What is Zero Trust? 

Traditional security methods aren’t enough to defend against modern threats. Zero Trust is a security framework that flips the traditional security model on its head. Instead of the old "castle and moat" approach—where we assume we can trust everything inside the network—Zero Trust operates on a simple, foundational principle: never trust, always verify.

Zero Trust assumes that a threat could exist at any moment, anywhere, and requires continuous validation for every access request. This approach shifts the focus from securing the network perimeter to securing every individual user, device, application, and data point.

In a world complicated by remote work and cloud applications, the physical network boundary is no longer relevant. Under the Zero Trust model, identity becomes the most critical control point. This means:

• Identity is Continuously Verified: With Zero Trust, every time a user or device attempts to access a new resource or a sensitive application, their identity is re-evaluated based on real-time context—like their location, the health of their device, and their usual behavior. In the real world, this works like airport security – you must pass through multiple checks to get from the front door to the gate, to your seat on the airplane.
• Access is Based on "Least Privilege": Following the least privilege principle, identities are granted only the bare minimum access required to perform a specific task. For example, a marketing employee's identity would not be granted access to sensitive financial records, and even the access that they have won't be permanent. These access controls drastically reduce the potential damage an attacker can do if they manage to compromise an account, making lateral movement impossible. 
• Stronger Authentication is Non-Negotiable: Because identity is the new perimeter, systems relying on simple passwords face major security risks. Zero Trust enforces strong authentication methods like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and more secure, passwordless technologies to verify and authenticate identities.

Zero Trust is a powerful tool for enhancing your security because it treats every identity—whether it belongs to a human user or a machine—as a potential threat until it has been explicitly and repeatedly verified. This proactive, identity-centric approach is what makes it a more resilient defense against modern cyber threats, from both outside and inside your organization.