There is no such thing as a trusted network anymore.
Because applications and users aren’t inside a physical network perimeter like they used to be, securing your network alone is no longer enough to protect your data, brand and reputation.
Instead, trust must move to users and systems. But trust should never be automatic—regardless of the user or system requesting access.
It’s time to accelerate your security effectiveness with a zero-trust strategy that keeps pace with modern risks, helping you to secure your corporate assets anywhere, all the time.
The zero-trust maturity curve
Zero trust means verifying users and systems with each access request, and this requires a strong identity methodology to be in place.
There isn’t a single step or single path to zero trust. Organizations may take a variety of on-ramps based on their most important needs. But no matter your current position on the zero-trust maturity curve, zero trust can’t be achieved without strong authentication.
Identity must be on your itinerary for your organization to reach the optimum level of security, and the strength of this authentication process is foundational to the success of your zero-trust strategy. Even if your organization has been using identity at some level, a modern identity solution is crucial when the goal is zero trust.
3 questions that modern identity solutions answer
A modern identity solution uses risk-based security methods to ensure that the right users and the right devices are accessing the right data, every time. Your identity solution should help you verify workstations, servers, users and devices to help you answer these questions:
- Is the user who they say they are?
- Is their data and application access appropriate?
- Are their devices trusted and secure?
Using multi-factor authentication (MFA) with single sign-on (SSO) helps pair user authentication with device authentication. This combination allows you to identify the user and whether the access is coming from a managed or unmanaged device, and then automatically allows the appropriate access based on this information.
Everyone is already using MFA, right?
Most larger organizations have been using MFA for years…or have they? According to a contributing vendor in a recent research study, 99.9% of the breached accounts they had tracked did not have MFA in place. If you haven’t implemented MFA, do it now. Securing remote user access isn’t possible without it. And if you have MFA in place but haven’t yet paired it with SSO, you are still leaving a good portion of your identity security to chance.
This same report highlighted implementation challenges, the fear of mistakes, and the dread of unhappy users as contributing to the lack of adoption. If any of these is holding your organization back, you should know that implementing and managing an identity solution has never been easier. Current MFA solutions include implementation improvements and most applications now easily integrate with MFA.
A modern identity solution combining MFA and SSO improves your security stance and your end-users’ experience—especially for those users working remotely. This identity combination simplifies management for the IT team, helps enforce the use of strong passwords, and allows verified users to access their systems and data faster.
Travel with a trusted guide
Zero trust leads to some unchartered areas for many organizations, but there’s no need to travel solo. Sirius has helped dozens of enterprises map their path to improved security using zero trust. The Sirius team includes identity experts who are skilled in the planning and implementation of identity strategies and security architects who have helped our clients integrate zero-trust concepts and solutions across their organization.
You can learn more about the advantages of being a zero-trust enterprise here. Sirius also makes it possible for you to discover if a modern identity solution is a good fit for your organization with a 30-day trial of a leading modern identity solution guided by Sirius Security experts. You can learn more about this unique free trial experience when you watch this video.
Sirius offers support at every step on your path to zero trust. Talk with your Sirius representative or contact us today to learn more about how Sirius can help you optimize your strategy and accelerate your zero-trust journey.
