North, South, East, West: Navigating the Value of Microsegmentation in a Zero Trust Environment

Federal CIOs know the days of protecting a network perimeter are gone — firewalls were never designed to address edge computing, remote work, hybrid clouds, or multiple devices used by a single person. This is why all Federal agencies were directed by Executive Order 14028 and the follow-up Office of Management and Budget memo laying out a Zero Trust Strategy to implement a Zero Trust architecture by the end of September 2024.

With that date fast approaching, many agencies have identified Zero Trust Segmentation (ZTS) and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) as central elements of a comprehensive Zero Trust architecture. While system managers have long employed traditional segmentation techniques, microsegmentation with ZTS and ZTNA is far more granular and risk-adaptive approach. The joint solution is well suited for today’s dynamic hybrid IT environments, where securing your network interior (east-west) and perimeter (north-south) with least-privilege access is paramount.

We’ll Discuss:

• Identify the vulnerabilities and risks to be countered in interior and perimeter networks
• Establishing east-west and north-south Zero Trust controls
• Delineate the role of labeling workloads with contextual data as a way to enforce ZT policies
• Review the steps in implementing granular microsegmentation for effective protection of systems, data, and users