Business who are keen to reduce the threat of cyberattacks are increasingly moving towards Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), simply because it’s so good at securing networks. With the likes of cyberattacks and ransomware attacks on the increase then any preventative measures that can be taken by SMBs make a lot of sense. There is, of course, a cost in both time and money to get ZTNA implemented, but it can be done using these five critical steps…
Know your enemy
The software might be getting better, but cybercriminals are getting smarter too, so it’s vital to stay on top of all the potential threats to your business. Part of the process towards getting a ZTNA strategy se up and running is to evaluate your business, its networks as well as everyday procedures and formulate a plan.
Think about how valuable your digital assets are and the potential damage that could be done if they end up being compromised. Security breaches and data losses can be catastrophic for some companies, with many finding it hard to recover. It’s therefore very prudent to look at all of the area of your business that need to be included in a ZTNA policy, particularly those that are data sensitive, and work from the resulting checklist.
The checklist should ideally include all areas of sensitive data within the business, which includes information pertaining to customers, staff data and other potentially sensitive information that is best kept under lock and key. It’s also an idea to collate a list of critical applications that are central to keeping your business up and running. Depending on the business, it’s also wise to evaluate potential threats to physical equipment, such as payment processing terminals and other connected Internet-of-Things hardware.
Knowing your network
Every company has a computer network. It may feel like a relatively small-fry operation if you’re a fledgling SMB, but it’s no less important. Anyone considering a ZTNA setup should spend time looking at the size and scale of their network, and factor in just how much activity happens from day to day.
Now that most business work closely in and around databases, either one central file or many different ones, deciding who should be allowed to access these via your network will form another big part of the ZTNA implementation process. Deciding on how best to implement controls around your business network traffic is a crucial step in the chain of events.
Zero trust network
Nurturing a zero trust network outlook that is embraced by your employees is another part of the process. Ensure that staff are well-versed in what the ZTNA procedure entails and how it will change their way of working over time. They should expect to have to adapt to using the likes of a next-generation firewall, which is a vital part of the protective cloak that will fall over your business network.
Equally, if they aren’t familiar with it already, then explain the implications of setting up multi-factor authentication, which will become a necessary part of the log-in process for any employee that needs to access the business network, its data and applications.
Accessing the network
The other thing to be mindful of with business network entry is just how many people need to gain access to company data and why. In an age where many people are contractors or freelancers, it’s vital to be able to have strict guidelines in place about who should have access privileges.
Similarly, it’s crucial for your IT department to be able to withdraw any access privileges, say for example, if a contractor finishes their time working within the business, or a freelancer moves on to other jobs. The great thing with the implementation of a ZTNA network is that it can offer a powerful array of controls that IT administrators can use, all within the space of one dashboard.
Monitoring your network
One of the best things about implementing a ZTNA network setup is that it will give your business much better control. A big part of fending off cyberattacks is knowng exactly what is going on with your company network, so having lots of tools plus countless features and functions found in a ZTNA setup will mean you’ll be able to stay on top of who’s doing what with ease.
ZTNA is particularly useful when it comes to reporting prowess. The setup will be able to show network activity and, in most cases, allow your business to take preventative measures in case of a potential cyber-attack. Detailed analytics and extensive logs are also easily produced using the ZTNA setup and these will form the backbone of your future plans for keeping your business as safe and secure as is possible.
Rounding it out
While many aspects of getting set up for ZTNA might seem relatively mundane, they’re vital parts of the process. It’s far better to spend time in advance working out what is needed for your business than to implement a strategy that turns out not to be as versatile and flexible as you’d expected.
By knowing exactly what it is your business requires in order to fend off cyber-attacks it’ll mean you’ll be in much better shape to know exactly what kind of ZTNA strategy you’ll need to invest in. Either way, the added cost of implementation might not be initially appealing, but ZTNA is known for its power when it comes to helping SMBs stay safe and secure. In that respect, it will definitely be a case of money well spent.
