Zero Trust has become confusing. As one of the latest buzzwords it can be hard to make sense of what it actually means for your business.

Forrester describe zero trust simply as “a model for information security that denies access to applications and data by default” and that implementing it requires more than a model, it needs a change in mindset.

Security decision-makers say developing a zero trust strategy is their number 1 security priority, with 96% stating that it's critical to their organization's success, in a report by Microsoft. We’re proud to have been recognized as Zero Trust champion at the Microsoft Security Excellence awards, for helping clients accelerate their zero-trust journey.

A 4-phase approach to accelerate your zero-trust journey
So where do you start? At Avanade, we take the following 4-phase approach:

1. The first step is a Zero Trust assessment. This provides a holistic evaluation of your security posture and uncovers key risks, compliance and regulatory requirements as well as advice on how to prioritize these with a roadmap.
2. Disparate and redundant applications may be exposing you to greater security risks. We can help you to optimize your Microsoft licensing mix and align your technology strategy with Microsoft’s solutions to simplify your security landscape.
3. If like many businesses, you are not getting the best value from security tools you already have, we can help extend your Microsoft Security solutions utilizing automation and intelligence to protect your information, detect and respond to threats.
4. We know that staying ahead of emerging threats can be extremely challenging. We provide effective security monitoring at scale with Managed Security Services that combines top security talent with innovative technology.

Security concerns don’t need to hold you back
We believe it’s important to keep pace with advanced threats and the evolution of new technologies, like securing IoT and Decentralized Identity so that nothing holds you back. As Microsoft grow, we continue to invest in our capabilities and people. We have made a major global investment in our Cyber Center of Excellence, a team of experts with advanced Microsoft Security skills.

We pride ourselves on helping our clients to protect the trust of everyone that they serve, through the power of people and Microsoft.

Visit this page to find out more about how we can help you on your zero-trust journey.