Mohammed Amin,

Senior Vice President, Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey,

Africa (CEEMETA) Dell Technologies.

If trust is the true currency in today’s competitive business

environment, then Zero Trust is the ultimate measure of an

organization’s cyber resilience posture.

Today, in an era dominated by rapidly evolving digital landscapes and

relentless cyber threats, the need for a robust Zero Trust

cybersecurity strategy has never been more critical.   According to

the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report 2023, widespread

cybercrime and cyber insecurity feature among the top 10 risks facing

economies within the next ten years.

For most businesses today, navigating security is like trying to make

your way through a high-stakes labyrinth with many different,

complicated passageways that make it hard to reach the destination.

Zero Trust can help ease this journey. The Zero Trust security model

reverses the conventional approach of "trust, then verify." Instead,

it champions "never trust, always verify," urging organizations not to

automatically place trust in any user, device, or network, whether

internal or external.

A good cyber resilience posture starts with knowing who or what has

access to your company’s vital assets. Deploying a Zero Trust

architecture within your infrastructure gives you peace of mind that

the integrity of your devices, applications and data are secure.

Across the world, as organizations mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month

this October, here are five ways in which they can practice and fully

harness the potential of Zero Trust.

1. No Trespassing: Hackers, as the saying goes, do not break in, they

log in. Hackers often prioritize stealing login information rather

than defeating security controls. Zero Trust can help by implementing

multifactor authentication (MFA) to restrict API and user access.

2. Limit Freedom of Movement: Once hackers breach a system, they

typically acquire the freedom to navigate the entire network. Advanced

Zero Trust systems focus on privileged access management, controlling

how access is authorized and used, and removing privileges in case of

abuse.

3. Minimize Area of Impact: Zero Trust minimizes cyberattack damage by

restricting the reach of unauthorized users or malware. It limits the

impact of an attack, confining it to a specific user and application.

Network resets when users switch tasks prevent attacks from spreading

across the organization.

4. Cut Down on Entry Points: An excessive number of entry points such

as remote work, interacting with customers through a phone app, and

connecting remote devices with the main office or Bring Your Own

Device (BYOD) setups leads to an increase in attack surface and

expands the potential access points for hackers. Zero Trust ensures

devices meet specific criteria before joining the network.

5. Swiftly back on your feet: Cyberattacks happen fast and often when

they're least expected, causing significant financial damage. That's

why it's crucial to act swiftly and get back to normal operations. An

advanced Zero Trust solution continuously monitors both good and bad

system behavior and speeds up the security response as soon as threats

occur.

The paradigm shift to Zero Trust in cybersecurity is a necessary

response to the evolving threat landscape and the changing nature of

work. Embracing Zero Trust is not without its challenges.

Organizations must embed the Zero Trust philosophy within their

business culture, and this requires a cultural shift and investments

in technology and training, but the benefits far outweigh the

challenges, making it a worthwhile endeavor.

It's time to embrace Zero Trust as the new standard in cybersecurity

and fortify our defenses in this ever-changing digital age