Zero Trust architecture
Zero Trust architecture is an operating model for security and control, built on explicit verification, least privilege, segmentation, and continuous evidence.
What you get
- Zero Trust target architecture and phased roadmap
- IAM / PAM design with just-in-time privilege
- Segmentation model and protect-surface map
- Key-management and encryption standards (HSM)
- SIEM / SOAR use cases and response playbooks
- Control mapping and audit-evidence pack
Applied at: NATO / NCIA · EEAS · UN HQ · Innovation Center · PIR2-IT
What it means in practice
In practice, Zero Trust architecture means removing assumptions of implicit trust and replacing them with identity-aware access, segmented trust zones, continuous validation, and governable control over users, devices, systems, and privileges.
Common Zero Trust patterns
Identity-aware access, IAM and PAM, macro- and micro-segmentation, encryption with HSM-backed key management, continuous monitoring through SIEM/SOAR, and control evidence mapped to NIST SP 800-207, NIST 800-53 and ISO 27001.
Typical architecture and governance patterns
Core patterns: identity-aware access control, IAM and PAM alignment, least privilege, segmentation, device and workload trust, continuous monitoring, policy enforcement, and audit-ready control evidence. Execution context: cross-institutional transformation, regulated environments, public-sector modernization, and delivery settings where control matters as much as speed. Outcome: fewer standing privileges, smaller blast radius, faster containment and controls that can be evidenced to auditors on request.
Why this matters
Organizations do not become resilient simply by adding more security tools. They become resilient when trust boundaries are controlled, privileges are constrained, and evidence exists to defend the architecture under stress, audit, and attack.
Related capabilities
Impact in numbers
Figures as recorded on named engagements — each one is listed on the Projects page.
How I approach it
- Map what must be protected. Critical assets, data flows and who reaches them today — the protect surface, not the perimeter.
- Make identity the control plane. Central IAM, MFA, conditional access and PAM with just-in-time privilege instead of standing admin rights.
- Segment by trust zone. Macro-segmentation first, then micro-segmentation of east-west traffic around the crown jewels.
- Encrypt and own the keys. TLS 1.3 and AES-256 in transit and at rest, keys in HSMs under the institution’s control.
- Verify continuously. Telemetry into SIEM/SOAR with playbooks, so anomalous access is acted on, not just logged.
- Produce the evidence. Each control mapped to NIST 800-53 / ISO 27001 with an audit pack that can be produced on request.
Where it was applied
- Innovation Center · 2019 – 2022Zero Trust, micro-segmentation and HSM key-management programme for defence and financial-services clients; centralised IAM (Azure AD, Okta, CyberArk PAM).
- EEAS · 2022 – 202312 networks / 267 devices consolidated under iWAN / PAN with Zero Trust segmentation; NGFW, EDR, DLP, PAM and IAM deployed.
- NATO / NCIA · 2023 – 2024Satellite-enabled PAM / IAM integrated with SIEM / SOAR and GRC for cross-domain access governance, aligned to NIST 800-53 and ISO 27001.
- UN HQ / OICT · 2016 – 2019Enterprise Zero Trust and awareness programme (−35% audit findings); M365 E5 rollout with MFA, Conditional Access, Intune and DLP.
- PIR2-IT · 2024 – PresentEnterprise PAM / IAM integrating satellite networks, Azure AD and AD FS.
Where programmes usually go wrong
- Buying a “Zero Trust product” instead of changing how access is granted and reviewed.
- Segmenting the network without an application dependency map — then opening everything again to keep services running.
- PAM deployed, but standing domain-admin accounts still exist alongside it.
- Logs collected centrally with no playbook, owner or response time attached.
- No break-glass procedure, so the first outage turns controls off.
Questions worth asking before you fund it
- Which twenty assets matter most, and who can reach them today?
- How many accounts hold standing administrative privilege — and who reviewed them last quarter?
- How long does it take to revoke a leaver or a compromised contractor across every system?
- Can you show an auditor last month’s access decisions for a critical system within 24 hours?