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Microsoft is doubling down on zero-trust security, heavily leveraging generative AI to enhance identity and network access. At Ignite 2023, they showcased numerous security innovations aimed at building a zero-trust culture through advanced adaptability and contextual intelligence. The Microsoft Ignite 2023 Book of News provides a comprehensive list of new products unveiled at the event.
Zero trust is at the heart of Microsoft’s future strategies. Throughout the Ignite sessions, they emphasized their shift towards an identity-based trust model. This zero-trust approach is integral to their security strategy, with a focus on defining and delivering a Security Service Edge (SSE) solution through Microsoft Entra for internet and private access, and Defender for cloud applications.
“We have to always assume a breach, which means constant monitoring and extensive logging,” explained Alex Simons, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Identity & Network Access, during his session on accelerating zero-trust with unified access controls. He detailed how their conditional access policy engine stands at the core of this initiative, allowing companies to enforce policies on who can access certain resources under various conditions using specific devices.
Simons highlighted Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to zero-trust principles, focusing on explicit identity verification, least privileged access, and assuming breaches have already occurred. This rigorous approach forms the foundation of all zero-trust and security developments at Microsoft.
During a dedicated session on zero trust, the importance of the conditional access policy engine and Microsoft Entra were underscored. Entra’s role in enforcing least privilege access and providing a unified interface for managing permissions across multi-cloud environments is central to Microsoft’s strategy.
Sinead Odonovan, Vice President of Product Management at Microsoft SSE, elaborated on the SSE platform and its development roadmap. The team plans to deliver six foundational elements of their zero-trust-based SSE solution, focusing on secure web gateways and VPN replacements. By mid-2024, Microsoft Internet Access and Private Access are expected to be generally available, along with further enhancements in network data loss prevention (DLP), BYOD security, threat protection, and firewall support.
Last week, Microsoft introduced its new Unified Security Operations Platform at Ignite 2023, integrating Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender XDR, and Microsoft Security Copilot. This integration aims to provide real-time threat analysis and response, continuous monitoring, and adaptive threat response—crucial for maintaining a zero-trust environment.
Forrester Principal Analyst Allie Mellen discussed Microsoft’s consolidation of security components and entry into the XDR market. According to Mellen, consolidating XDR and SIEM technologies addresses security teams’ frustrations with having data stored across separate systems, helping to simplify detection and response workflows. This unified approach offers a streamlined experience, allowing security analysts to handle incidents more efficiently and effectively.
The security announcements at Ignite 2023 underscore the crucial role of identity and network access in Microsoft’s broader strategy. By adopting SSE, Entra, and Intune internally, Microsoft demonstrates a comprehensive approach to realizing their zero-trust vision. Through continuous monitoring, adaptive threat response, and robust defense mechanisms, they aim to support customers navigating heterogeneous IT environments.
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