Zero trust architecture: the key to securing hybrid environments

Asher Benbenisty

Hybrid environments have emerged as the new standard for today’s businesses, enabling them to retain agility and a start-up mindset as they expand and grow. According to Allied Market Research, 89% of organizations now use more than one cloud for storage and workloads, just 9% use a single public cloud, and only 2% use a single private cloud solution.

Simply put, the next next generation of networks is here, but are businesses ready? Applications are now developed specifically to run in cloud environments, taking advantage of the cloud’s speed, scalability, flexibility, and resilience. These applications use microservice architecture to group individual services together via APIs, allowing them to be tweaked and upgraded without impacting service delivery. How these applications are orchestrated and monitored, alongside their segmentation and configuration, has become a vital part of network security.

The rapid shift toward hybrid environments has come with many benefits, but the limitations of traditional security models have also become glaringly apparent. Historically, security strategies relied on the concept of a secure perimeter – guarding the gates while assuming everything inside was safe. However, this approach no longer holds up in today’s distributed landscape. The rise of remote work, mobile devices, and the proliferation of sophisticated cyberattacks mean that perimeter-based defences aren’t enough. Endpoints have multiplied, cloud environments have become integrated, and networks have become sprawling webs of interconnectivity. It’s no longer possible to simply draw a protective line around everything and call it quits. Defences are multi-layered, from firewalls and API security to multifactor authentication and employee training.

To combat this, zero trust architecture (ZTA) has emerged as a critical evolution in cybersecurity strategy, offering a framework designed to address the complexities of modern digital ecosystems. At its core, zero trust is founded on the principle of ‘never trust, always verify.’ Unlike traditional models that grant implicit trust based on network location, ZTA assumes that no entity – whether inside or outside the network – should be trusted by default. This approach emphasizes the importance of ‘least privilege’ access, ensuring that users and devices are granted only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks. ZTA is more than just a function; it’s a framework containing several core principles. Real-time monitoring of network assets will allow businesses to spot anomalies and potential threats as they occur, and micro-segmentation divides the network into smaller, isolated segments, reducing the potential impact of any security breach.

These core principles make zero trust not just a trend, but a fundamental shift in security for hybrid cloud.

The challenges of securing hybrid environments

Securing hybrid environments, which blend on-premises, public cloud, and private cloud resources, presents a complex challenge for organizations. The diversity of these environments often leads to inconsistent security policies and fragmented visibility, making it difficult to maintain a unified security posture. Each platform comes with its own set of tools and configurations, which can create gaps in defences that cybercriminals are quick to exploit. Managing a wide array of endpoints, each with varying levels of security and often operating from different locations, further complicates the task and increases the risk of unauthorised access.

The dramatic shift to remote working over the past few years has amplified these challenges tenfold. According to one report, vulnerable attack surface areas grew by 600% in 2023 as businesses added more cyber assets to their organizations. Employees accessing company resources from various locations and devices make perimeter-based security models practically obsolete. In this environment, the need for a more adaptable, comprehensive security approach – one that continuously verifies and controls access instead of just ‘guarding the gates’ – is more critical than ever.

One such critical element for securing hybrid environments is segmentation. However, research suggests that 75% of surveyed organizations struggle to enforce network segmentation. Why? Many businesses make the mistake of focusing solely on implementing micro-segmentation at the individual device or application level without considering the broader macro-level segmentation strategy, which can lead to inconsistencies in segmentation policies and ineffective isolation of network segments. You wouldn’t build a house without laying the foundations first, and the same principle applies to network segmentation. Macro-segmentation creates boundaries that segment different parts of the network. For example, a business may divide its network into zones such as corporate, guest, and production. This approach ensures sensitive areas, like production servers, are isolated and not exposed to less secure zones, such as guest Wi-Fi networks. This crucial foundational role is fundamental to securing hybrid environments.

Why zero trust is essential for applications in hybrid environments

Hybrid environments are dynamic and distributed by their very nature, introducing unique security challenges that traditional security models are ill-equipped to handle. They often rely on microservices, containers, and APIs, each of which can become potential entry points for attackers if not properly secured. It is a double-edged sword: the fluidity and scalability that make hybrid environments so powerful also create a situation where vulnerabilities can spread quickly and go largely unnoticed. This makes it imperative to adopt a security model that is as flexible and comprehensive as the applications themselves.

A ZTA addresses these risks by ensuring that every interaction within the system is scrutinised and verified, and offers macro-segmentation based on business application isolation. This involves isolating workloads to limit the lateral movement of threats, as well as robust identity and access management to enforce least privilege principles. Continuous verification processes also monitor all traffic, ensuring that any deviation from normal behavior is detected and addressed immediately. By integrating zero trust into hybrid environment architectures, organizations can maintain a high level of security while still reaping the benefits of cloud agility and scalability.

Granular controls and compliance objectives

By continuously verifying every user, device, and application, zero trust minimises the risk of unauthorised access, reducing the likelihood of security incidents when the boundaries of trust are constantly shifting. This level of granular control is non-negotiable for businesses that want to continue to ‘guard the perimeter’ when their perimeters are virtually impossible to define.

Beyond improving security, zero trust also supports regulatory compliance by enforcing strict access controls and maintaining detailed audit trails. These capabilities make it easier for organizations to demonstrate adherence to data protection regulations and industry standards, reducing the risk of costly fines and reputational damage. What’s more, zero trust offers scalability and flexibility, allowing organizations to adapt their security measures as their hybrid environments evolve. This adaptability ensures that as business needs change, security remains a priority, providing a sustainable framework for long-term protection.

So while businesses might be anxious to embrace the next next generation of networks, they must do so in a way that doesn’t compromise their security.