Zero trust to dominate cyber security in 2023

Ralph Berndt, sales and marketing director at Syrex.

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Hybrid work, the rise of the internet of things and analysing data close to the edge mean traditional ways of safeguarding data are no longer sufficient. Zero trust has emerged as a more proactive way for businesses to keep their systems, data and networks protected against compromise.

The zero trust methodology sees no device, user, workload or system trusted by default regardless of the location in which it is operating, whether inside or outside the perimeter. This will become pervasive in organisations as more companies will move towards treating every employee and device as an island. Adopting a ‘never trust, always verify’ mindset is fast becoming one of the most effective forms of protection against compromise.

Beyond this, organisations will look at the means to further strengthen security in the cloud and no longer only rely on service providers to keep data safe. The shared responsibility model will finally filter through mainstream businesses as decision-makers realise the importance of taking ownership of data security.

More fundamentally, companies will look at ways to enhance traditional firewall solutions. These are no longer the only tools that can be relied on against increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals who are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to bypass traditional defences. Security by design, whether in the cloud or on-premises, becomes a crucial enabler for business protection.

Cyber security solutions that feature data loss prevention (DLP) can pre-emptively protect a business from unintentional loss of valuable and sensitive information. DLP helps safeguard sensitive data wherever it is going – from remote locations to the cloud or on-premises data centres. Of course, DLP solutions must be user friendly and have a high detection accuracy to ensure companies are protected both from known and unknown threats.

DLP tracks and controls any type or format of sensitive information in motion. This includes e-mail, web browsing and file sharing services. Additionally, it educates and alerts users on how to properly handle data without getting IT or security teams involved. This saves valuable resources and improves the effectiveness of the cyber security environment.

When combining the likes of zero trust, cloud security, DLP and advanced firewalling, 2023 will see the normalisation of managing the end-user from a security perspective. Think of it as a geographical fence, isolating the people, devices and applications that access critical back-end systems. The geographic location no longer matters. Zero trust requires verification regardless, resulting in user management becoming critical to shoring up organisational defences.

While it might not happen next year, traditional architecture will eventually fall away, or adapt, as companies and individual users themselves embrace the cloud. Multi- and hybrid-cloud models will supplant many on-premises approaches resulting in a far more sophisticated cyber security landscape.