apps and overlapping strategies. But considering the complexity and depth of NIST zero trust guidelines, organizations will benefit from a consolidated tool that helps them successfully achieve zero trust network architecture without reinventing the wheel. Learn more about consolidating your IT security in our free e-book, How Standalone Tools Create Complexity.