When exploring cybersecurity options for your business, you may have seen or heard the term Zero Trust. This is a model developed in 2010 that differs from typical “trust but verify” security. Zero Trust is exactly what it sounds like; this model assumes that everyone, including frequent internal users, is a threat to your cybersecurity.
Zero Trust goes beyond user credentials and MFA. It uses a combination of those, plus continuous verification, location checks, device permissions, and connection monitoring, to lock down your systems and truly bump up your cybersecurity. But the question remains: do you need it? Let’s talk about the benefits of Zero Trust for your SMB.
Is Zero Trust Only for Regulated Industries?
While many people think that Zero Trust cybersecurity is only for regulated industries, it isn’t! Businesses in any sector can use and benefit from Zero Trust; it’s not just for healthcare, finance, or other sensitive, regulated industries. Plus, if you are in a regulated industry, Zero Trust can help you streamline your compliance, ensure completely secure inventories and audits, and much more.
Is Zero Trust Expensive to Implement?
Like all new technology, Zero Trust cybersecurity does have initial investment costs. However, when you weigh those costs against the potential costs of cybersecurity breaches and cyber-attacks, you will see that the long-term advantages of implementing Zero Trust far exceed the initial expense. In the United States alone, the average cost to recover from a cyber breach reached 9.44 million dollars in 2022. While that is an average, it’s still a staggering amount of money, one that most SMBs are not likely to have or be able to raise quickly enough to stay in business.
Is Zero Trust Inefficient for Remote or Hybrid Workers?
It might seem like Zero Trust cybersecurity could become a time-sink or stressor for remote or hybrid workers, especially those whose devices travel along with them as they move about for work. And yes, Zero Trust can take some getting used to for those workers, even more so if their devices are tied to location-centric security protocols. Zero Trust is built on Five Pillars and seeks to continuously monitor these five things: Identity, devices, network/location, data, and applications/workload. Protocols for remote and hybrid workers can be set to be more user-centric rather than location- or device-centric to allow for their variations in use.
Is Zero Trust Hard to Manage?
Because Zero Trust security has a lot of moving parts, it’s easy to assume that it’s hard to manage. And to be honest, it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. A Zero Trust model must account for several factors, like your number of users and devices and whether you have one location or scattered remote workers. And while it can take a period of adjustment from the traditional “trust but verify” model, you can get help along the way. An MSP, or managed services provider, can assist you with the day-to-day monitoring of your security systems and with planned upgrades. Along with that assistance, an MSP can connect you with a virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) and Technology Alignment Manager (TAM) to create a new roadmap for implementing a Zero Trust model.
Ready to Learn More About Zero Trust?
Now that you know the basics and the benefits of a Zero Trust cybersecurity model, you may have more questions or want to discuss your options. If you’re ready to learn more about creating and implementing Zero Trust with the help of an MSP, get in touch! Experienced IT professionals are available to answer all your questions.
