Zero Trust is top cyber security priority in Asia Pacific: survey

Zero Trust is a top cyber security priority for businesses in the Asia Pacific over the next 12 to 18 months, with IT leaders considering it an important part of their security strategies, according to a survey by BeyondTrust and iTNews Asia.

The survey findings and insights are available for free download here.

“It seems like every vendor is talking about zero trust but in reality, it isn't something you can buy in one go,” says Scott Hesford, Director of Solutions Engineering, APJ, at BeyondTrust.

“It is more about an organisation-wide approach used to secure everything inside and outside of the office environment.  Human or non-human entities such as assets or scripts need to be verified to make sure they are who and what they say they are and have appropriate authorisations for the activities they’re trying to perform.  And identity is key to it”

Zero Trust acknowledges “that threats exist both inside and outside traditional network boundaries,” according to NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology). It “eliminates implicit trust in any one element, component, node, or service and instead requires continuous verification of the operational picture via real-time information from multiple sources to determine access and other system responses.”

With the change in the traditional workplace, where a significant portion of the economy has witnessed an explosion of remote staff and essential third-party remote connections, deploying Zero Trust fundamentals by limiting privileges has become more critical.

Data protection and securing endpoints are the two main reasons for embracing Zero Trust, according to the survey. “This is a recognition by IT leaders across Asia that their organisational data has significant value to cybercriminals and acknowledges that for many, excessive local administrative rights remain a concern and a priority area to address,” says Hesford.

Leaders in Asia Pacific are fairly well grounded when it comes to Zero Trust. Over 95 percent of respondents recognise that they are on a journey and still have a way to go on fundamentals such as least privilege.

“The data shows that leaders understand there are challenges ahead,” explains Hesford. “But by starting or continuing with a Zero Trust mindset they are best positioning themselves to secure their remote workforces and offices from the myriad of threats targeting businesses across the Asia Pacific.”

To understand how Zero Trust is being incorporated into business strategies across Asia Pacific, and how you benchmark against adopters, download your free copy of the survey results as an infographic.