Jammin’ with James Recapped: Zero Trust Discovery Sessions

In this month’s webinar, James Golden, Plow Networks’ Director of Technical Development, shares the basics of Zero Trust and what a Zero Trust Discovery Session looks like. This post will teach you key strategies and best practices for implementing a Zero Trust security approach.

Zero Trust is a security model that treats every user and device as a potential threat. Every user must be verified before they are granted access to resources on a network, rather than relying on network perimeter security. Users have limited access to resources based on their need-to-know, which prevents the lateral movement of cyber threats within an organization.

A Zero Trust security approach is important because it proactively monitors activity and continuously verifies identities, allowing organizations to detect and respond to threats as quickly as possible.

• Proactive threat detection through risk-based access controls significantly improves security posture.
• Device compliance with BYOD devices reduces security risks and allows for greater flexibility.
• Reduced attack surface through identity, data, and device methodology eliminates the need for perimeter-based security.
• Support for remote workers allows for greater flexibility in workforce management.
• Framework allows for easier implementation of additional services, protected by established policies.

1. Preparation and Planning: collaborate with key personnel to identify objectives that align with business goals. Assess the business to determine operational needs and regulatory requirements. Then, develop a plan and timeline for implementation that accounts for necessary resources and potential challenges.
2. Current State Assessment: assess the business, including inventory, existing security policies, and data flows. Identify critical applications and how users and devices interact with them.
3. Gap Analysis: perform a gap analysis, comparing the current state of your security system to Zero Trust principles to identify discrepancies. Ensure that networks and resources are properly segmented and that advanced threat protection tools are deployed to detect vulnerabilities and unauthorized access.
4. Risk Assessment: determine the potential impact of identified risks to the organization. Assess how likely each risk is to be exploited based on past events or vulnerabilities. Create a risk matrix to visualize and prioritize risks based on their likelihood and impact.
5. Develop Recommendations: improve identity security to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive resources. Strengthen application security to prevent the exploitation of vulnerabilities. Deploy threat protection tools to detect and respond to security incidents.

When establishing your Zero Trust plan, outline a phased implementation approach that defines your short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Continuously monitor your environment and assess the effectiveness of the Zero Trust approach to ensure protection from new risks and threats. Implement Zero Trust strategies, like network segmentation and encryption.

Zero Trust is most effective in collaborative environments. To build trust and encourage teamwork, foster open and honest communication among your team. Establish clear goals and expectations to ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives and understands what is expected of them. Lastly, celebrate your successes. Recognize and reward team achievements to boost morale, promote a positive culture, and encourage continued success.

To learn about implementing Zero Trust solutions with your Microsoft 365 subscription, watch past webinar sessions here.