The key business benefits of Zero Trust

Older security concepts used to resemble a moat: they were supposed to secure the company network from outside attack by means of firewalls, intrusion detection systems or proxy servers. However, this kind of perimeter security is of little help when it comes to internal security risks. This does not even have to be a hacker or a spy in their own ranks. Employees can inadvertently access sensitive data and applications and put them at risk. This is exactly where Zero Trust comes in and consistently checks every attempted access. In addition to cyber security, this provides many other business benefits for the entire company. We have compiled the five most important reasons for you here:

1. Protect corporate knowledge

Information can quickly fall into the wrong hands. Companies that protect their information against this can secure themselves a decisive competitive advantage and prevent, for example, recipes, research data or M&A projects from leaking. This is made possible by strict access control with minimal rights, which can be implemented throughout a company with Zero Trust. This means that any access is only granted after explicit permission has been given, for example by means of an automated dynamic risk assessment. It is also possible to continue to track who has access, giving a company the ability to prove who has access in case of doubt.

2. Maintain compliance

Unauthorized access to sensitive data can also have far-reaching legal consequences: violations of the Trade Secrets Act and the protection of personal data (EU GDPR) entail sanctions ranging from heavy fines to a ban on operations, not to mention a loss of image. With Zero Trust, the access of all employees and business partners can be controlled in accordance with regulatory requirements.

3. Facilitate dynamic organizational development

New partnerships, departments, project teams or mergers: companies that implement organisational changes quickly secure a decisive advantage over their competitors. However, this requires a flexible IT environment that enables secure collaboration and communication irrespective of physical location and company boundaries. Zero Trust architectures are better designed to deal with this challenge. This is because, for example, applications that can be accessed via the internet outside the perimeter of the company network make it much easier to work from home regardless of location.

4. Impress as a modern employer

Nowadays, employees no longer want to miss out on the advantages of mobile working. Companies that score highly with skilled workers take this into account. In addition to modern mobile devices, they also provide digital applications for remote working – and must enable secure access to them from anywhere. With Zero Trust, they not only simplify secure switching between remote and office environments, they also ensure a consistently convenient user experience, for instance through single sign-on and the avoidance of VPN solutions, or even when employees want to use their own end devices (bring your own device). In times when skilled workers are hard to find, this can be a decisive criterion for applicants.

5. Reduce costs in the long term

Zero Trust goes hand in hand with a high degree of standardisation, for instance in the integration of applications. This reduces costs in the long term, as new applications can easily be integrated, and existing ones can be better extended to new user groups. Furthermore, Zero Trust allows a company to dispense with an internal corporate network for the majority of client devices, which, in addition to reducing vulnerability, also reduces the costs and effort required to protect them.

Putting Zero Trust into practice

The IT environments of most companies have grown over time. However, the security features of architectures that are 10 to 15 years old are not designed for today’s requirements and threats. An integrated approach to Zero Trust and security-by-design can solve this. Security aspects are taken into account during the development phase and the introduction of new solutions, and existing applications are consistently upgraded to the security level that applies throughout the company. In order for this to happen quickly and smoothly, it is advisable to call in IT security specialists to assist with strategy and implementation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.