Why Software Products Will Rely on Zero Trust Cloud Environment in the Future

Securing the Future: Embracing Zero Trust Cloud Environment for Software Products

 Gartner expects that by 2025, cloud-based solutions would account for 51% of company IT investment in crucial areas. As enterprises migrate their technology stacks to the cloud, the requirement for secure cloud environments grows. This is where the Zero Trust Cloud paradigm comes into play. Forrester Research published an exclusive report to help IT and security professionals to attain a level of zero-trust maturity, acknowledging the importance of the Zero Trust model.

What Exactly is a Zero Trust Cloud?

For the uninitiated, a Zero Trust cloud model doesn’t grant any stakeholder a free pass to access cloud resources. This is enforced regardless of the devices, user identity, locations, or applications they use to get access. Before entering the cloud environment for any operations until the conclusion of the session, every user or device must be subjected to continuous verification.

Previously, organizations set their security goals based on the strengths of the underlying network an d application interfaces supported by security control software or some other form of security. However, with Zero Trust, the emphasis moves to cloud users, resources, and assets and bars any privilege access for just being a part of the organization.

The single most important idea underlying a Zero Trust architecture is that, regardless of geographic or network location, no user account or their devices are granted trust immunity for accessing cloud-based solutions or a cloud storage service. This security model is on the rise, and the market for Zero Trust Security solutions is estimated to reach $51.6 billion by 2026.

Zero Trust Cloud: The Future of Software Products

In today's ever-changing technology landscape for enterprise software products, the Zero Trust cloud is the perfect choice to create a robust cloud security option for deployment. There are several reasons why this model is considered the future of software products. Here are four of them:

Inadequate Perimeter Security Measures

Traditionally, perimeter security measures such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems were enough to secure digital assets and overall enterprise security. However, with the changing work landscape, these measures are no longer sufficient. Remote work, bring your own device (BYOD), and other workplace trends have expanded the boundaries of the digital ecosystem beyond the office building. As a result, a large number of users access the corporate network, storage services or cloud through various devices and internet connections, making it crucial to validate every access request before granting permission to access critical cloud resources. With a Zero Trust Cloud approach, all access requests are validated before granting permission, which significantly enhances the organization's security posture.

SaaS Application Challenges

Most enterprises today rely on several SaaS services to power their digital business. These SaaS services need access to the same critical data center and resources, and they often interact with each other through APIs or integration interfaces. This interaction between the applications presents a potential surface vulnerable to security threats and endangers the business plan. Moreover, each application may follow its own defined security standards and frameworks, making it difficult to ensure consistent security strategy across the entire cloud ecosystem. A Zero Trust Cloud approach, based on no trust principles, brings a consistent sense of security management to the highly interconnected cloud ecosystem, ensuring that every application undergoes verification and continuous adherence to foundational security compliance outlined by the Zero Trust implementation framework.

Root-level Identity Management

With a Zero Trust Cloud approach, identity verification measures can be integrated into every cloud touchpoint. This means that every software used by the organization is linked to the identity verification system, and all access requests, file sharing, file syncs, are verified before granting permission. By adopting a Zero Trust approach, the IT team can safely empower the use of any modern cloud solutions and stop worrying about security risks that often arise due to compromised user identities. This helps accelerate digital innovation as new applications can easily be added to the technology stack for a cloud service like the Google Cloud, and users can use them without fear once they have validated their entry credentials.

Risk Isolation

One of the key advantages of Zero Trust is the ability to isolate risks. The IT team can easily identify the source of external threats and isolate the attack node by restricting further access, then take steps to rectify and bring the node back to its original state after resolving the threat. This is possible because with Zero Trust, the IT team gets a clear picture of every digital endpoint and knows which user or device has accessed it at what time. This precise insight helps to easily respond to any external threat that manages to move laterally or break into the corporate network through any unconventional method.

In a Nutshell

As enterprises continue to expand their cloud workloads, it's critical to create a secure ecosystem that allows for the development of new digital capabilities. Implementing a Zero Trust model of operations can safeguard your cloud investments, but it requires a holistic approach that involves a range of iterative and continuously evolving programs. This is where a trusted partner like Xoriant can come in handy, as they can help build Zero Trust credentials for your cloud initiatives.