Whether the means of a cyber-attack are phishing, ransomware, advanced persistent threat, malware, or some combination, the target is ultimately the same: your data. So, as companies seek to implement a zero-trust approach to security, they would do well to include database protection. Interest in Zero Trust is certainly high, with nearly two-thirds (63%) of organizations worldwide having implemented a zero-trust strategy, according to a recent Gartner survey. But it is hardly all-encompassing.

In the past, an organization’s digital data was safe behind passwords, firewalls, and physical locked doors. Today, cloud computing and remote work have rendered these traditional approaches much less effective. Threat actors can launch attacks from almost any device, almost anywhere. Usernames and passwords are widely available on the dark web. To keep sensitive data safe, organizations must understand that any account — even one with the proper credentials — could be compromised.

Explore NIST-backed guidance on securing Non-Human Identities, reducing risks, and aligning with zero trust principles in cloud-native infrastructures.

Zero Trust is a network security model that dictates that no one or no system should be trusted by default and that every attempt to access a network or application is a threat. For those who are naturally trusting of others, this concept is difficult to accept. However, distrusting every entity on a network until it has been verified is imperative today.

Because cyber dangers are always changing, businesses are moving toward safer and more proactive ways to keep their data and networks safe. Zero Trust Security is one of these frameworks that is becoming more popular. It is based on the idea of "never trust, always verify." Zero Trust constantly checks and authorizes every user and device before letting them access sensitive data or systems. This is done instead of thinking that internal users or devices are reliable.

As hybrid work becomes the norm, it’s clear that traditional virtual private networks (VPNs) and network access control (NAC) solutions are falling short. Once the gold standard for secure remote access, VPNs now pose more problems than solutions—think slow performance, security risks, and complex operations.