48 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | FEB 2022 ZERO TRUST: WHY YOUR FIRM SHOULD CARE Zero trust – it sounds ominous. Is it impossible to have even the slightest smattering of trust in anything? Sadly, when it comes to your firm's cybersecurity, a zero trust approach is becoming a de facto standard. In essence, the notion of zero trust in terms of security is the mantra that you do not automatically trust anything inside or outside of your network perimeters. Rather, you must verify anything and everything that attempts to connect to your IT systems before access is approved. Why has it become necessary to adopt such seemingly draconian security measures? In a word, breaches. Your firm (and all the others) handle a great deal of sensitive information – that is the nature of the beast. We are talking about things like corporate intellectual property, personal client information and even financial data. It is also likely that a significant proportion of this information is accessible to your people via their smart devices or laptops. If you factor in the massive increase all firms have witnessed in the COVIDenforced remote working habits, then the demand for accessing your firm’s networks from outside the ‘normal’ perimeters will have probably sky-rocketed. Your firm’s IT team needs to grapple with an entirely different IT landscape… one which operates largely outside of the traditional centralised network. With these challenges come the opportunities for cybercriminals to get their hands on all of that valuable information. The attack surface is now much larger, potential entry points more numerous. Zero Trust: Why Your FirmShould Care Steve Whiter Director, Appurity Limited Clare Park Farm, Unit 2 The Courtyard Upper, Farnham GU10 5DT Tel: +44 0330 660 0277 E: info@appurity.co.uk www.appurity.co.uk The continued demand for lawyers and staff to access their firms’ sensitive information remotely has brought a host of security challenges. Some firms have found a solution to these risks in the form of ‘zero trust’ security protocols. Steve Whiter, director at Appurity, offers an explanation of the concept of zero trust and the circumstances under which it might be right for your firm. Steve Whiter has been in the industry for 30 years and has extensive knowledge of secure mobile solutions. For over 10 years, Steve has worked with the team at Appurity to provide customers with secure mobile solutions and apps that enhance productivity but also meet regulations such as ISO and Cyber Essentials Plus. Appurity is a UK-based company that offers mobile, cloud, data and cybersecurity solutions and applications to businesses. Its staff draw upon a wealth of in-depth knowledge in industryleading technologies to aid their clients in developing secure and efficient mobile strategies. Working closely with its technology partners that include Lookout, NetMotion, Google, Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and MobileIron/Ivanti, Appurity is delivering mobile initiatives to customers across multiple verticals such as legal, financial, retail and public sector. Though it remains unclear for most firms precisely how their people will be working moving forward, it is clear that some kind of flexible working arrangements will exist.
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