
How zero trust and the secure cloud transformation will shape the future of cybersecurity
By NordLayer | Cloud-Based Product of the Year 2023
The cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a shift driven by the migration to the cloud. Traditional security models are not enough to secure a modern workplace since organizations are embracing hybrid IT environments and sharing applications, data, and services across the cloud or data centers.
Securing a cloud enterprise requires a different approach that doesn’t assume trusted network boundaries or put implicit trust in any user, device, or application. This reality has given rise to two complementary security paradigms that are poised to reshape cybersecurity in the cloud era: zero trust security and secure cloud transformation.
What is zero trust?
The zero trust model operates under the basic principle of “never trust, always verify.” It advocates for microsegmenting networks, enforcing granular least-privilege access controls, and validating trust before granting access — regardless of whether the user, device, or application resides inside or outside the corporate perimeter.
Enabling and realizing a zero trust architecture requires an integrated security services delivery platform that connects networking and security from the cloud. Secure access service edge (SASE) melds capabilities like SD-WAN, CASB, SWG, ZTNA, and FWaaS into a unified cloud-native security stack to enforce zero trust policies across all edges, such as client, cloud, and mobile. Key aspects of a mature zero trust architecture include:
- Multi-Factor authentication (MFA): Verifies user identity through multiple pieces of evidence like biometrics or a code sent to an authentication app.
- Least privilege access: Only provides the bare minimum access required for users to perform necessary tasks.
- Microsegmentation: Divides networks into secure zones with strict access controls governing communication between them.
- Encryption: Ensures that data is encrypted at all times across all applications and network paths.
- Analytics-driven monitoring: Uses risk analytics to identify threats and maintain compliance posture.
How SASE helps secure cloud transformation
SASE delivers several benefits, making it the enabler for enforcing security in cloud environments. Zero trust defines the “what” in terms of required security controls and posture. On the other hand, the SASE model outlines the transformative “how” of consolidating comprehensive security capabilities as a cloud-delivered service platform.
At its core, SASE is the architectural pivot required for secure cloud transformation. It allows organizations to extend the same safe access, threat protection, and data security capabilities to all cloud resources, mobile users, and branch offices as they do for on-premise users and applications.
The interplay between SASE and zero trust is harmonious — each model is strengthened and enabled by the other. SASE serves as the cloud-delivered, integrated platform to implement and orchestrate zero trust access policies across all edges. Conversely, zero trust principles cut excessive trust and define the granular access paradigm that SASE helps enforce.
Securing the cloud for the future
Several technology trajectories catalyze the importance for widespread SASE and zero trust adoption. As organizations enable remote work models and embrace distributed cloud workforces, SASE and zero trust provide the consistent, secure connectivity and granular access controls required.
Looking ahead, the future state of cybersecurity is autonomous, secure access service delivery fueled by the merging of SASE and zero trust architectures. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a pivotal role in continuous risk assessment, automated policy tuning, and self-optimizing secure access capable of mitigating threats with minimal human intervention.
As migration to the cloud, edge environments, and 5G accelerates, SASE and zero trust will serve as the cybersecurity bedrock — enforcing least privilege access, microsegmentation, and data security. Combining zero trust security philosophies with SASE’s cloud-native service delivery architecture will be the defining factor for resilient, autonomous, and comprehensive cybersecurity in the years ahead.