Create a Zero Trust Implementation Plan

Zero trust cybersecurity provides a proactive defense against modern cyberthreats and aligns security with organizational objectives, but organizations face significant obstacles to implementation. Our comprehensive research offers step-by-step guidance to implementing your roadmap to a zero trust framework tailored to your organization’s unique needs.

Efforts to implement zero trust principles and technology are often held back by legacy or hybrid systems, inadequate planning, fear of disrupting critical business functions, and lack of an overarching strategy. Organizations must address these challenges and carefully consider factors such as user base, environment, and critical resources when deciding how to implement their zero trust plan.

1. Verify, then trust.

Unlike traditional security measures, the zero trust model is based on continuous validation of every user, device, and request, regardless of location or privilege. This dynamic and adaptive system blends identity controls, risk assessment, and automation to strictly limit vulnerability to modern threats while aligning security with operational goals.

2. Data is at the heart of zero trust.

Zero trust prioritizes data security over network perimeter defenses – identifying, classifying, and segmenting sensitive data to ensure it can be accessed only by authorized users, under very specific circumstances. This approach not only reduces the risk of data breaches but allows organizations to remain compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulations.

3. Zero trust is a strategy, not a product.

Zero trust is not a one-time setup but a continuous process that requires constant vigilance in the form of real-time monitoring and behavioral analytics. Organizations must commit to that process and augment it with a suite of advanced tools to ensure proactive threat detection and response.

Use this step-by-step blueprint to take your zero trust plan from roadmap to reality

Our research includes three-phase guidance, templates, tools, and other simple-to-use resources to lay out your path from planning to implementing zero trust cybersecurity in your organization. Use our comprehensive framework to build a proactive, dynamic process that safeguards your data, trusts no one implicitly, and supports a level of security your stakeholders can believe in.

• Lay the groundwork for implementation by assessing organizational alignment, policy readiness, infrastructure, technical prerequisites, and training needs while also addressing prerequisite gaps and setting specific, actionable tasks.

• Build your implementation plan by identifying milestones and dependencies and including risk management and contingency planning.

• Operationalize your zero trust initiatives by finalizing your plan, ensuring operational readiness – including training and change management – and securing stakeholder buy-in.