Apparently, some enterprise WAN managers don't have a lot of trust (yet) in zero trust security measures, according to a report. While 50% of enterprise WAN managers said in a survey that they are adopting or considering zero trust security, only 8% have implemented it, according to market and consulting firm TeleGeography.
"Zero trust" is one of those phrases that is bandied about at industry conferences and events. With zero trust architecture embedded in a network, all of the users are isolated from the corporate network, but are still able to directly access their authorized applications. In a zero trust implementation, no user or device is trusted inside or outside of a network.
Zero trust security has been implemented in the IT security sector for some time, and is starting to branch out at as security threats evolve. Zero trust includes policy-based controls instead of the legacy "castle and moat" protection, such as sandboxes.
According to the survey, 31% of the WAN managers are considering the use of zero trust security while 19% are in the process of implementing it. The survey also found that that one-fifth of the 100 respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of zero trust security (ZTS.)
“Zero trust security is making the move from buzzword to serious consideration," said TeleGeography Analyst Elizabeth Thorne, in a statement. "WAN Managers recognize the opportunity in going beyond legacy models and exploring the potential of zero trust security in their organizations.
"The challenge for CIOs is to understand the foundations necessary to make ZTS a viable security solution. For example, in order to have user or device-based security policies, you first need to identify every user and device on your network—no small task for many enterprises. Regardless, any time a new architecture is proposed there will be hesitation and a period of assessment before adoption ramps up.”
The survey also found that less than 20% of the enterprises have fully or mostly integrated their network and security teams. More than 40% have separate teams, but they work closely together on items such as SD-WAN or hybrid network adoption. The survey results also said that 15% of the enterprises have kept their networking and security operations in separate silos, but that should change over time.
“Enterprises are re-evaluating where security responsibilities sit within their IT operations," said TeleGeography's Greg Bryan, senior manager, enterprise research, in a statement. "They are looking at greater integration between security and networking teams that will reduce risk while accelerating the adoption of networking technologies like SD-WAN. WAN Managers recognize the need for stronger relationships between these teams and we anticipate fully or mostly integrated teams growing over time.”
RELATED: Verizon Business throws a zero trust lasso around its private IP networks
Service providers are also embracing zero trust security. Last year Verizon Business announced it had put a shield around its private IP networks by embedding its software-defined perimeter (SSD) technology to create a zero trust architecture.