Zero Trust Architecture for Securing Organizational Networks

Abstract Due to the fast growth of cloud computing, telecommuting, IoT devices, and hybrid enterprise environments, the traditional security architecture built on the concept of a trusted network periphery became insufficient. Therefore, Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) has become a modern solution that is designed to eliminate any implicit assumptions about network users and to verify any requests from any users, devices, applications, and networks. The current paper aims at discussing the concepts, components, and importance of Zero Trust Architecture in protecting corporate networks from various types of cyber threats such as ransomware, insider attacks, credential theft, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). More precisely, the following issues will be analyzed within the paper – literature related to the topic, identification of knowledge gaps, implementation of ZTA by different companies, and identity and access management, multi-factor authentication, least privilege access, continuous monitoring, and micro-segmentation as key pillars of Zero Trust approach. Keywords: Zero Trust Architecture, Cybersecurity, Organizational Networks, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Least Privilege Access, Continuous Authentication, Micro-Segmentation, Network Security, Insider Threats, Ransomware, Cloud Security.