Forrester Report: The Future of Data Security – A Zero Trust Approach

by John Kindervag, Heidi Shey and Kelley Mak, June 2014

Data is the lifeblood of today’s digital businesses, and protecting it from theft, misuse, and abuse is the No. 1 responsibility of every S&R leader. Hacked customer data can erase millions in profits within weeks, stolen intellectual property can erase competitive advantage in less than a year, and unnecessary privacy abuses can bring unwanted scrutiny and fines from regulators while inflicting reputational damage that can last months, even years.

Achieving a certain level of data security and protecting customer privacy is no easy feat. Almost every enterprise, from an online retailer to a hospital to a government agency, rarely works in isolation and can rarely confine data to within the four walls of the organisation.

The walls don’t exist. They must work in a complex ecosystem of powerful customers increasingly concerned about their privacy, digitally native employees, and potentially hundreds of demanding partners and suppliers – all perpetually connected by new systems of engagement and cloud services. In this new reality, traditional perimeter-based approaches to security are insufficient. S&R pros must take a data-centric approach that ensures security travels with the data regardless of user population, location, or even hosting model.