Nearly half of respondents to the Dell 2022 GDPI survey reported experiencing a cyberattack that prevented access to their data. In an increasingly interconnected world where cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, organizations are seeking robust security solutions to protect their digital assets. One approach that has gained significant attention is the concept of Zero Trust. However, amidst the hype and buzz surrounding this security framework, there exists a fair amount of confusion. 

Zero Trust is a security philosophy centered on the belief that organizations should not automatically trust anything inside or outside their network perimeters. Traditional security models, such as the perimeter-based approach, assumed trust within the network perimeter, making it vulnerable to insider threats and lateral movement by attackers. Zero Trust, on the other hand, aims to verify and authenticate every user and device before granting access, regardless of their location or network environment.  

In a recent podcast, Dell senior consultant Steve Kenniston reviews the five core principals of Zero Trust: 

• Verify explicitly. Verify every user or device whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter. 
• Least privilege access. Limit users and devices to only what they need to perform their job function. This function limits the potential “blast radius” of a malicious actor who has gained user credentials.  
• Assume breach. This principal assumes a breach has already occurred and therefore requires constant monitoring and verification of every user and device accessing the network or system. 
• Micro-segmentation. Divides the network into smaller segments or zones to limit the lateral movement of attackers and help contain breaches. 
• Continuous monitoring. Detect and respond to potential threats in real time by continuously monitoring network traffic, devices and user behavior.  

While many organizations utilize various Zero Trust technologies like multi-factor authentication and roles-based access control, most are still on the journey to fully deploying all the capabilities of an end-to-end Zero Trust architecture. In fact, only 12% of GDPI survey respondents indicated they have fully implemented a Zero Trust framework across their environment. 

As Steve points out in the podcast, while organizations are on their Zero Trust journey, the single most important thing they can do to protect and secure their critical data from cyber threats is deploy an isolated digital vault solution, like PowerProtect Cyber Recovery. 

Another important point is that Zero Trust isn’t something organizations can simply buy; it requires deploying solutions from multiple technology vendors. And with cyber security skillsets in short supply, it’s critically important to choose partners like Dell that can integrate Zero Trust solutions and provide the managed services organizations need. With services ranging from incident response and recovery,  managed detection and response, identity and endpoint protection and cyber recovery services, Dell can help organizations bridge the IT skills gap on the journey to Zero Trust.