Forrester is out with a new report that seeks to demystify and clarify the discussion around “Zero Trust”, what it is, and how the various acronyms in this corner of cybersecurity all relate to one another.
In the April 2023 report, Decoding Zero Trust–Understanding Zero Trust Terminology, Technologies, And Architecture, Forrester breaks down and explains four key distinctions of the space including Zero Trust concepts and platforms, Zero Trust Edge (ZTE) solutions and services, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
Zero Trust Pioneer
As creators of the original Zero Trust concept, Forrester is uniquely positioned to offer their insights and definitions of these related technologies, phrases and operating models. This is just one reason why Hillstone Networks is delighted to be included in Forrester’s list of sample ZTNA vendors in this report.
According to Forrester’s definition, Zero Trust is “an information security model that reduces implicit trust.” This is the foundational concept for the state of the art in cybersecurity and it’s based on “three security principles to transform the security approach: authorize by identity, enforce least privilege access, and inspect everything.”
Defining Zero Trust
Zero Trust is being recommended by the highest levels of government in the United States as the best practice model to adopt for business resilience and continuity. Supporting efforts are coming from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and even the White House.
According to Forrester’s blog post which summarizes the report, there are different vendor solutions across the Zero Trust field:
- “Zero Trust platforms are unified offerings of core security technologies that serve as the base upon which other security tooling, applications, processes, or technologies can be leveraged to enable ZT.”
- “Zero Trust Edge (ZTE) …is an architecture focusing on cloud-delivered networking and security services for remote sites and workers.”
- “ZTE services …is basically just outsourced management for ZTE solutions.”
- “Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) …is a specific technology that uses Zero Trust principles to provide access to networks and applications. ZTNA replaces a virtual private network (VPN), especially for remote workers.”
Prioritizing Zero Trust
As more organizations prioritize digital transformation, network edges evaporate and mission-critical software sprawls. Hillstone’s model for integrative cybersecurity delivers coverage, control and consolidation to enable organizations to adopt Zero Trust with confidence and convenience, and we appreciate Forrester’s inclusion of our ZTNA solutions in this report.
“Never trust, always verify” is the foundation of the Zero Trust model. Hillstone’s ZTNA solutions are designed to meet workforces wherever they are with efficient, continuous verification that doesn’t slow down the business, and intelligent enforcement that keeps it secure. With our next-generation firewall and Hillstone Security Manager (HSM) at its core, our ZTNA suite verifies endpoints and identities at the edge, while our AI-powered, adaptive behavioral modeling enforces security policies in real time. This frictionless access to resources and applications enables the enterprise workforce to perform and grow with ease.
To get more information on Hillstone’s ZTNA solutions, or to start empowering your organization with unlimited scale, please contact us today.
