Zero Trust in SMEs: 10 steps to success

Zero Trust is a security concept that has gained widespread recognition and acceptance in recent years. In today's rapidly changing threat landscape, traditional security models that rely on a trusted perimeter are no longer sufficient. Zero Trust assumes that all users, devices and systems are potential threats and seeks to minimize risk by implementing multiple layers of security throughout the network. In 2023, Zero Trust has become the state of the art in cybersecurity and is considered an essential component of any comprehensive security strategy. The following are the steps to implementing Zero Trust in a medium-sized business:
Define your company's assets and critical data: determine what is valuable to your business and what data needs to be protected.

1. Create a risk profile: Assess the threats to your organization's assets and determine the level of risk associated with each threat.
2. Define your growing scope: Determine the network and endpoints that need to be protected, with the goal of including your entire enterprise network in the future.
3. Implement asset management: Ensure that all users and end devices are known and, in the best case, managed centralized .
4. Update your identity and access management (IAM): Ensure that all users are authenticated and authorized before accessing resources.
5. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require multiple forms of authentication (e.g., password, biometric, or token) to access sensitive data.
6. Implement micro-segmentation: use firewalls and other security tools to create fine-grained security boundaries around critical resources.
7. Monitor network activity: continuously monitor network activity for signs of unusual or suspicious behavior.
8. Enforce the principle of "Least Privileges": Limit user and system privileges to the minimum necessary to accomplish the task at hand.
9. Harmonize security solutions. Get an overview of which IT security solution delivers which results and centralize the usable results and align activities.
10. Continuous assessment and improvement: periodically assess your zero-trust implementation and make improvements as necessary to ensure ongoing security.

In summary, implementing zero-trust requires a multi-layered approach that includes defining assets, developing a risk profile, establishing identity and access management, implementing layered authentication, segmenting the network, monitoring network activity, and enforcing least privilege. These steps are critical to securing your organization's assets and mitigating the risk of a cyberattack.

A Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution can play a critical role in covering many of the above steps. PAM provides a centralized approach to managing and controlling access to sensitive systems and data, ensuring that only authorized users have the necessary permissions to perform their tasks. By integrating a PAM solution into your zero-trust strategy, you can better protect your assets and reduce the risk of a data breach.

If you are interested in learning more about how amitego's VISULOX can help you implement zero trust in your mid-sized business, why not book a free demo here? Our experts will walk you through the solution and answer all your questions. You can also contact us for more information or to request a custom quote. Don't wait - take the first step towards securing your assets with VISULOX and a zero-trust approach. Contact us today and book your free demo.