26.05.2022 Views

NC May-Jun 2022

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

FEATURE: ZERO TRUST<br />

ZERO TRUST ARCHITECTURE: 5 REASONS YOU NEED IT<br />

ADRIAN TAYLOR AT A10 NETWORKS EXPLAINS WHY A ZERO TRUST ARCHITECTURE IS THE IDEAL WAY TO<br />

MITIGATE A BREACH IN YOUR NETWORK<br />

There's a relatable metaphor that best<br />

describes how network security<br />

architectures have evolved. People<br />

living in small towns usually know all their<br />

neighbours, so hardly anyone locks their<br />

doors. But for people living in bigger towns,<br />

it's much harder to know who their<br />

neighbours are, so everyone starts locking<br />

their doors. People not only lock their<br />

doors, they also install security systems, put<br />

bars on their windows, and might even get<br />

a guard dog.<br />

In other words, when you have limited risk,<br />

your network security architecture can be<br />

simple but as the risks become greater -<br />

when certainty in your security decreases -<br />

then you need to rethink how to keep your<br />

property safe. As a consequence, security<br />

becomes more complicated.<br />

In the late '80s through the early '90s,<br />

network security was simple; once an entity (a<br />

person, a machine, a process) was inside<br />

your network and authenticated with your<br />

security service it was assumed that entity was<br />

trustworthy. Of course, this couldn't last for<br />

long. As networks started to become more<br />

central to business operations and the need<br />

arose for external connections for business<br />

partners, network complexity increased<br />

exponentially. By the late '90s, these networks<br />

began connecting to the internet, and by the<br />

2000s, hundreds of service providers<br />

complicated networks further by offering<br />

software-as-a-service (SaaS).<br />

THE END OF SIMPLE NETWORK<br />

SECURITY<br />

By 2010, the network no longer had a single,<br />

unbroken network perimeter. It had become<br />

"porous" to support mobile and remote<br />

workers, as well as business partners and new<br />

third-party services. "One and done"<br />

authentication of entities requesting access<br />

became inadequate. You could no longer<br />

assume that anyone on your network,<br />

including your staff, could be trusted.<br />

14 NETWORKcomputing MAY/JUNE <strong>2022</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />

WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!