Zero Trust Architecture: A Practical Guide

Zero Trust is a buzzword, but it is also a concrete architectural pattern. The principle: Never Trust, Always Verify.

Implementation Pillars

• Identity: Every request must be strongly authenticated (MFA, Conditional Access).
• Device: Only managed, compliant devices can access resources (Intune/Endpoint Manager).
• Network: Micro-segmentation. No flat networks. Use Private Endpoints for Azure services.
• Data: Classify, encrypt, and apply DLP policies.

flowchart TB
    User["User + Device"] --> PEP["Policy Enforcement Point (Azure AD CA)"]
    PEP --> App["Application"]
    PEP --> Data["Data Store"]
    
    subgraph Signals
        Risk["User Risk Score"]
        Device["Device Compliance"]
        Location["IP Reputation"]
    end
    
    Signals --> PEP
    
    style PEP fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#2E7D32