Zero Trust: Network Security

Network segmentation is the practice of dividing a large, flat network into smaller, more manageable segments so that fine-grained access controls can be applied to each one. This is a foundational technique for Zero Trust network security, because it directly limits how far an attacker can move once they gain a foothold anywhere in the environment.

Micro-segmentation is a more granular technique within the Zero Trust framework. While traditional segmentation divides a network into large, broad segments (often mapped to departments or physical areas), micro-segmentation creates much smaller, more specific segments defined by detailed policy — down to the level of individual users, applications, or workloads.

Micro-segmentation is central to enforcing the Zero Trust principle of "never trust, always verify": every request to access a network resource must be authenticated and authorized regardless of where it originates, and micro-segmentation ensures that even users within the same broad network segment have access strictly limited to only what is necessary for their role.