If you are new to the security world, it is fair to ask yourself, “Isn’t access to data and systems always conditional? Isn’t it always granted to someone who has access to the credentials (ID and password)?” True enough, but in totality, the approach to managing access encompasses a broader spectrum of privacy policies. These policies include a mix of different strategies that can be applied based on an organization’s security vulnerabilities.

The following is an excerpt from Netskope’s recent book Designing a SASE Architecture for Dummies. This is the fourth in a series of seven posts detailing a set of incremental steps for implementing a well-functioning SASE architecture. This is when you’ll begin to put NG-SWG to work as you lay the foundation of your SASE. Fortunately, the capabilities needed to set things right are built into NG-SWG.

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) means exactly that: compliance officers and IT security teams are trained to not trust any network activity, anywhere, at any given time — not even on the inside of their own computer network. Don’t panic; ZTA is not as difficult to work with as it sounds. It’s simply a different way of approaching cybersecurity. So let’s take a look at how it works.

Back in March, a hacking group known as DarkSide began a campaign on Colonial Pipeline’s IT network and billing systems. On May 7th, Colonial publicly announces the attack, shuts down servers and some pipelines and pays DarkSide $4.4M in ransom. On May 12th, Colonial restores operations and announces fuel delivery timelines amidst panic buying at gas stations.

In case you missed it, Netskope’s recent Aiming for Zero event was focused around how Zero Trust is more than just access controls and passwords—it’s a security concept that applies to all aspects of your network, your data, the applications you use, and the way you interact with them. If you missed the event and want to hear more about our deep dives int Zero Trust, there’s no need to worry!

The past year has challenged us in unimaginable ways. We kept our distance for the greater good, while companies faced the daunting task of transforming their workforce from in-person to remote — practically overnight. This presented a unique challenge for cybersecurity teams. How would they ensure employees retained access to critical data in a secure way? Working in the cloud has made remote work easier for many organizations, but has also presented new risks.

Australia recently confirmed that a series of mobile phishing attacks were successfully executed on senior officials. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the targets – which included Australia’s finance minister, health minister and ambassador to the U.S. – were sent messages asking them to validate new WhatsApp or Telegram accounts.

Customers often ask me: What is the difference between Zero Trust and SASE? My answer is almost always the same: Nothing….and, everything. Both have taken the industry by storm over the last couple of years, and even more so with the security and access demands on the business driven by the existing remote workforce, but both have different implementation approaches. It is important to understand, however, that one does not fully provide the other; in fact, they reinforce each other.