Almost every business adopts Zero Trust, but still doesn't realize its full business potential

Almost every business adopts Zero Trust, but still doesn't realize its full business potential

Most companies are embracing Zero Trust, especially those with a distributed or hybrid workforce, but most have yet to realize the benefits this relatively new cybersecurity practice offers.

Cloud security experts Zscaler surveyed more than 1,900 senior IT decision makers in organizations that have already begun migrating applications and services to the cloud for their "State of Zero Trust Transformation" by 2023 report (opens in a new tab), finding that only 19% have set up a work-specific trust-based hybrid infrastructure.

Another 50% are currently working on zero trust implementation or are in the planning stages.

Arguments in favor of zero trust

However, only 22% of respondents are "XNUMX% confident" that their organization is leveraging the full potential of its cloud infrastructure, including Zero Trust capabilities.

There are many objective benefits to implementing Zero Trust in a business environment, but for Zscaler, improving the employee experience is the strongest argument.

52% of respondents agreed that Zero Trust would solve the problem with an inconsistent access experience for on-premises and cloud-based apps and data.

If not, IT administrators expect Zero Trust to solve lost productivity due to network access issues (46%), with some saying the technology would help employees access business applications and data from anywhere , from personal devices (39%).

Zscaler found that IT-focused companies are treating Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) as a priority investment in continued shifts to remote and hybrid work environments over the next twelve months.

More than a third (35%) intend to adopt a fully remote work culture, while another quarter (27%) are considering a hybrid model. Only two in five (38%) will keep their employees fully in the office.

As a fledgling set of security principles, Zero Trust still has a long way to go before completely replacing older digital business security methods.

According to the report, more than half of respondents (54%) view legacy networks, VPNs, and perimeter firewalls as outdated and ineffective technology for protecting against cyberattacks and providing adequate visibility into application traffic.

Additionally, two-thirds (68%) agree that secure cloud transformation is impossible with a legacy network security infrastructure.

Zscaler says that Zero Trust has "clear advantages" over traditional firewalls and VPNs when it comes to securing remote access to critical applications. From the data, it is clear that organizations may only be seeing common sense.