Introducing Zero Trust security

Issue 7 2021 Information Security

CIOs must shift their security approach from unconditional confidence in users to zero trust fundamentals. A zero-trust model relies on contextual awareness to adaptively grant access to authorised users using patterns based on identity, time and device posture.


Helen Kruger.

This approach tightens the reins on access security while giving users a choice of devices and apps. At the same time, they need to protect their users, apps and data with end-to-end contextual access. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion in 2021. Accenture points to internal attacks from malicious insiders as the most common attacks.

CIOs are now responsible for managing a larger attack surface than ever, thanks to end users relying on personal devices for work and accessing cloud apps and corporate resources from remote locations. But how can they deliver the access their employees need to do their best work while protecting the business from internal attacks?

Reduce the attack surface

Too often, businesses get stuck in an endless cycle of adding point products like SSL VPN, single sign-on and endpoint management to address new security use cases. This not only increases complexity, but also creates a fractured experience for end users.

Forrester reports that organisations pursuing zero trust can see significant benefits from choosing a single vendor. Citrix Workspace offers an end-to-end solution to implement zero trust principles, avoiding the gaps left from relying on assorted point solutions. Instead of trying to protect data and resources around the user, Citrix Workspace reduces your attack surface by protecting the user and the apps inside the workspace, where work actually gets done.

Enable remote access without VPN

Remote users need easy access to web applications but relying on traditional VPNs solutions can create significant security risks. If bad actors can gain access through the SSL VPN, they have free reign over an entire network. Businesses therefore need a contextual security solution to meet zero trust requirements while enabling BYOD and access to apps deployed in a cloud.

Citrix Workspace provides a secure space to work by enabling users to remotely access web applications deployed on premises using any device - without needing to access the entire network.

Total security

One small user mistake can cost millions. In fact, on average, a single data breach can total nearly $4 million. This makes it vital for a security strategy to address threats like malicious URLs being accessed, keyloggers, or screen-capturing malware for both managed and unmanaged devices.

A zero-trust approach requires more than strict enrolment policies for employee devices. Citrix Workspace with Citrix Secure Workspace Access goes beyond traditional single sign-on and multi-factor authentication to provide advanced, contextual access management tools for IT.

This includes the ability to disable printing, copying and pasting in certain scenarios, while Citrix Secure Browser isolates web traffic from the corporate network. Additionally, Citrix Endpoint Management keeps BYO, corporate and other managed devices secure by isolating and protecting apps and content accessed in the workspace.

Expand cloud security

Citrix Workspace equips IT with proactive app protection and security policies that let users access all their SaaS and business apps through the Citrix Workspace app. To further protect branch users, Citrix SD-WAN combines comprehensive, cloud-delivered security to provide employees with a great experience, using any app or device.

This masks users and infrastructure from cyber surveillance and encrypts all branch-to-branch egress traffic to prevent interception. By adding this architecture to the full-stack security of Citrix Workspace, one enables multi-layer security from a centralised location to all branches.

This is a simpler and lower-cost solution than installing multiple firewalls across the entire organisation.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
Empower individuals to control their biometric data
Information Security Access Control & Identity Management Security Services & Risk Management
What if your biometrics, now embedded in devices, workplaces, and airports, promising seamless access and enhanced security, was your greatest vulnerability in a cyberattack? Cybercriminals are focusing on knowing where biometric data is stored.

Read more...
Strategies for combating insider threats
Information Security Security Services & Risk Management
In Africa, insider threats pose an increasingly significant risk to businesses, driven by economic uncertainty, labour disputes, and rapid digital transformation. These threats can arise from various sources, including disgruntled employees and compromised third-party service providers

Read more...
Five tech trends shaping business in 2025
Information Security Infrastructure
From runaway IT costs to the urgent need for comprehensive AI strategies that drive sustainable business impact, executives must be prepared to navigate a complex and evolving technology environment to extract maximum value from their investments.

Read more...
Kaspersky’s predictions for 2025 APT landscape
Information Security
The 2025 advanced persistent threat (APT) includes the rise of hacktivist alliances, increased use of AI-powered tools by state-affiliated actors – often with embedded backdoor – more supply chain attacks on open-source projects.

Read more...
SecurityHQ certified B-BBEE Level 1: Delivering global services from a local entity
SecurityHQ Information Security
SecurityHQ, a global managed security services provider (MSSP) with an office in South Africa, has announced it can now offer local companies a complete managed cybersecurity service from a Level-1 B-BBEE accredited and 51% black-owned service provider.

Read more...
2024, the year of Fraud-as-a-Service
Information Security
A report from AU10TIX outlines how ‘the industry’s dark engine’ offers user-friendly fraud kits that enable amateurs to execute complex attacks against thousands of accounts in minutes.

Read more...
The future of endpoint security
Information Security
Endpoint security is a critical pillar of cybersecurity, especially for South African businesses, which are becoming prime targets for cybercriminals. Endpoint security involves safeguarding devices connected to a network from a range of cyberthreats.

Read more...
Not enough businesses take cybercrime seriously
Information Security
Interpol recently revealed that cybercrime, specifically ransomware incidents, cost the South African economy up to 1% of the country’s GDP, while the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estimated the loss at R2,2 billion a year.

Read more...
Navigating today’s cloud security challenges
Information Security Infrastructure
While the cloud certainly enables enterprises to quickly adapt to today’s evolving demands, it also introduces unique challenges that security teams must recognise and manage. Vincent Hwang offers insights from the 2025 State of Cloud Security Report.

Read more...