Zero Trust has become a requirement for protecting hybrid and distributed environments. The principle is clear: never trust, always verify. However, many initiatives stall due to lack of priorities and metrics. We present a six-stage roadmap that combines technical and governance actions.
Stage 1: Discovery and Initial Segmentation
Identify critical assets, data flows, and dependencies between applications. Classify human and non-human identities. This visibility enables you to define protection domains and establish initial microsegmentation.
Stage 2: Strong Identities and Adaptive Authentication
Implement mandatory MFA, Privileged Access Management (PAM), and risk-based conditional access policies. Prioritize identity federation and service account inventory.
Stage 3: Endpoint and Device Security
Continuously assess the security posture of endpoints, mobile devices, and IoT. Use EDR/XDR solutions to apply access controls based on security posture (compliance, patches, encryption).
Stage 4: Microsegmentation and Network Control
Define identity and context-based policies to restrict lateral movement. SDN technologies and next-generation firewalls enable applying dynamic policies by application and environment.
Stage 5: Application and Data Protection
Classify sensitive data, apply end-to-end encryption, and monitor access in real-time. Integrate CASB, DLP, and API controls to detect anomalous behaviors and prevent exfiltration.
Stage 6: Automation and Orchestration
Create automated response playbooks and self-adjusting policies based on risk signals. Incorporate telemetry into a security data lake to run advanced analytics and feedback risk models.
Maturity Metrics
- % of identities covered by MFA and adaptive controls.
- Mean time to revoke access for compromised users and devices.
- Percentage of applications categorized and protected with Zero Trust policies.
- Microsegmentation coverage across critical workloads.
- Reduction in lateral movement observed during Red Team exercises.
Governance and Adoption
Zero Trust requires collaboration between security, infrastructure, development, and business teams. Establish a governance committee, define quarterly roadmaps, and communicate measurable benefits (attack surface reduction, regulatory compliance, audit improvements).
At 360 Security Group, we support organizations with maturity assessments, security automation design, and Threat Hunting programs that continuously validate Zero Trust controls.