Zero Trust Access

The Need to Converge Zero Trust and Remote Work

Instasafe

May 30, 2021 • 4 min read

The Need to Converge Zero Trust and Remote Work

The world is on its way towards adopting the new normal of remote work. The pandemic has opened the gates for a new working style that is more efficient and flexible for connecting workers remotely, safely, and productively. The massive transition of organizations migrating to cloud infrastructures has resulted in many benefits but has also led to many repercussions. These repercussions have come in the form of new potential risks arising among the cybercriminals and the attackers.

With higher engagement on virtual platforms, attackers have found new and more dangerous ways to harm critical data and resources of the organizations. As per a study conducted by the University of Maryland, in 2020, a hacker attacked a company system in 2020 every 39 seconds. This shows the intensity of the growing attacks and how they are getting amplified with the advancement of remote working.

Weak digital transformation measures have put remote workforce at risk. At this time we enable some rigid security measures like zero trust remote access to safeguard our virtual systems with robust and unbreachable security.

Why is a zero trust architecture necessary for remote work security?

Creation of application specific tunnels

The connections in a zero trust network allow users to connect outside the organization’s perimeter based network without any worry of getting affected by malware.This is because encrypted tunnels are created between the user and the Users can connect directly to websites and other SAAS applications without being breached.

Major reduction in attack surface

Zero trust connections go by a very principle of trusting no one by default, be it the oldest employee of the organization. The users are given access only if they are authorized by the administrator and are required to do any particular job that requires them to log in. This completely reduces the battleground for the attackers to target.

Supports hyperscalability

Most technologies operationalising Zero Trust are purely based on the cloud and not any physical hardware, it is easy to adjust the capabilities of the network without pinching much space or spending too much. It can easily support scaling up as per the remote access requirements.

Difficult to bypass

As zero trust doesn’t allow any imposter or any deviations to affect or interrupt the user’s workflow, and the clients and users under the zero trust protected network can work seamlessly, bypassing all the vulnerabilities and potential cybersecurity threats. This also results in better performance and speed of the connections without any interruptions.

Zero trust authentication is the solution!

As cybercriminals prey mostly on two key determinants, Identity Access Management (IAM) and activity monitoring, zero trust security takes care of these two factors intensively and counters every single deviation measured.

What is IAM?

IAM refers to Identity Access Management which implies granting users access to a private company’s data and resources— on the basis of verification of the identity of that particular user if he or she is an authorised user. It is basically the system of identifying the credibility of the users and granting them access to the company’s data, tools, applications, and resources.

Zero trust assures credible IAMs

With the help of zero trust remote access, your IAM will be based on one single principle i.e., always verifying users when they are trying to log on, without fail. Zero trust completely eliminates unauthorized usage and access of networks and resources of the company. It basically eliminates the concept of “trust” for each and every user during verification while they are trying to log in. Many Zero Trust tools like InstaSafe have inbuilt IDPs and allow for seamless integration with Active Directory to enable granular access and help in better identity management

Zero trust verifies and identifies users on the basis of multiple identity parameters and device parameters and typing behavioral authentication mechanisms. By analysing each request to access apps separately, it ensures that access is based on what can be termed ‘contextual access. It keeps verifying you even after you have signed in and have started working and typing on the system. This leaves no chance for unauthorized users to sustain themselves for too long and get trapped.

How is the traffic monitored?

The Visibility and Analytics capabilities of Zero Trust Networks can make IT Teams ultra active and aware with prompt signals of any imposter branching your network. Features like session recording and behavioural biometrics can often help in quick identification of breach attempts through identity or credential theft

Is Zero trust the perfect choice?

For organizations that are completely operating on the cloud, using simple VPNs won’t be a perfect solution to enable a perfect remote work security environment. Zero trust network will take care of verifying the user who is trying to access the network on the cloud. Basically, zero trust will verify on the basis of the four most determining variables— user device, user’s case, user’s data, and location.

Almost all organizations working online need a Zero Trust approach to safeguard their networks with extreme security. Organizations need a specialized security system of Zero trust that includes the power of Multifactor Authentication and Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) for successfully segmenting their own secured corporate network and organizations on the virtual mediums of the cloud.

Final Words

As the whole world is accepting this new normal that is the remote working environment, cybersecurity threats are on the roll, increasing rapidly. It is the responsibility and necessity of organizations to take precautions in order to protect their working environment and data on virtual platforms.

Many businesses have already understood the significance of employing robust security measures like zero trust remote access. As per a report by Forbes, close to $6 trillion dollars will be spent on cybersecurity by 2021. This indication clearly states that businesses are inching their level best towards tightening their remote work security.

Where to find the best cybersecurity gears? Well, Instasafe is your destination!

At Instasafe, our focus remains on providing an integrated security experience for your workforces through Zero Trust. We ensure rigid security upfront for your applications and servers, and enable a complete outlook of network activity for your workforce to keep you ultra-protective and aware of malicious attacks.