Microsoft and Vectra: Delivering Zero Trust Security Solutions

July 21, 2021
Vectra AI Security Research team
Cybersecurity
Microsoft and Vectra: Delivering Zero Trust Security Solutions

Today we’re thrilled to announce that Microsoft has partnered with Vectra deliver key Zero Trust security capabilities for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure customers.

Vectra is uniquely positioned as an integral part of the zero trust security model which assumes breaches by investigating the behavior of users, workloads, networks, and devices as though they originate from an untrusted network by leveraging analytics and understanding of users and accounts, tracking them between on-premises and cloud.

Implementing Zero Trust Security with Microsoft and Vectra AI

Since cloud applications and a mobile workforce have redefined the security perimeter, and corporate resources and services now often bypass on-premises, perimeter-based security models that rely on network firewalls and VPNs have become obsolete.

To address this, Microsoft developed the Zero Trust Maturity Model to adapt to the complexities of modern environments effectively. With the integration of the Vectra Cognito Platform, customers will have access to AI-powered threat detection to monitor and verify the communications to their business-critical applications.

The Cognito Platform uses AI to efficiently find and prioritize hidden attacks in real-time inside Microsoft Office 365, Azure AD, cloud, data center, Internet of things (IoT), and enterprise networks before attackers cause irreparable harm to the organization. The platform allows security teams to prevent attacks earlier in the kill chain, ensuring that applications essential to business continuity are available and accessible for the entire extended workforce.

Guiding Principles of Zero Trust Security Framework

As a component of the Zero Trust Security Framework, Vectra will help deliver visibility and analytics on the framework’s three guiding principles:‍

Principle 1: Verify Explicitly

Always authenticate and authorize based on all available data points, including user identity, location, device health, service or workload, data classification, and anomalies.

Principle 2: Use Least Privileged Access

Limit user access with Just-in-Time and Just-Enough(JIT/JEA), risk-based adaptive polices, and data protection to protect both data based adaptive polices, and data protection to protect both data and productivity.

Principle 3: Assume Breach

Minimize blast radius for breaches and prevent lateral movement by segmenting access by network, user, devices, and application awareness. Verify all sessions are encrypted end to end. Use analytics to get visibility, drive threat detection, and improve defenses.

To learn more about this integration, please visit our Microsoft partner page. Or see for yourself how Vectra protects your Microsoft 365 and Azure AD from account takeovers by getting a demo!

FAQs

What is Zero Trust security?

Zero Trust security is a model that assumes breaches and verifies each request as though it originates from an untrusted source.

What are the principles of the Zero Trust Security Framework?

The principles are: verify explicitly, use least privileged access, and assume breach.

What benefits do Microsoft and Vectra bring to Zero Trust security?

The integration provides enhanced visibility, AI-driven threat detection, and improved security posture.

What tools does Vectra provide for Zero Trust security?

Vectra provides tools like the Cognito platform for AI-driven threat detection and response across cloud and on-prem environments.

How does the Zero Trust Maturity Model help organizations?

The Zero Trust Maturity Model helps organizations assess their current security posture and plan their path to full Zero Trust implementation.

How does Vectra AI integrate with Microsoft for Zero Trust?

Vectra AI integrates with Microsoft to provide AI-powered threat detection, monitoring, and verification for Zero Trust security.

How can organizations implement Zero Trust security?

Organizations can implement Zero Trust by adopting continuous monitoring, strict access controls, and verifying all requests.

How does Zero Trust reduce security risks?

Zero Trust reduces risks by continuously verifying access requests and limiting the blast radius of potential breaches.

What tools does Vectra provide for Zero Trust security?

Key challenges include integrating with existing systems, managing access policies, and ensuring continuous verification.

What role does AI play in Zero Trust security?

AI enhances Zero Trust security by providing real-time threat detection, automating responses, and improving overall efficiency.