Start Your Zero Trust Journey Using the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM)

Summary

Zero Trust has become an essential security strategy for enterprises of all sizes. The Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM) offers a step-by-step framework that helps organizations assess their current state and create a clear, phased plan to implement Zero Trust effectively. In this blog, we’ll provide a project plan for how companies can use the ZTMM, offering specific examples and a practical walkthrough to guide your Zero Trust journey.

Target Audience

This guide is aimed at CISOs, IT leaders, security architects, and technical teams responsible for implementing Zero Trust. Whether you are starting from scratch or seeking to refine your existing strategy, this blog will provide actionable steps and real-world examples to help you navigate the complexities of Zero Trust.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of my employer. The content provided is for educational purposes only and is intended to offer guidance on starting a Zero Trust journey using the Zero Trust Maturity Model. Always consider your organization's unique circumstances, regulatory requirements, and consult with security professionals before implementing any changes.

Introduction

Zero Trust is a security approach where no entity—whether inside or outside the organization—is trusted by default. To help organizations plan their Zero Trust journey, the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM) provides a structured way to evaluate their current security posture and chart a course for improvement. This blog will take you through a practical project plan, offering specific steps and examples for using the ZTMM to start and scale your Zero Trust initiatives.

1: Understanding the Zero Trust Maturity Model

The ZTMM framework breaks down Zero Trust into different domains—Identity, Devices, Network, Applications, Data, and Visibility—and ranks maturity across these domains from basic to advanced. Each domain helps organizations measure their current capabilities and plan improvements.

For example, a company may have an advanced Identity maturity with multi-factor authentication (MFA) already in place, but basic maturity in Network Security due to a lack of segmentation and limited monitoring.

2: Example Walkthrough - Conducting a Maturity Assessment

2.1 Example: Assessing a Mid-Sized Financial Institution

A mid-sized financial institution wants to adopt Zero Trust. The first step is assessing its maturity across key domains.

• Identity Domain: The company currently uses Single Sign-On (SSO) but lacks MFA for privileged accounts.
• Network Domain: The organization has implemented basic firewall protections, but there’s no micro-segmentation of internal networks.
• Data Domain: Data classification policies exist, but there’s no encryption on sensitive data in motion.

2.2 Using the ZTMM Assessment Tool

The organization uses an assessment tool (such as CISA’s ZTMM assessment) to quantify its maturity on a scale (e.g., 1-5) for each domain. This reveals strengths in Identity and weaknesses in Network Security and Data Protection.

Assessment Results:

• Identity: 3/5
• Network: 1/5
• Data: 2/5

This initial assessment provides a baseline and helps prioritize domains that need improvement.

3: Defining a Target State and Roadmap

3.1 Setting Target Goals

Based on the assessment, the financial institution’s CISO and security team define a target maturity state for each domain over the next 12 months:

• Identity: Increase MFA adoption for all privileged and high-risk accounts.
• Network: Implement micro-segmentation and network monitoring tools.
• Data: Encrypt sensitive data in motion and at rest, and enhance data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities.

3.2 Building a Roadmap

The organization creates a 12-month roadmap with concrete actions to improve maturity:

• Month 1-3 (Identity): Expand MFA deployment for all high-risk accounts and applications.
• Month 4-6 (Network): Begin pilot projects for micro-segmentation in two business-critical networks.
• Month 7-9 (Data): Roll out encryption for sensitive data in motion across cloud platforms.
• Month 10-12 (Review): Perform a second ZTMM assessment to measure improvements and recalibrate the next year’s goals.

4: Implementing Zero Trust Controls

4.1 Identity and Access Management (IAM)

After the assessment, the financial institution prioritizes enhancing its IAM capabilities by enforcing MFA across all departments. The IT team implements MFA for key applications used by high-risk users, including executives, finance, and operations teams.

• Tool Example: Using an Identity Provider (IdP) like Azure AD, they enable conditional access policies to enforce MFA for privileged users.
• Outcome: Within 3 months, all high-risk users are protected by MFA, improving the company’s Identity maturity from 3/5 to 4/5.

4.2 Network Security

The next step is network segmentation. The company’s IT team collaborates with its network security provider to set up micro-segmentation in its cloud environments.

• Tool Example: They use a cloud-native solution such as AWS Security Groups or third-party tools like Illumio to create network segmentation rules for isolating sensitive workloads.
• Outcome: This improves Network Security maturity from 1/5 to 3/5 after 6 months.

4.3 Data Security

To tackle data security, the company implements end-to-end encryption for sensitive data. They leverage a DLP solution to detect and protect data from unauthorized access and sharing.

• Tool Example: Using tools like Microsoft Purview for DLP and cloud encryption, the company ensures that all sensitive data moving between systems is protected.
• Outcome: Data maturity improves from 2/5 to 4/5 after 9 months.

5: Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

5.1 Regular Audits and Monitoring

Once Zero Trust controls are in place, the organization sets up a monitoring system using a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool like Splunk. This allows continuous real-time monitoring of network traffic and potential security events.

5.2 Quarterly Reviews

Every quarter, the security team conducts internal audits to ensure that the Zero Trust controls are operating as expected. They also revisit the Zero Trust Maturity Model to assess progress in each domain and adjust the roadmap accordingly.

• Example: After implementing network segmentation, the organization identifies new gaps in endpoint security. The team adds an endpoint detection and response (EDR) project to the roadmap for the next year.

Conclusion: A Phased, Practical Approach to Zero Trust

By using the Zero Trust Maturity Model, organizations can methodically assess their current state, set achievable goals, and make steady progress on their Zero Trust journey. The key is to start with high-impact areas like Identity and Network Security and gradually expand your capabilities across all Zero Trust domains. Regular assessments and adjustments ensure that your strategy stays relevant as the threat landscape evolves.

Call to Action

Ready to start your Zero Trust journey? Begin with a maturity assessment, define your target state, and create a roadmap that prioritizes the most critical areas for improvement. Use the Zero Trust Maturity Model as your guide to navigate this transformative process.