Security Evolved: How SASE and Zero Trust Reshape the Future of Business Protection

Introduction

Zero trust has become synonymous with proactive cybersecurity, mitigating the risks associated with compromised user accounts. However, its true prowess shines when seamlessly integrated across the entire network infrastructure of an enterprise. This is where SASE, or Secure Access Service Edge, takes center stage. Serving as a revolutionary WAN networking and security solution, SASE harmonizes a robust security stack with the advanced network routing capabilities of software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN).

Positioned as a cloud-centric solution supporting businesses’ cloud-driven network architecture, SASE offers security inspection, secured remote access, and optimized networking across the entirety of a company’s network. Join us in unraveling the intricacies of SASE and zero trust, discovering 6 pivotal reasons why their collective implementation is indispensable for your business.

Why Should You Implement SASE with a Zero Trust Strategy?

1. Cloud data servers need shared security responsibility:

The evolving landscape of data storage preferences sees companies increasingly gravitating towards hybrid or public cloud solutions, moving away from traditional corporate-owned data centers for housing critical data. This shift prompts a reevaluation of entrenched notions of trust in processes, technologies, people, skills, and data center security tools.

To navigate this transformation, a shared responsibility model is gaining prominence, recognizing the joint obligation of both the cloud vendor and the enterprise to provide and maintain security. Embedded within this collaborative framework is the zero-trust security model, serving as the cornerstone for shared cybersecurity responsibility. By fostering continuous verification and scrutiny, zero trust reshapes the approach to security, ensuring that trust is earned and sustained in every facet of the cloud infrastructure.

2. Perimeter-based security isn’t very effective in today’s enterprise environment:

The landscape of business operations has undergone a paradigm shift, ushered in by the ubiquitous integration of digital technologies. In this era, traditional perimeter-based cybersecurity models are being reevaluated as the parameters that once delineated the scope of security enforcement lose their efficacy. Enter zero trust security, a revolutionary approach to access approval within networks.

Operating on the principle of least privilege, zero trust security challenges the conventional practice of granting broad access based on organizational roles. Instead, it mandates that each individual receives limited access to the entire system. This micro-level approach involves monitoring and verifying each access request to different parts of the network, ensuring a meticulous and granular security protocol in an environment where implicit trust is no longer sustainable.

3. The entire workforce shouldn’t have all access:

The transformation in business operations demands a reevaluation of enterprises’ dependence on people and processes. Traditionally, customers and employees played central roles as the primary users of a business’s applications and infrastructure. However, the contemporary business ecosystem includes vendors and suppliers as integral components of the system. In response, businesses must acknowledge that non-employees, such as vendors and suppliers, should not be provided with unrestricted access to business applications.

Simultaneously, employees, each contributing to specialized functions, do not necessitate access to the entire network. The adoption of a zero-trust security approach becomes imperative, enabling enterprises to grant access based on key dimensions of trust. This approach ensures vigilant monitoring of everyone accessing the system, even those with elevated privileges, creating a secure and controlled digital environment.

4. The Internet is becoming insecure day by day:

The evolution of digital connectivity has ushered in a new era where accessing applications and databases predominantly occurs through remote connections to cloud networks. However, this shift towards remote access comes with a critical caveat — the once-assumed security of internet networks is now vulnerable to hacking and manipulation. Traditional visibility solutions and network perimeter security measures, long considered robust defenses, prove inadequate against the evolving tactics of modern attackers.

In the current landscape of remote work, implicit trust has lost its former prominence, making way for the ascendancy of zero-trust security principles. Guided by tenets like “always-verify” and “least privilege,” zero trust redefines network security by providing comprehensive visibility across the entire network, whether situated in the cloud or conventional data centers.

5. Adopt policies to become cyber resilient:

The contemporary digital era is marked by the escalating prevalence of cyberattacks, presenting a formidable challenge to businesses across industries. Notably, the pharmaceutical sector has found itself in the crosshairs of this cyber onslaught, witnessing a surge in the number of daily incidents. These attacks extend beyond conventional data breaches, targeting the intellectual property rights and proprietary formulas crucial to vaccine development. The repercussions are severe, with pharmaceutical companies compelled to pay substantial ransoms to secure their critical information and ensure the continuity of business operations.

Faced with this escalating threat landscape, the adoption of a zero-trust framework becomes imperative. This security paradigm is tailored to diminish enterprises’ vulnerability to security breaches, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. Through the implementation of stringent access controls and robust verification processes, the zero-trust model empowers pharmaceutical companies to navigate the financial fallout of cyberattacks and fortify their resilience against evolving threats.

6. Employee-owned devices aren’t as secure as work devices:

The evolution towards remote work has given rise to a significant cybersecurity challenge employees, while operating from home, frequently opt for personal devices like computers, laptops, and phones over their dedicated work devices. Unlike work devices, which are regularly updated with the latest security policies and tools, personal devices may lack the same level of security. Moreover, there is often a lapse in basic cyber hygiene practices. To address these vulnerabilities, the implementation of zero-trust security protocols becomes essential. Operating on the core principle of “trust nobody; verify everything,” these protocols institute rigorous access controls across all network nodes, providing organizations with a robust security framework even in the dispersed environment of remote work.

Conclusion

In the rapidly changing landscape of cybersecurity, the reliance on perimeter-based reactive methods has become antiquated. The zero-trust security model emerges as the avant-garde solution, representing a proactive and adaptive approach to digital defense. Governments and businesses must acknowledge the urgency of adopting this modern paradigm to ensure a cyber-secure future for their employees, customers, partners, and citizens. With its emphasis on network visibility and continuous monitoring, the zero-trust model redefines cybersecurity as a dynamic and evolving defense mechanism. To fortify your organization against emerging threats and embrace the transformative future of cybersecurity, take the initiative — book a demo today!