The Cyber Ecosystem

• By Pascal Menezes
• Jun 17, 2022

The world of enterprise cybersecurity is racing toward zero, and the reasons are almost too numerous to count, but we need to make sure this migration doesn’t get bogged down in ecosystem challenges.

“Zero” in this case refers to Zero Trust security architectures built for an era in which everyone is using all kinds of devices from everywhere to access all kinds of applications, but also in which it is difficult to prove anyone is who they say they are. The answer, many believe, is to adopt cybersecurity practices that lead with the fundamental notion of not trusting anyone or anything.

This drastically simplifies security by treating all users, all devices, networks, applications and locations with the same essential sense of caution. Yet, Zero Trust makes the whole business of accessing enterprise resources and managing that access much more complicated.

An Insecure World
The movement toward Zero Trust is the result of several factors, some of which have been apparent for many years. The need for greater cybersecurity protection is inextricably linked to the nature of the evolving and increasing number of threats enterprises face. These threats aren’t just from malicious individuals or groups anymore, but also from state-sponsored attacks aimed at crippling entire industries or governments.

These threats on their own could be enough reason to embrace a new cybersecurity philosophy, but other trends are piling up to force the issue. The ongoing transition to cloud networking and the transformation of software into services are putting the old notion of private networks to rest, as resources, data, and applications live outside the physical walls of the corporate office.

Meanwhile, the number and variety of devices—not only PCs, phones, and tablets, but also the Internet of Things, including automated machines and AI-enabled systems—that need to be connected to enterprise networks and systems continue to expand. In this age, a “user” isn’t always human, but it can be hard to tell the difference.

At the same time, wireless devices with increasingly powerful compute and memory capabilities, along with higher-speed wireless networks, have made it easier for people to connect from almost anywhere and fully access all applications at a high level of quality, collaborating and sharing files with colleagues who also could be working from anywhere.

It all adds up to a world in which traditional network and security boundaries no longer apply. The network edge is vanishing. Usage is no longer centralized in a single-location or corporate LAN where it can be assumed users are already authorized to be there, can be trusted. The threats, attack vectors, and combinations of user and device variables continue to broaden, creating a historically difficult challenge for CISOs.

Zero Trust, Much Complexity
As those factors are spreading beyond the cybersecurity ecosystem’s ability to contain them, new thinking is taking root: Trust no one and treat all users and usage scenarios as potential threats.