Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust is a security model that explicitly verifies every access — regardless of location, network or device. Core principles: "Never trust, always verify", "Assume breach", "Verify explicitly". Implemented via Identity (Conditional Access), Endpoint (Defender XDR), Network (microsegmentation) and Data (sensitivity labels).
Zero Trust Architecture in practice
Microsoft's Zero Trust reference model consists of six pillars: Identity, Endpoint, Application, Network, Infrastructure, Data. For each pillar Microsoft defines concrete building blocks — Entra ID Conditional Access for Identity, Defender for Endpoint for Endpoint, Defender for Cloud Apps for Application, Azure Firewall + NSG for Network, Azure Security Center for Infrastructure, Purview Information Protection for Data. Zero Trust is not a single product but a strategy. NIST publishes SP 800-207 as a vendor-neutral reference; Microsoft follows it with its own maturity model. Mandatory for NIS2-compliant architectures.