Introduction
Zero trust has become one of the hottest cybersecurity paradigms in recent years. The traditional perimeter-based model operates on the assumption that anything inside the network perimeter is trusted. But breaches have proven this is no longer a safe assumption with assets now accessible from anywhere and an expanded attack surface.
Zero trust flips the script – assuming all users and devices are untrusted. Strict identity verification and least privilege access are enforced no matter where assets and users reside. As Google notes, "Never trust, always verify."
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover:
- The key principles and benefits of zero trust architecture
- Leading vendors providing zero trust network and application access solutions
- Architecture components needed for implementation
- Use cases driving zero trust adoption
- Deployment considerations and challenges
- Recommendations for a successful zero trust framework
Equipped with this information, you will have a complete view of zero trust and the top tools available to secure your modern enterprise environment.
Core Principles of Zero Trust
Zero trust operates on three central tenets:
Verify explicitly: Zero trust assumes there is no implicit trust granted on the network. Authentication and authorization (AA) is strictly enforced before granting any access.
Least privilege access: Access to applications and resources is determined by dynamic policy of least privilege. No users should have excessive access permissions beyond what is required.
Assume breach: Zero trust architectures are designed with the mindset that breaches will occur. With granular segmentation and micro-perimeters, blast radius is reduced.
Adhering to these principles limits lateral movement and risk, providing segmentation for greater damage control.
Key Components of a Zero Trust Architecture
Implementing an end-to-end zero trust architecture requires various components:
Users & Identities: Robust AA with contextual factors – determining who the user is, their behavior patterns, risk score, device posture
Devices: Discovery and assessment of managed and unmanaged devices accessing resources
Networks: Software-defined microsegmentation to enforce least privilege access between resources and workloads
Applications & Workloads: Application access and authorization policies aligned to identity and business logic
Data: Data protection controls including encryption, DLP, and rights management
With contextual policies and security controls tied to these pillars, a zero trust model can be consistently enforced across the entire IT environment.
Leading Zero Trust Vendors and Solutions
Many security and IT management vendors now deliver zero trust capabilities via a range of products categorized as:
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) – Secures access to private apps and resources hosted in on-prem data centers or IaaS cloud environments.
Zero Trust Application Access (ZTAA) – Granular policy enforcement for access to specific applications and APIs.
Leaders in the space include Okta, VMware, Zscaler, and Microsoft. We will do a comparative look at solution options:
Okta – Okta Identity Cloud
Okta Identity Cloud serves as an authentication and authorization hub to manage access across on-prem and cloud environments. Contextual policies enforce least privilege access based on factors like user role, application sensitivity, and device security posture.
Key Capabilities:
- Adaptive single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Granular authorization policies
- Lifecycle management for both human and machine identities
- API access management
- Integration framework to add context from other security tools
VMware – Workspace ONE
Workspace ONE serves as a digital workspace platform, centralizing endpoint management, application access, and multi-cloud infrastructure.
Key Capabilities:
- Unified endpoint management with conditional access
- Microsegmentation for application-level access controls
- Bridge between distributed IT environment (on-prem data centers, multi-cloud resources)
- Visibility via integrated dashboard
Zscaler – Zscaler Private Access
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) hides applications from unauthorized access using its global network platform. Context controls grant just-in-time application access based on user role, device security posture, and other variables.
Key Capabilities:
- Application segmentation powered by microtunnel technology
- One-click application provisioning flow
- Context-aware authorization policies
- Device posture checks prior to granting access
Microsoft – Azure Active Directory
With Azure Active Directory, organizations gain zero trust capabilities like multi-factor authentication, conditional access policies, device management, Identity Protection monitoring, and privileged identity security – all from a single dashboard.
Key Capabilities:
- Risk-based access controls
- Anomaly and leak detection
- Credential monitoring for both apps and infrastructure
- Extensive 3rd party Integrations
See Appendix A for detailed feature comparison across top zero trust vendors
Emerging AI-Driven Solutions
In addition, newer solutions leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to simplify zero trust policy creation while optimizing based on asset criticality and access patterns:
Styra Declarative Authorization Service (DAS): Uses Open Policy Agent (OPA) to define context-aware authorization policies as code managed via Git. Enables flexible policy testing to safely model complex decisions.
ThetaLake: Discovers applications, maps permissions using machine learning, and visualizes relationships and anomalies to empower least privilege access at scale.
AI and ML will be instrumental in tackling zero trust complexity long term by correlating various identity, device, network, app, and data signals to tune policy over time relative to risk tolerance.
Zero Trust Architecture Deployment Models
Zero Trust Architecture with Key Components (Image Source: VMware)
Organizations have a few options in architecting a zero trust environment with the above vendors:
Integrated Suite: Consolidate to a single vendor like VMware or Microsoft that offers integrated zero trust capabilities spanning clouds, devices, and applications.
Best-of-Breed: Mix and match specialized products from cybersecurity vendors like Okta, Zscaler, and others based on current capabilities and roadmap.
Custom-Built: Leverage cloud access security brokers (CASBs) and cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools to create customized zero trust policies.
Regardless of approach, using APIs and building integrations between tools is key to synchronizing policy decisions and avoiding blindspots.
Most experts recommend a phased rollout approach – proving zero trust with initial critical use cases before scaling more broadly. Prioritizing essential apps, sensitive data repositories, and high-privilege users early on limits complexity.
CASBs like Cloudflare, Zscaler, and Netskope all offer both ZTNA and data security capabilities for organizations seeking an intermediary step towards a wider zero trust implementation spanning identity and devices.
Top Use Cases Driving Zero Trust Adoption
Here are some of the key business drivers behind zero trust investment:
Securing cloud migrations: As organizations rapidly migrate workloads into IaaS and SaaS platforms, zero trust principles help protect cloud assets and prevent overexposure.
Enabling workforce mobility: With users accessing corporate resources from anywhere on a range of devices, zero trust verifies all connections instead of relying on VPNs originating from office locations.
Reducing IT modernization risk: As companies transform aging infrastructure alongside cloud, IoT, and smart devices, zero trust minimizes attack surfaces and lateral movement risk.
Protecting sensitive applications: Granular zero trust policies enable stricter controls for apps handling customer data, intellectual property, or regulated content.
Forrester estimates that 60% of breaches are linked to excessive user permissions and poor identity hygiene like stale credentials. Zero trust policies address these risks that lead to compromised accounts and insider threats.
Overcoming Zero Trust Adoption Challenges
While promising enhanced security andvisibility, zero trust brings meaningful IT and infrastructure changes:
Legacy compatibility hurdles – Many legacy systems lack contextual signals needed for complete zero trust decisions. For example, assessing device trustworthiness andanomaly detection.
Significant costs to implement – Both monetary and effort given changes to architecture, policy modeling, and solution training. Requires increased focus on identity and asset management.
Ongoing policy maintenance overhead – Coordinating access requirements between different security tools and updating entitlements is labor intensive. Adding or removing users, devices, apps or clouds at scale magnifiesthis.
Potential end user experience impact – Overly strict policies degrade productivity. Organizations must balance security gains while enabling workforce flexibility.
These barriers frequently stall or halt adoption efforts. The key is avoiding a "boil the ocean" approach by starting small and pivoting the legacy environment gradually. Some best practices to overcome hurdles:
API integration strategies – Use APIs to centralize policy decisions and vocabulary across tools to improve coordination while reducing admin effort.
Risk calculators and policy engines – Solutions like Okta and SecureAuth incorporate policy modeling templates and risk scoring systems to simplify initial policy design. Continuous tuning can also be automated based on asset criticality, threat intelligence and observed access patterns.
Admin experience testing – Validate that security operators can quickly troubleshoot and update policies. Also involve end users early to catch UX friction points related to MFA prompts or restrictive application access. Conduct pilot groups and small production deployments first before going all in.
Getting executive support to fund the multi-year journey is critical given the added costs. Tying zero trust programs back to strategic business objectives provides necessary cover.
Securing Data in a Zero Trust Model
Data is a primary digital crown jewel that zero trust looks to control access to. With data now created and stored across cloud platforms and services beyond the traditional perimeter, new data protection and visibility challenges emerge.
Zero trust aligns data security requirements with broader identity and access foundations to enable policies following data across environments:
Classification frameworks – Marking data by sensitivity labels, PII and other factors allows appropriate controls to follow information regardless of repository. AWS Macie, Azure Purview and Google Dataflow act as data classifiers.
Persistent protection – Encrypting data at rest via tools like Cloud KMS or Cloud HSM and in transit via TLS/SSL with CAs like Keyfactor ensures security persists past initial access control.
Data loss prevention (DLP) – DLP complements access policy by detecting risky data movement. DLP capabilities offered natively in clouds or via dedicated vendors like Digital Guardian.
Removable media oversight – Blocking untrusted USB devices and controlling write access limits insider threat vector recently evidenced in high profile breaches like Uber.
As organizations decentralize from data centers to cloud, zero trust data security regimens provide consistency. Aligning to frameworks like NIST 800-53 R5 and NIST Privacy Framework provides guidance as programs expand.
The Road Ahead for Zero Trust
Zero trust architecture represents the new normal for securing modern enterprises in the cloud era. As cyberattacks increase in frequency and impact, assuming breaches will occur fundamentally changes security dialogue to focus on limiting blast radius.
Vendors will race to one-up each other delivering integrated zero trust suites spanning identity, devices, networks, applications and data security. Convergence around leading platforms will accelerate with partnerships and acquisitions.
The journey may seem daunting, but organizations who embrace zero trust principles will reap the eventual rewards including enhanced security, visibility, cost optimization and operational efficiency. Prioritizing areas of highest risk will streamline initial deployments.
While early days yet in adoption, analyst firms project massive growth. By 2025, Gartner estimates that 60% of enterprises will migrate to zero trust network access, up from less than 20% in 2020.
As cybersecurity mesh architectures extend across cloud, edge and 5G environments, zero trust will act as the core model for safeguarding dynamic workloads and hybrid IT resources moving forward.
See Appendix B for full forecast estimates across zero trust solution areas
Appendix A – Zero Trust Vendor Capability Comparison
| Vendor | Identity Management | Device Posture | Microsegmentation | ZTNA | Data Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ |
| VMware | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Zscaler | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ● |
● = Native Capability
○ = Third-Party Integration Needed
Appendix B – Zero Trust Market Growth Estimates
| Global Zero Trust Security Market Size | $59.6B by 2030 (Allied Market Research) |
| Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Size | $32.4B by 2028 (Fortune Business Insights) |
| ZTNA Spending Growth Avg. | 15.6% CAGR (Gartner) |
Wide consensus from analysts that zero trust architectures become the default security paradigm this decade given digital transformation and cloud migrations creating a new kind of cyber ‘border’. Vendors enabling parts of the journey stand to capitalize on massive TAM expansion.
