Embracing Zero Trust Data Access for SaaS Applications

There’s no denying that Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) is gaining speed. Zero Trust as a whole continues to dominate the cybersecurity conversation, and for good reason: It’s a meaningful step toward a stronger, more breach-ready security posture. 

Long gone are the days of protecting the perimeter and granting complete trust to anyone inside. Zero Trust’s philosophy of “Never trust, always verify” adds safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to data — but many organizations are starting to discover the linchpin of Zero Trust: A Zero Trust strategy is only as strong as the protections it applies to the data itself — and that protection needs to follow the data everywhere it moves.

Zero Trust Data Access Goes Beyond the Perimeter

Virtru provides data-centric ZTDA because we know it’s the strongest way to protect what really matters: The data. But that’s easier said than done, because that data can move anywhere: Through email, collaboration apps, and SaaS applications like Salesforce. Wherever that data moves, and whatever applications it passes through en route, it needs to remain protected at all times. 

Apply Policy Controls to Data in SaaS Apps 

The idea of implementing ZTDA for SaaS applications is gaining momentum, as evidenced by broader industry developments, including Cloudflare’s recent acquisition of Vectrix, which demonstrates the importance of protecting data across its entire lifecycle, in motion and at rest, as part of a complete SASE-aligned security strategy. 

This VentureBeat article is an interesting reflection on the need for applying policies directly to data stored at rest in SaaS applications, and also sheds light on the idea that data should be protected as it inevitably moves from here to there and everywhere. 

Ease of Use is Critical for Effective Zero Trust

At Virtru, this has long been our vision for ZTDA for SaaS apps. But protecting data at rest and in motion isn’t enough. You need to make it easy, and immune to human indifference. If it’s not easy, it can doom data-centric security and privacy efforts from the start. 

That’s why Virtru takes a consistent and holistic approach to ZTDA across the entire enterprise: From email and file-sharing in Google and Microsoft, to SaaS applications like Salesforce, Zendesk, Workday, and Looker — even custom-built, homegrown apps. Any of these applications may manage highly sensitive or regulated data that you’ve been entrusted to protect.  

By simplifying and strengthening Zero Trust Data Access for enterprises, we’ll empower the world’s most complex organizations to safeguard their most valuable asset: The data.