Your data increasingly lives in the cloud. Without the right settings and access control, it's wide open there.
Imagine A company stores and shares important documents in Microsoft 365. An employee logs in from an unsecured public Wi-Fi network in a café. A cybercriminal monitoring the network intercepts the credentials and gains access to sensitive company information.
Cloud services such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace have become essential for storing, sharing and managing data and applications. That also makes cloud security more important. Concepts like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Conditional Access play a big role in it, especially for companies that work with Apple.
Cloud security is the set of processes, tools and policies that protect data, applications and IT infrastructure in the cloud. It covers:
Start with a secure setup of the environment itself: secure your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace environment and enforce secure authentication, with strong passwords and two-step verification. Then you can deploy Zero Trust Network Access and Conditional Access.
ZTNA is a security model with one principle: never trust, always verify. Users, devices and applications only get access after strict authentication and authorisation. That also protects against insider threats, because nothing is trusted automatically, not even inside the company network.
Imagine A company applies ZTNA to Microsoft 365. Employees can only log in from devices that are up to date and encrypted. An employee who tries from an old computer without the latest updates doesn't get access, even with the correct credentials.
With Conditional Access, users get access based on predefined conditions, such as the device's status, the location or behaviour. You can adapt those rules to new threats and business needs.
Imagine A company sets financial documents to be accessible only on the company network or from a trusted device with the latest updates. An employee logging in from an unknown device outside the office doesn't get access to that data.
ZTNA is the broader approach for all network access. Conditional Access sets conditions for access to specific resources, and can be part of a ZTNA strategy.
| ZTNA | Conditional Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Never trust, always verify | Access only when conditions are met |
| Focus | No user, device or app is trusted automatically | Specific conditions for specific resources |
| Scope | All network access, regardless of location | Targeted scenarios, e.g. based on device or location |
| Control | Strong authentication and strict authorisation | Policies based on device status, location and behaviour |
At Hi-T we use Jamf Protect and Jamf Connect from the Jamf security portfolio. Jamf focuses on companies that work with Apple and aligns fully with the capabilities and risks of Apple devices.
If you work with cloud services, implement several layers of cloud security step by step. ZTNA and Conditional Access make sure someone only logs in when strict conditions are met: a strong line of defence for your company data.
In short
Cloud security starts with strong authentication and two-step verification Zero Trust Network Access: never trust, always verify Conditional Access only grants access under the right conditions
The information in this article is intended as general knowledge about using Apple products in a professional environment. Your organisation may have its own policies that restrict certain features or software. Always consult your organisation's IT policy before changing anything on company hardware or software.
