The Five Pillars

Zero Trust is built around five core pillars: Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications/Workloads, and Data. Each pillar requires verification before access is granted.

Identity

  • Enforce MFA for all users
  • Use Conditional Access policies
  • Apply least-privilege access
  • Monitor for risky sign-ins

Devices

  • Require device compliance
  • Enrol all endpoints in MDM
  • Block unmanaged devices from sensitive resources

Network

  • Microsegment workloads
  • Encrypt all traffic (east-west and north-south)
  • Eliminate implicit trust based on network location

Applications

  • Publish apps via an app proxy or ZTNA solution
  • Scan all application access for anomalies