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Identity Security IS the Foundation for Zero Trust

Zero Trust begins with a single question: Who has access to what?


A Brief History of Zero Trust

Fun fact: Zero Trust started due to identity. How? Organizations often err on the side of granting too much access to avoid business disruption. This “just in case” approach directly contradicts zero-trust principles, creating unnecessary risks. Coupled with insufficient automation and poor access review processes, excess permissions accumulate over time, expanding the potential impact of security breaches. Eventually, the identity debt built up, and Zero Trust was the logical way out. Instead of just in case, we moved to just in time.

The Challenge: Zero Trust Isn’t Possible Without Identity Security

Zero Trust is not a product – it’s a strategy rooted in “never trust, always verify.”
Most organizations start with MFA, segmentation, or endpoint controls, but the biggest blind spot remains: access.

Without real-time identity security, Zero Trust falls short:

Fragmented systems

Access spread across SaaS, IaaS, data platforms, and directories.

Lack of context

Permissions are hard to interpret in the context of business roles and real-world risk.

Manual workflows

Scaling least privilege, JIT, and reviews is nearly impossible without automation.

Blind spots

Non-human identities and stale accounts often bypass policy enforcement.


How Veza Helps

  • Unify access data across SaaS, cloud, and on-prem.
  • See who has access to what – down to the object level.
  • Map both human and non-human identities to entitlements with full lineage.
  • Continuously detect and remediate over-permissioned users.
  • Generate right-sized role recommendations based on usage.
  • Govern access with business context, not just technical roles.
  • Automate time-bound or request-based workflows.
  • Grant privileged access only when needed – and revoke automatically.
  • Integrate with ITSM tools like ServiceNow for ticket-based enforcement.
  • Detect risky patterns and toxic access combinations.
  • Surface dormant or orphaned accounts for cleanup.
  • Trigger alerts and enforcement when least privilege is violated.

Outcomes with Veza

Advance Zero Trust by securing access at the identity layer.

Reduce attack surface and prevent lateral movement.

Automate least privilege enforcement at enterprise scale.


Additional Resources

Take the next step in your Zero Trust journey with Veza:

Identity Attack Surface Analysis

Why identity is now the true perimeter – and why Zero Trust initiatives fail without visibility into access.

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Identity Security Posture Management Buyer’s Guide

How ISPM fits into Zero Trust, what capabilities to evaluate, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

Learn more

Identity Security Assessment

Benchmark your organization’s current state against industry standards and uncover hidden risks.

Learn more

Request a Demo

See how Veza can help enforce least privilege and accelerate Zero Trust in your environment.

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