Why Zero Trust is Essential for Mobile-First Enterprises

In today’s interconnected world, device security is of utmost importance. As device security solutions become more advanced, so do the skills of cybercriminals. This means that businesses now need to reevaluate their security frameworks to ensure private and confidential data are safeguarded at all times.
 

Recognising this need, Samsung enables the use of Zero Trust policies to mitigate risks associated with cyberthreats. This practise emphasises the critical need for device attestation, which is becoming increasingly popular in businesses where most data is stored on devices and in the cloud. 

Device attestation is a security verification process that certifies the identity and health of a device within a network or system—reaffirming businesses that devices have not been compromised. Device attestation ensures that devices are running on genuine software through the examination of cryptographic proof such as digital certificates or attestation tokens validated by trusted authorities.
 

As part of our initiatives to curb cybercrime, we partnered with Microsoft to develop the industry’s first on-device¹, mobile hardware-backed device attestation solution that protects both company-owned devices and personal devices. The development of this technology signals a pivotal shift towards enhanced mobile device security for businesses.
 

The joint Samsung-Microsoft device attestation² solution leverages protection from Samsung Knox and Microsoft Intune, solidified by a Zero Trust architecture that scrutinizes a device attempting to gain access to corporate data. Through this solution, businesses can rest assured that company data is secured. 

Taking it one step further, businesses should embrace a Zero Trust Model that further scrutinises every mobile device access request to corporate data. This means that no device is trusted—even those within the network—and requires device verification on every access request. This adds an additional layer of security to prevent cyberattacks.
 

The Zero Trust Model runs on three foundational principles:
 

• Always assume a breach has occurred
  By assuming that threat actors are already inside the network and device, businesses will be better prepared to mitigate potential damage, encouraging proactive measures rather than reactive measures. 
  
  
• Verify Explicitly 
  The second core principle is to explicitly verify the entity trying to access the corporate system, which mandates continuous verification of identity before granting access to any resources. By doing so, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorised access and cyberattacks.
  
  
• Least Privilege Access
  Enforcing this means that users and devices are granted the minimum level of access necessary to complete their tasks. Limiting access prevents cybercriminals and threats from easily moving laterally within the network to access sensitive information or critical systems.

This layered security approach helps maintain stringent control over the network environment, further enhancing a business’ overall security systems. The Zero Trust Model has become essential to companies, especially those within regulated industries and the public sector as it gives them end-to-end security that adapts to both corporate and personal usage without compromising on security. 

The Zero Trust Model provides businesses with enhanced security measures, helping them stay ahead of threats by ensuring that every entity inside and outside of the network is trusted and verified.
 

This model also gives businesses the flexibility to leverage the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. For example, with the Samsung-Microsoft device attestation solution, employees have the freedom of using their own devices for work purposes as these devices are solidified with the Zero Trust Model that only allows authorised personnel to access work data and information. Ultimately, this boosts productivity and employee satisfaction as employees feel more confident and familiar using their own devices.
 

Adopting the Zero Trust Model in industries that are subjected to rigorous regulatory requirements helps to ensure compliance with security standards. In the long run, this helps to protect businesses from liabilities as this security model is consistently updated with the latest security mandates. 

Typically, device attestation relies on a network connection and cloud services to authenticate a device's trust and integrity. This can lead to issues in the event of internet or a service outage, causing the device to fail validation. Additionally, remote validation can experience latency in certain situations between threat detection and communication to the user's device.
 

Samsung Knox, a defence-grade mobile security platform, integrated with Microsoft’s Intune app protection policies further bolster security on Samsung’s Galaxy devices. This integration allows businesses to validate device health regardless of device ownership and without network connectivity. By reducing opportunities for cybercriminals to compromise devices, Samsung Knox ensures more robust security for both corporate and personal devices.

With this solution, businesses can eliminate latency issues associated with remote services and enable real-time validation of devices accessing corporate resources. This solution verifies device integrity and ensures that only trusted devices are granted access to company resources, leveraging hardware-backed cryptography and secure communication to limit malicious endpoints from compromising organisational security.

Investing Galaxy devices, like the Galaxy Z series or Galaxy S series, that leverage the Zero Trust Model means investing in industry-leading security that is powered by decades of experience.
 

Samsung has over 10 years of leadership experience in mobile security with Samsung Knox, while Microsoft is globally renowned for its unified endpoint management software. This integration creates a formidable force in cybersecurity, enhancing the security of Samsung Galaxy devices while setting industry benchmarks for data security and protection. 

With cybersecurity playing an even greater role in the modern business world, it’s time for businesses to embrace the Zero Trust Model. These innovative security methods will not only strengthen your business’ digital security, but also help to confine cyberthreats which ultimately boost your bottom line.
 

The Samsung-Microsoft device attestation solution exemplifies how technological innovation can drive security growth in a mobile-first business world, emphasising the importance of integrating the Zero Trust Model into modern device security systems.
 

Start safeguarding your digital assets with Samsung Knox today!