Zero Trust Efforts Fall Short When Vendor Access Is Ignored

As Zero Trust architecture becomes the framework for most modern cybersecurity strategies, many overlook a critical vulnerability: vendor access. Only 36% of health IT leaders say their organisations have a privileged access strategy applied consistently enterprise-wide, according to data from Imprivata and the Ponemon Institute.

Zero Trust has become essential for defending against insider threats and external threats alike. By eliminating implicit trust and requiring continuous verification, it helps mitigate risks from phishing, ransomware, and stolen credentials. Yet, too often, organisations overlook the pathways vendors and contractors use to enter networks.

“Organisations often underestimate vendor access in zero trust,” said Fran Rosch, CEO of Imprivata, in a recent Forbes Tech Council article. “Multifactor authentication and the principle of least privilege secure operations and protect sensitive information, but the risk introduced by third- and fourth-party vendors is often underestimated. Balancing secure authentication with frictionless, role-based access reduces risk and shrinks the attack surface without slowing productivity.”

Implementing Zero Trust won’t happen overnight, but organisations can adopt measures to strengthen defences in the short term. Many IT leaders begin with achievable steps—like MFA, credential vaults, and least-privileged access—to protect identities and credentials. For organisations relying on VPNs, replacing them with remote access tools that enforce real-time identity verification and granular access controls can further reduce exposure.

More organisations are also adopting privileged access management (PAM) and vendor privileged access management (VPAM) strategies to strengthen compliance and improve IT efficiency by as much as 88% in some cases.

To be successful, organisations should view Zero Trust as a mindset of continuous verification and resilience. As cyberthreats evolve, the future of cybersecurity lies in human-centered, adaptive defense strategies that secure every identity and interaction.

Learn how to implement Zero Trust at your organisation.