Most companies are in the process of implementing Zero Trust, especially those with a distributed or hybrid workforce, but most have yet to fully realize the benefits of this relatively new cybersecurity practice.
Zscaler cloud security experts surveyed over 1,900 senior IT decision makers in organizations that have already started migrating applications and services to the cloud due to their State of Zero Trust Transformation Report 2023 (opens in a new tab)stating that only 19% of them have built a hybrid, trust-based work-specific infrastructure.
An additional 50% are currently working on implementing zero trust or are in the planning phase.
Arguments for zero trust
However, only 22% of those surveyed are “fully confident” that their organization is leveraging the full potential of their cloud infrastructure, including Zero Trust capabilities.
There are many objective benefits of implementing Zero Trust in a business environment, but for Zscaler, improving the employee experience is the strongest argument.
52% of those surveyed agreed that Zero Trust would solve the problem of inconsistent access to on-prem and cloud-based apps and data.
Otherwise, IT leaders expect zero trust to solve lost productivity due to network access issues (46%), and some say technology would help employees access business applications and data from personal devices (39%).
Zscaler has found that IT-based businesses are prioritizing Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) as a priority investment to continue moving to remote and hybrid work environments over the next twelve months.
More than a third (35%) intend to adopt a fully remote work culture, and an additional quarter (27%) are considering a hybrid model. Only two in five (38%) will keep their employees fully in the office.
As an emerging set of security principles, Zero Trust has a long way to go before it completely replaces the old methods of digital business security.
The report shows that more than half of respondents (54%) believe that legacy networks, VPNs and perimeter firewalls are outdated technology, ineffective in protecting against cyberattacks and providing proper visibility into application traffic.
Moreover, two-thirds (68%) agree that a secure transition to the cloud is impossible with legacy network security infrastructure.
Zscaler says Zero Trust has a “clear advantage” over traditional firewalls and VPNs when it comes to secure remote access to critical applications. From the data, it is clear that organizations may just see the point.