IBM Security Global Forum

The future of cybersecurity will be founded on zero trust principles.
It’s all about limiting users’ access to only the data and resources they absolutely need, which in turn minimizes any potential damage from an inevitable system breach. Legacy perimeter-based controls just don’t work anymore. Today’s businesses need to be fearless on every front as they protect their data, people, and reputations. Security leaders are being challenged. They can no longer just be the enforcers, the department of “No!”.  They need to be the enablers that protect their organizations from risk so they can face the future with confidence.

The power of a zero trust approach to security is that it can unlock this spirit of fearlessness across an entire organization; pushing the boundaries of productivity and innovation so that every division and person, from the C-Suite to sales, feels confident and empowered to take the risks needed to grow their business without limits. Zero trust is a business strategy – not just a security strategy.

The philosophy behind zero trust is simple, if a bit alarming. You must assume your organization is compromised and then continually verify the connections between every user, device, application, and dataset. This dynamic approach to security assures that each connection meets the right conditions for use at any given moment.

Getting to zero trust nirvana can seem like a monumental task.  And to be honest, it is a journey, not a destination. Where do you start? Or where do you go next? An approach we’ve seen a lot of success with at IBM is applying zero trust principles to selected, outcome-focused initiatives. This allows for a business-first approach to security. Here are the use cases we have helped other companies address:

Preserve Customer Privacy

Build customer trust and grow your business with data privacy and security

Protect the Hybrid Cloud

Move to the cloud with confidence knowing security is still in your control

Secure the Hybrid/Remote Workforce

Build a workforce that securely connects from any location with any device

Reduce the Risk of Insider Threat

Limit business disruptions and improve security posture with proactive defenses

Implementing zero trust is not about simply buying another new tool or throwing out everything that you already have in place. To successfully implement a zero trust architecture, organizations need to connect information from across each security domain. Security teams across the company must agree on priorities and align on access policies. They must secure all connections across the business from data to users and devices, applications, workloads, and networks. This architecture requires a well-planned strategy and roadmap to implement and integrate security tools to achieve specific business-focused outcomes.

IBM’s business-first approach to zero trust starts with understanding where you are going, determining what tools, processes, and skills you already have in place, and then co-creating a plan for what to focus on and where to go next to realize the value of zero trust.

For more information, please visit https://www.ibm.com/security/zero-trust to read our point of view. You can also read the latest blog announcement here: Zero Trust: Confidently Secure Your Business to Grow Fearlessly.

And if you haven’t done so yet, register for THINK 2021, IBM’s digital event experience where advances in world-changing technologies become real through real-world case studies, technical exploration, community engagement and visionary thought leadership.

We will be discussing the topics of zero trust and open security as well, demonstrating to customers and partners how they can put zero trust into action. Be sure to check out the two zero trust live stream sessions in the Secure content block:

IBM Keynote

Put security everywhere, so you can put trust everywhere

Trends & Directions Session

Fuel business without limits with zero trust