Zero Trust

A security model and mindset which operates under the principle "never trust, always verify." In a Zero Trust approach, no user or device - whether inside or outside the network - is automatically trusted. Instead, every access request must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted.

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Traditional security assumed that inside a corporate network, things could be trusted; Zero Trust assumes breach and continuously validates that each request is legitimate. Practically, adopting Zero Trust might include enforcing MFA everywhere, verifying device security posture before allowing it on the network, segmenting networks so that access to one system doesn't mean access to all, and constantly monitoring for anomalous behavior.

For an SMB, Zero Trust can sound complicated, but it can be adopted in steps - for example, start by requiring secure access for any remote connection, and don't allow devices to access systems unless they meet certain criteria (updated, running antivirus, etc.).

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The core idea is to limit implicit trust: just because a user logged in this morning doesn't mean you trust them all day without checks, and just because a device is "company-owned" doesn't mean it's clean. By verifying continuously, you greatly reduce the chances that a compromised account or device can freely roam your environment