A new age of cyberthreats
According to Stuart, traditional notions of how data centres should be secured are now completely outdated notion. He says, for instance, that the idea of fortifying the outer perimeter to shield the inner workings of a data centre “no longer holds up”.
Cyber threats now frequently exploit internal weaknesses, whether through compromised credentials or unsafe third-party connections.
“Once they’re inside, they move around easily, taking advantage of the same trust-based systems meant to keep operations smooth,” Stuart says.
“That built-in trust has become a serious weakness.”
A zero trust model, conversely, addresses this vulnerability by continuously validating access using context-aware protocols that include identity verification, device assessment, behavioural analytics and strict adherence to detailed policies.
“In short, trust becomes a dynamic, verifiable state, not a permanent status,” Stuart reflects.
The problem is that modern data centres rarely operate as isolated entities.
Instead, they are often integrated within an expansive ecosystem incorporating public and private clouds, edge computing and container orchestration, meaning they need a security approach that can function seamlessly across diverse infrastructures.
“Nor can it maintain consistency in access control,” Stuart says. “Zero trust provides a framework for maintaining unified policy enforcement regardless of resource or user location.”
