ITA
Describing the topic as his ‘ soapbox ’ subject for several years , Caron believes that a zero-trust approach is a clear way to go . “ At the end of the day , everything ’ s digital , and we ’ re creating more data than ever . That ’ s what we have to protect at the end of the day .
“ A lot of people will say it ’ s not about protecting data , but about protecting identities . In response to that , I would say that if I was a cybersecurity analyst and I became compromised , your first two questions would be , ‘ what did I have access to ?’ and ‘ is it getting out ?’. That ’ s not about me anymore . That ’ s worrying about the data .
“ Yes , identity is absolutely important , and I ’ m never going to diminish that , but all the pillars are important in a zero-trust approach , and each of those pillars has to work together .”
Highlighting this approach , Caron explains that not all data is created equal . “ It ’ s also about understanding what your data is . All data is not created equal . If I lost my crown jewels , they are not replaceable . If I have a bologna sandwich and you eat it , there ’ s more bologna and bread . I ’ m concerned because I ’ m hungry , but I ’ ll make another bologna sandwich .
“ The thing is , if you were able to get my bologna sandwich , were you also able to get my crown jewels ? I can ’ t have that happen , so I can ’ t allow you to move laterally or elevating your privileges within .
“ I like to call it the Tootsie Roll approach to security , with a hard outer shell and a soft gooey centre . It ’ s really about understanding where my data is , what my most important data is , and putting protections closer to that . Data is flowing everywhere , but do you know what ‘ normal ’ looks like ? Because if I
don ’ t know what that normal looks like , how am I going to do something when something abnormal happens ? AI and machine learning will help with understanding what normal looks like .”
The ITA : On a path towards modernisation As the ITA embarks on its modernisation journey , Caron remains optimistic about the organisation ’ s prospects . With a focus on continuous improvement
250 April 2024