Cloud Security , Governance & Risk Management , Security Operations

Is Microsegmentation for Zero Trust Defenses Worth It?

Microsegmentation is a fundamental concept in zero trust security, but CISOs should assess its feasibility before diving in. This is particularly true in a public cloud environment where there is no real network policy and in many cases, organizations don't have a good handle on the high-value data that needs to be secured, said David Holmes, principal research analyst at Forrester.

See Also: Guiding Your Leadership Team Through the Zero Trust Mindset

"It is not clear to me yet what the best approach is in the public cloud. Now I have talked to clients who have the best developers in the world, and they're building a system in the public cloud. And they're building microsegmentation into it. That's a perfectly credible thing for them to say," Holmes said.

"But for your typical organization, they often will have a lean IT or even more common, a very lean approach to security. And they're looking for some kind of turnkey solution that's going to give them the microsegmentation. But those technologies are still being developed. What I am saying is, 'I've not seen a consensus on what's the right way to do microsegmentation in the public cloud.'"

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Holmes discussed:

• Why some CISOs may not want to aim for microsegmentation;
• The challenges of microsegmentation - on-premises and in the cloud;
• Tools for implementing microsegmentation;

Holmes advises Forrester security and risk clients about strategy, architecture and zero trust. He helps security leaders plan zero trust implementations, select cybersecurity controls and understand new mitigation technologies.