Intelligent CIO APAC Issue 25 | Page 44

CIO OPINION
A clear view across all data in motion , from the cloud to the core , means that IT teams can best understand any threat to their network .
Ian Farquhar , Field CTO , Gigamon

How Zero Trust can lead the battle against ransomware

Sydney-based Ian Farquhar , Field CTO , Gigamon , tells us how in a world where the workforce has shifted significantly to a ‘ work anywhere , work anytime ’ model , embracing Zero Trust makes sense .

Zero Trust has become a well-recognized framework in the cybersecurity world . SecOps teams are championing this ‘ trust no-one ’ strategy to support the fight against the escalating risk of cybercrime , and in helping to monitor threat actors across their network .

In fact , research by my company found that 70 % of IT leaders agree that Zero Trust would enhance their IT strategy .
In short , this approach to security eradicates the implicit trust often given to internal traffic within a network . This security-first mindset also benefits business efficiency ; 87 % of IT teams believe productivity has increased since the start of their Zero Trust journey , as systems run faster and downtime is reduced due to fewer breaches .
However , the threatscape is evolving . Ransomware now represents one of the biggest threats to businesses across the world and many are falling victim to catastrophic attacks . This type of malware surged by 82 % in 2021 and it shows no signs of stopping , especially as 82 % of British firms which have been victims of ransomware attacks reportedly paid the hackers to get back their data .
So , can Zero Trust architecture ( ZTA ) help organizations to protect themselves from one of the biggest threats in today ’ s cyber landscape ?
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