As the number of connected devices continues to grow, so does the vulnerability of networks to cyber-attacks. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has exponentially expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals. Traditional perimeter-based security models are no longer sufficient in this environment, leading to the adoption of a more comprehensive security framework: zero trust.

At its core, zero trust operates on a simple principle: “Never trust, always verify.” Unlike traditional security models that assume trust within a network perimeter, zero trust requires continuous verification of every user, device and application attempting to access a network, regardless of whether inside or outside the organization’s perimeter. Zero trust ensures that no entity is granted blanket access to network resources; instead, access is granted on a need-to-know basis.