Zero Trust in Practice: Enhancing Privileged Access Security with Just-in-Time (JIT) and Self-Service Models

The enterprise security landscape is current, remote work and hybrid cloud adoption highlights the inadequacy of legacy or traditional perimeter-based security controls, hence, the shift to Zero Trust, where in this new paradigm, privileged accounts are viewed as assets – most important and highly targeted. This document will discuss how Just-in-Time (JIT) Access and Self-Service models enable businesses to operate under a Zero Trust concept using Privileged Access Management (PAM). JIT enables dismantling “always-on” or “standing” privileged account risks by provisioning temporary time-based privileges for both human and non-human identities only when needed. Different from traditional PAM approaches that typically leave unwanted sources vulnerable thereby leading to “privilege creep,” unmonitored “orphaned accounts” available for attack, JIT will narrow the window considerably to more than 90% reduction in the threat window associated with privilege attacks. It also covers how self-service access, fueled by smart workflows and Risk-Based Authentication, can strike that fine line between tight security and productivity through seamless experience for the user. The paper finally imagines a world where Zero Trust PAM would be inseparably linked to Artificial Intelligence and Automation in delivering pro-active, end-to-end security leveraging Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). At the end of it all, the value of strategic and actionable insights for an organization is immense, especially when operating in highly regulated industries. Insights that will help systematically move the organization from a 'trust-by-default' state to one of 'trust-by-exception,' thereby are creating a security-aware environment without impeding users.