Zero trust

Zero trust is a security approach that assumes no user, device or network is automatically trustworthy, requiring every access request to be verified based on identity, device health and context.

Traditional security treated the office network like a castle: anyone inside the walls was trusted. Zero trust replaces that with the principle of never trust, always verify. Users prove who they are with strong authentication, devices must meet security standards, access is limited to what each person needs and activity is continuously monitored.

With staff working from home, job sites and client offices, and data spread across cloud services, the old network perimeter no longer exists for many Alberta businesses. Zero trust reduces the damage when a password is stolen or a device is compromised, because a single foothold no longer opens the door to everything.

Practical tip: zero trust is a direction, not a product you can buy in one step. Start with multi-factor authentication everywhere, least-privilege access, managed and updated devices, and conditional access rules in Microsoft 365 that block sign-ins from unmanaged or risky devices. Build from there over time.