Cybersecurity used to be something only the big players worried about. But times have changed. With remote working, cloud software, and a growing list of online threats, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are now firmly in the crosshairs. That’s why many are moving towards a modern security approach called Zero Trust. If the name sounds intimidating, don’t worry. We’ll explain what Zero Trust actually means, why it matters, and how you can adopt it without needing a huge IT budget.

What Is Zero Trust?

Zero Trust is a security mindset that says: “Don’t automatically trust anything, always verify.”

Whether it’s a staff member working from home or a printer on the office network, you don’t just let it connect and assume it’s safe. Every request to access your systems should be checked and authenticated to ensure it is genuine. This can be likened to Airport security for example, although you may get through to the terminal, there are still further checks before you get onto the plane to ensure you are who you say you are.

What are the Key Principles of Zero Trust?

Zero trust as it sounds means that there are multiple security measures in place to get access to the system. Below are a handful of the steps which may be seen in a zero trust policy.

• Verify Every User: Anybody which needs access to the system should have verification methods setup. This typically will look like two factor authentication or multi factor authentication. Relying on passwords alone is not a sufficient method of authentication in 2025 due to the easy nature of cracking these. With the rise of phishing attacks, authentication methods should be something every business employs rather than considers.
• Access Policies: Quite simply, if an employee doesn’t need access to a certain folder or files, don’t let them have access. This stops any issues regarding a potential snoopy colleague looking through information they shouldn’t or don’t need to know. This can be easily setup in SharePoint and should again be something which all businesses consider in 2025 to ensure that information doesn’t leak out through people it shouldn’t.
• Only Use Trusted Devices: Make sure that all devices on the network are company owned and kept up to date with regular patches and software updates. This ensures that there are no security risks through old software or old devices which are personally owned. This also simplifies the process for any support helpdesks due to remote access software being installed on company devices over personal. Any personal mobile devices accessing the work network should also be monitored using Microsoft Intune to ensure they are sufficiently secure and not a weak point.

What Will Happen If We Don’t Use Zero Trust?

Although the policy is not an essential business process, it’s definitely one which needs to be considered to keep ahead in terms of cybersecurity. Adopting these tactics allows for lower risk operations in 2025 where emerging cybersecurity threats are frequent. The cost of setting up a zero trust policy is completely outweighed by the cost of ransomware or attacks. Although zero trust cannot completely stop cyberthreats to your business, it is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself going forward due to employees being the biggest risk.

Zero Trust Policy: How Three Cherries Can Help

Zero trust is all about smart security rather than more security. Often, businesses have the right measures in place but set up in the wrong way. Therefore, by setting up these measures correctly and having zero trust in full force, your business can put itself in a much better position when it comes to security. If your business needs help with setting this up or how an IT support company could help you, contact Three Cherries today.