Johannesburg, 09 Jun 2022
It doesn’t take a lot of effort these days to find news of another organisation whose data has been breached, or to see a report from a security company outlining a new vulnerability found in a key piece of software.
This demonstrates just how critical security has become in today’s digital environment.
Data today is seen as the lifeblood of an organisation for very good reason, and the criminals have recognised its value too, which is why they seek to exploit it.
With attacks increasing globally, and across all industries, it is more imperative than ever for organisations to protect their networks from attacks.
At the same time, cautions Wayne D'sa, CEO of CipherWave Business Solutions, organisations that may appear well protected can still suffer the impact of a breach as a result of a third-party provider that may not have the requisite level of security safeguards.
“This is why when it comes to security, your focus needs to be on more than merely protecting your perimeter or office network. You should look at security holistically, and clearly understand what you are trying to achieve with it. Your goal here should always be to protect your data and mitigate business risk - and this is the principle behind a Zero Trust strategy,” he notes.
“A Zero Trust approach starts by questioning who has access to your data, for what purpose do they require that access and how long will they require that access. In this way, it eliminates granting blanket access to all users as is frequently done in companies.
"Furthermore, inspecting third-party access to your company data is equally important. Usually when third-parties need to access your company systems, very few people understand how their company data is protected (beyond their own systems) on third-party providers’ systems. This needs to be interrogated carefully to ensure there are proper control measures in place in order to protect your data.
"Of course, it is critical to remember that Zero Trust is an ongoing effort, rather than a single technology or implementation. It should, in fact, be a process of continuous assessment, an ongoing evaluation that allows you to refine and tweak the rules to best suit your organisation’s individual requirements.”
Naturally, since Zero Trust is not a product, but rather a specific approach to security, it is imperative that companies planning such a strategy seek out an experienced partner to help.
“The right partner is one that can sit down with your business and - after listening to your risk concerns - make a recommendation around how best to apply the principles of Zero Trust within your organisation. This may be by implementing better security controls, by adjusting security policies, or simply offering advice on whether the company is using the best endpoint, e-mail and perimeter security solutions.”
“If security is not your core strength or area of expertise, it is vital - in today’s increasingly digital world - to find a partner that understands the principles of Zero Trust and the best approach to implementing this strategy, I would say that choosing the right managed-services partner is non-negotiable if you want to protect your organisation and mitigate potential security risks,” he concludes.
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