Zero Trust benefits and the importance of enhancing cloud security

Zero Trust: The key to secure cloud environments

Zero trust cloud security is a security model with the core principle that no individual or device is trusted by default. It requires every user and device to authenticate themselves, whether inside or outside the organization's network. The underlying assumption behind zero trust is that every access request is a potential threat that you must inspect, authenticate, and verify.

The three core principles of the zero-trust framework are:

• Assume all traffic is a threat
• Enforce minimum privilege access
• Always monitor

Making the data and resources inaccessible by default, zero trust adds security checkpoints at every access point within the network. Zero trust differs from the traditional security models with its "never trust, always verify method". It helps businesses overcome a key vulnerability in the traditional defense approach, where once an attacker has access to the network, they can then access data without further challenge.

The widespread use of cloud infrastructure makes this approach even more critical as resources and data are spread out across networks. And with remote workers accessing data from across the globe, it becomes difficult to implement network security controls from a single point.

Why zero trust cloud security matters for businesses

Securing your network perimeter is no longer enough to protect your business's network infrastructure and assets. The increasing adoption of cloud solutions and the rise of remote and hybrid workforces have resulted in distributed environments that businesses must now defend. With data generated, stored, and shared across multiple devices across the globe, malicious actors can now exploit the network gaps in hybrid cloud environments to get access to data. Most businesses assume the cloud to be more secure than their own data centers. For example, Cloud technology offers retailers advantages such as better customer engagement, more responsive e-commerce platforms, and improved supply chain management. However, they need to realize that they are relying on security measures in someone else's data centers where they don’t have insight into the cloud provider’s security protocols, nor access to the physical infrastructure. This can be exacerbated by misconfiguring the cloud services used in the business and can add up to a significant security risk.

Zero trust offers a way to mitigate these risks. It eliminates the concept of a trusted internal network and focuses on identity and access management to reduce attack surfaces and minimize the risk of unauthorized access. The continuous monitoring and adaptive authentication mechanisms of zero trust help businesses identify and mitigate attacks in real time as well as combating insider threats with strict access controls.

Benefits of implementing zero trust in cloud environments

A good security strategy is crucial in an ever-evolving threat landscape, especially given the multiple locations from which remote and hybrid workers use network resources Zero trust offers a proactive and comprehensive cybersecurity framework that can help you protect your digital assets and cloud infrastructure.

Here are some of the benefits of implementing a zero trust framework in modern cloud environments:

Enhanced data protection
Data breaches are one of the biggest cyber threats. Statistics show that the incidence of data breaches surged by 20% from 2022 to 2023, with the number of affected individuals doubling in 2023 compared to the preceding year. Zero trust architecture is a significant investment against a security breach or data theft, improving the security of sensitive data assets in cloud environments. Zero trust’s focus on authentication and authorization at every stage mitigates data breaches and also mitigating the risk of financial loss, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage.

Improved access control
The zero-trust approach goes beyond the perimeter-based security and instead treats all traffic as potential threats and continually monitors access requests. Defaulting to the principle of least privilege access, each user and device must authenticate themselves every time.

Reduced attack surface
Migration to cloud and edge compute locations, in addition to the remote users, have increased attack surfaces. Zero trust principles work to minimize these attack surfaces with measures such as micro-segmentation, which isolates a threat before it spreads and restricts its lateral movement. As a result, organizations can quickly identify and isolate cyberattack attempts, lowering the risk of a successful attack and minimizing the potential damage.

Adaptability to dynamic environments
A further benefit of zero trust is its adaptability to dynamic cloud environments. Zero trust systems are flexible and scalable and employ an adaptive authentication mechanism to ensure security while navigating the dynamic and continually evolving cloud landscape.

User and device authentication
Robust authentication mechanisms are the defining features of zero trust Authentication protocols like multi-factor authentication, OAuth, or OpenID Connect ensure that only authorized users can access the cloud infrastructure and resources, using multiple verifications – passwords, biometrics, or tokens – or single sign-on credentials to gain access.

Compliance and regulatory alignment
Implementing zero trust principles not only enforces strict access control and continuous monitoring, but also helps ensure compliance with data privacy guidelines and regulatory requirements. For example, encrypting data at rest and in transit is recommended in Article 32 of the GDPR as an example of an appropriate technical measure to ensure that data is processed securely. Restricting access to only authorized users via zero-trust practices helps secure networks and enforce privacy and security for commercially valuable and sensitive private data.

Challenges of using the zero trust model

Conceptually, Zero Trust is a robust security model; however, translating the concept into everyday operations is a big challenge. Some of the major challenges that cloud security personnel face when implementing a zero-trust model include the following:

Initial implementation complexity
Setting up and implementing a zero-trust security model requires a comprehensive understanding of data and workflows to ensure the identification, control, and monitoring of every single endpoint and resource. This becomes a challenge as organizations disperse data across third-party cloud services, supplier networks, payment provider systems, and individual devices of all employees, making end-point mapping resource-intensive.

Integration with legacy systems
Not every enterprise system or application – especially a legacy system – is compatible with the principles of zero trust cloud security, with many relying instead on static access permissions rather than the dynamic rules of zero-trust. Mapping such static rules to conditional rules – considering factors like the user, their location, or their device – is a challenge when it comes to integrating zero trust into existing legacy systems.

Balancing security and user experience
Users can find the continuous monitoring and verification in zero trust slows down their workflows, and this additional friction in the user experience creates a challenge when maintaining the balance between security and ease of use.

Cost considerations
Implementing a zero-trust model is a time-and-resource-intensive process. Not only are the pilot projects costly, but the initial setup, ongoing process improvements, and maintenance resources they need are also significant. Training and onboarding employees with a new approach takes time. Additionally, post-implementation monitoring and software upkeep are expensive, which can make it more difficult for businesses to implement zero trust.

However, if you overcome these challenges in the initial stages of zero trust implementation, the long-term benefits will outweigh the obstacles. Here are a few strategies you can adopt to make zero trust work for you:

Implement zero trust gradually: Adopt a phased approach instead of a complete overhaul, especially when working on legacy systems.

Prioritize budget and analyze the ROI: Even if initial cost assessments suggest limited ROI, recognize the risks associated with maintaining perimeter-based security rather than migrating to zero trust.

Utilize integration tools: Integrate specific tools or software designed to bridge the gap between legacy systems and the zero trust model. This will help facilitate smoother implementation and transition.

Conduct regular employee training: It is crucial to establish a training program that clearly explains the rationale behind zero trust. Set up training sessions that are concise and relevant and include practical examples and assessments to help employees understand the reason for moving to zero trust and grasp the underlying concepts.

Protecting enterprise data with cloud security services

As cyber-threats continue to evolve, it is crucial for enterprises to protect critical aspects of their operations, including workplace, network, workloads, apps, data, and cloud environments. Zero trust architecture, along with technologies like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), provides secured information access for enterprises where the traditional perimeter no longer exists, with distributed cloud resources and users working in a hybrid environment and in locations around the globe. Partnering with experts like Infosys Cloud Security and adopting an effective zero trust solution enhances security posture and accelerates secure digital transformation, ensuring robust security for enterprise network perimeters, workloads, workplaces, cloud environments, and access points.

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