Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Pillars of Forrester’s Zero Trust Model?

Security leaders can implement these seven pillars of the Zero Trust model to apply the appropriate security tools and better secure IT.

1. Workforce security – The workforce security pillar centers around the use of security tools such as authentication and access control policies. These tools identify and validate the user attempting to connect to the network before applying access policies that limit access to decrease the attack surface area.
2. Device security – Much like workforce security, the primary goal of the device security pillar is identification and authorization when devices attempt to connect to enterprise resources. The devices may be user-controlled or completely autonomous, as in the case of IoT devices.
3. Workload security – The workload security pillar refers to the applications, digital processes, and public and private IT resources used by an organization for operational purposes. Security is wrapped around each workload to prevent data collection, unauthorized access or tampering with sensitive apps and services.
4. Network security – The network security Zero Trust pillar is used to help microsegment and isolate sensitive resources from being accessed by unauthorized people or things.
5. Data security – This Zero Trust pillar revolves around the categorization of corporate data. Once categorized, the data can be isolated from everyone except those that need access. This pillar also includes the process of determining where data should be stored, as well as the use of encryption mechanisms while data is in transit and at rest.
6. Visibility and analytics – All security processes that revolve around access control, segmentation, encryption and application or data organization must be closely monitored. The visibility and analytics pillar may prescribe the use of AI to automate some processes, including anomaly detection, configuration control and end-to-end data visibility.
7. Automation and orchestration – The final pillar of the zero-trust framework covers modern ways in which organizations can automate and centrally control the entire Zero Trust model on the LAN, WAN, wireless WAN and public or private data centers.