Beyond Perimeters: Implementing Zero Trust at Enterprise Scale

Abstract

In today’s distributed enterprise landscape, where organizations operate across multiple cloud providers and remote work has dramatically expanded attack surfaces, traditional perimeter-based security has become dangerously inadequate. This session presents a comprehensive framework for implementing Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) at scale, based on real-world implementations that have demonstrated significant reductions in breach costs.

We’ll explore the three pillars of effective Zero Trust implementation: identity-centric security (with enterprises now managing multiple complex identity systems), microsegmentation (substantially reducing breach scope compared to traditional approaches), and contextual access policies (with organizations implementing data-centric controls reporting fewer exfiltration incidents).

Despite clear benefits, only a small fraction of organizations have fully implemented Zero Trust enterprise-wide, with many citing legacy system integration as their primary barrier. This session will provide actionable strategies for overcoming these challenges, including proxy-based access controls for legacy systems, service mesh integration for microservice environments (with mTLS as a foundation), and risk-based authentication that adapts to threat intelligence.

Drawing on implementation data from organizations across various maturity levels, attendees will learn how to navigate the technical complexities of Zero Trust while maintaining performance and aligning with DevSecOps practices. Whether you’re still in planning stages or implementing in specific areas, this presentation offers a structured roadmap for securing your distributed enterprise in an environment where most breaches are attributable to human error despite existing perimeter controls.