The Benefits & Challenges of Zero Trust Network Architecture

In my last blog, I explained the reasons for transforming to a Zero Trust Model. In this next blog of CACI’s Zero Trust series, I’ll explore some of the benefits and challenges to implementing Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) in your business.

Benefits of implementing Zero Trust Network Architecture

ZTNA not only improves your network security, but also enhances your business processes and protects your end-users. A few of the ways in which you and your business can benefit from Zero Trust include:

Your Network

– Secure remote connectivity
Traditional on-premises architecture cannot support remote access at scale. ZTNA allows more remote users to securely connect to your company network via multi-factor authentication (MFA).

– Secure cloud adoption
ZTNA enables the classification of access rights on the cloud so that only authorised users can access your selected assets

Overall Security

– Improved data protection
You can secure confidential data by implementing least-privileged access control and strict user authentication. This minimises the blast radius in any data leakage incident.
– Protection against threats
Any configuration changes are automatically triggered and analysed for suspicious activities in ZTNA, keeping down the overall risk exposure.

User Enablement

– Enabling a global workforce
ZTNA sets up your network infrastructure so that global employees and business contractors can access your company network safely via a Virtual Protected Network (VPN).
– Optimised customer experience
ZTNA allows your customers to securely access any confidential data and to complete transactions anywhere by verifying their identities.

Challenges to implementation

Transforming to modern technology is always easier said than done. There are a few common hurdles to overcome in order to complete the Zero Trust journey:

‘Implicit trust’ in the legacy system

A few of my clients’ legacy systems still rely on ‘implicit trust’, which conflicts with the core principles of ZTNA. Some of their upper-layer applications are built from older protocols or conventions from when the public internet was a trustworthy space. These dated applications have been bolted onto security and data encryption layers since the evolution of technology.

You’ll need an appetite for bold change and significant investment to transform to ZTNA, and it won’t be built in one day! Most companies operate in a hybrid Zero Trust or perimeter-based mode while they make the transition.

No standardised frameworks for component creation

There are no standardised frameworks for creating commoditised Zero Trust components. Different frameworks are suggested by governments or experienced IT consulting companies based on their knowledge and experience. For instance, there are many competing products for user authentication, such as Microsoft Active Directory, Okta, Azure AD and OneTrust.

Insufficient workforce support

I’ve spoken to some companies that have admittedly not invested enough in their networking and security. This led to a lack of leadership support and security experts to drive their transformation to Zero Trust.

If this is the case in your business, you can partner with an IT outsourcing provider that will advise you on the best fit Zero Trust framework and equip you with a team of security experts to help you get there. We have some top tips on how to find the right IT outsourcing partner which you might find useful.

How CACI can help

CACI’s team of cybersecurity experts can help you improve the protection levels of your business, from Zero Trust Network Architecture, Threat Analytics, Systems Hardening, Network Analytics and Next Generation Firewalls. We perform a risk assessment to advise you on the comprehensive cybersecurity you need.

We also have experts in Cloud Network on-ramp Connectivity, such as Microsoft ExpressRoute, AWS Direct Connect, GCP Cloud Dedicated Connect and SASE/SdP/VPN technologies like Zscaler and Tailscale.

Stay tuned for my final blog, where I’ll be sharing some efficient ways to implement ZTNA. If you’d like the whole story, take a look at our Zero Trust Model whitepaper where we cover everything in these blogs and more. Download your copy now.