What is a Zero Trust Security Platform?

A Zero Trust security platform is a collection of solutions businesses can use to implement a Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity.

The Zero Trust approach upends traditional assumptions about who and what can be trusted inside a network. In the past, IT systems implicitly trusted requests for access to resources that originated from users, devices and applications inside the network. 

However, with the rise of cloud computing and hybrid workforces, the traditional network perimeter has disappeared. As a result, the old approach to castle-and-moat network security is no longer practical, as any attacker who can successfully penetrate network defenses can move unchecked throughout the network.

To protect organizations and their digital assets more effectively, Zero Trust security requires every user, device and connection to be authenticated before granting access to applications and data. This approach requires Zero Trust security tools for continuous monitoring, microsegmentation, identity and access management and other capabilities. A Zero Trust security platform combines these products and services, enabling IT teams to simplify the management of Zero Trust policies and technology.
 

Zero Trust security is built on several core ideas that help to prevent threats and minimize damage from an attack.

Continuous verification
Security teams in a Zero Trust environment operate with a singular purpose: “Never trust, always verify.” Every user, device and connection is assumed to be already compromised and must be authenticated or revalidated on every request.

Least-privilege access
Zero Trust systems grant access to users and devices on a limited, granular basis, allowing them to access only the specific resources they need to complete a task or perform a function. This practice strictly limits access to sensitive data and infrastructure, minimizing the risk of breaches. Each access request is evaluated dynamically using risk-based, context-aware controls.

Awareness of risk
In a Zero Trust environment, security teams assume that threats are already in the system and that breaches have already occurred. This inevitably results in a more assertive security posture and helps security teams uncover attacks sooner to limit their damage.

Reduction of the attack surface
Zero Trust environments are highly segmented. Rather than traditional approaches, which protect the entire network perimeter, a Zero Trust approach focuses on preventing unauthorized access of individual workloads, applications and sensitive data to restrict access more narrowly. This practice limits the movement of attackers who have successfully gained access to one device or one area of the network.
 

A Zero Trust security platform delivers benefits for enterprises and their security teams.

Stronger security
Zero Trust environments enable security teams to effectively identify, block and mitigate threats like malware, phishing attacks, advanced zero-day vulnerabilities and data exfiltration. A Zero Trust security platform also enables remote workforces to safely connect to the internet without the friction that accompanies legacy remote technologies.

Reduced complexity
A Zero Trust security platform reduces the complexity of IT architecture by creating an environment where changes to security policy can happen quickly, rather than taking days to reconfigure hardware and software components.

Easier compliance
The heightened security and increased visibility in a Zero Trust environment make it easier for IT teams to demonstrate compliance with regulatory standards and internal policies.

Streamlined management
Since automation is critical to many aspects of Zero Trust, the right Zero Trust security products can simplify management and enable IT teams to accomplish more with fewer resources.
 

The right Zero Trust security platform can help IT teams to overcome challenges in transitioning to a Zero Trust environment.

Too many tools
When implementing Zero Trust, organizations may end up with disparate Zero Trust security tools that provide redundant capabilities and increase management burden. Choosing a Zero Trust platform with comprehensive tools helps IT teams to reduce the difficulty and seamlessly integrate Zero Trust security products into existing workflows.

Increased costs
Migrating to a Zero Trust framework can be costly, especially when transitioning from legacy technologies. A superior Zero Trust security platform can help by automating tasks, streamlining management and providing customized support options.

Performance issues
One of the significant challenges of a Zero Trust environment is that constantly authenticating users and devices can hinder productivity and performance. A superior Zero Trust platform reduces performance issues through risk-adaptive protections that effectively balance risk and performance.

Trusted by over 14,500 customers in 150 countries, Forcepoint delivers solutions for modern cybersecurity that proactively safeguard critical data and IP. As a leading Zero Trust company, Forcepoint provides solutions that enable organizations to:

• Stop file-based malware attacks. Files like documents, emails and images often contain malware, zero-day attacks and other known and unknown threats. Rather than attempting to identify these threats with malware detection technology, Forcepoint Zero Trust CDR (Content Disarm & Reconstruction) assumes that every file is already compromised and automatically rebuilds it. After extracting valid business data from a file and verifying it is well-structured, this Forcepoint Zero Trust solution builds a new, threat-free, pixel-perfect, fully revisable file in near-real time.
• Ensure secure remote access. Forcepoint Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) delivers fast, secure connectivity for remote workers to private applications without the need for a clunky VPN. Forcepoint ZTNA enhances Zero Trust cloud security by providing data loss prevention and malware protection for private web-based applications. This Forcepoint solution also provides file-level encryption of structured data to ensure data privacy and sovereignty without completely blocking access to information.
• Prevent data loss and leaks. Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) provides comprehensive visibility and control of data as it enters and leaves the organization. By constantly monitoring traffic and using security policies to identify sensitive information, Forcepoint DLP can automatically block unauthorized access to data and prevent it from being purposefully or accidentally leaked.
• Remote Browser Isolation (RBI). Zero Trust web browsing is a part of Forcepoint ONE and creates a seamless, native web browsing experience that provides secure, hassle-free access to websites that users need to successfully perform their jobs. This is powered by Remote Browser Isolation, a process that neutralizes malware through remote isolation without relying on detection.