It’s easy for businesses to get overwhelmed by how fast technology and all its nuances are evolving.

In 2022, it was discovered that cybersecurity measures currently implemented across businesses, organizations, and even the average person, were actively dismantled by cyber criminals. Even the slightest wiggle room in cybersecurity policies is more than enough space for a successful data breach, no matter how prepared you believe you are.

To combat the high tension and danger in our modern digital landscape, tech giants such as Microsoft suggest adopting a zero-trust cybersecurity approach.

Zero-trust policies have recently skyrocketed in popularity as businesses search for ways to protect themselves and their customers in what feels like an endless fight against the unseen. In fact, 86% of cybersecurity agencies have increased their IT budgets to allow for zero-trust policies. But what is it that makes zero-trust the hit new security measure sweeping the industry?

Airtight security and remote work

Zero-trust is named that way with a purpose: no user or device is automatically trusted, and access to sensitive resources and data is strictly on a need-to-know basis.

Normally, security models are made to conveniently permit every “trusted” device and user within a given network perimeter. However, in our current day and age, many companies and businesses no longer have a perimeter to trust. Cloud-based infrastructure and services have allowed employees to work entirely from home, and for businesses to successfully establish themselves without ever having to rent an office space.

With the zero-trust approach to cybersecurity, no user or device is trustworthy, not at first. Anyone and everyone must be authenticated and authorized before they can access company resources. Many organizations even tighten up this restriction by only allowing access to whatever information a person needs for their job title.

By increasing how many hoops and variables a potential hacker must jump through, businesses are significantly lessening the likelihood of potential infiltration.

Easier to meet compliance standards

For businesses in highly regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare, compliance standards can be a nightmare to navigate. Examples of typically problematic compliance requirements include the the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). If there are any vulnerabilities in a business’s security infrastructure, they could be fined for violating data privacy policies such as these. The consequences become even more dire if there’s a successful breach.

By implementing zero-trust policies, data is more difficult to access for all parties, even current employees and leadership. Businesses will have less difficulty meeting compliance requirements while more effectively safeguarding themselves against potential threats.

Better for monitoring network activity

Requiring authentication from everyone, regardless of rank and position, before they can access a network eliminates oversight.

It’s easy to miss when hackers go bump in the night, especially with everyone being so focused on their own departments and tasks. By adopting zero-trust, the only devices available as potential threats are what’s already been authenticated and accounted for, which eliminates how much your IT partner has to look at. With less noise in the way, businesses can respond faster to potentially suspicious activity and mitigate it before it becomes a threat.

The perfect fit for a cloud-based infrastructure

As we mentioned above, many businesses adopted cloud-based operations in light of the pandemic, but also for the flexibility afforded to their employees.

However, many other traditionally run organizations reject cloud-based services because it can be more vulnerable to cyber-attacks, given that they operate entirely online. The old perimeter-based approach of past security measures will not work effectively to protect a cloud-based business, but many continue on anyway and suffer the consequences.

But, with a zero-trust policy, the online landscape is accounted for. No devices or users are automatically permitted, so there’s less space for a criminal to use an unsuspecting employee as a catalyst for a full-fledged takedown.

Zero-trust is unavoidable.

In fact, zero-trust is so unavoidable, many cybersecurity insurance brokers require your business to have it before they’ll even sell you a policy.

Implementing a zero-trust cybersecurity policy isn’t an overnight process, but businesses must understand: it’s inevitable. Your surrounding competition is likely already making the transition—do you want to fall behind the curve and endanger your business?

Strengthening your cybersecurity infrastructure with the zero-trust approach will require a significant investment of your time, budget, and resources, and that’s true. But there is nothing that costs more than one, single successful data breach, and the inescapable shame that follows.

Are you prepared for the future of cybercrime?

Contact us today to learn more about zero-trust policies, your business’s current security status, and your best available options.