When it comes to access, it’s not just about who you trust—it’s also about what you trust to gain entry. The security of your network goes beyond firewalls and passwords. Devices—whether employee laptops, personal smartphones, or contractor gadgets—are often the weakest link. If these devices aren’t properly secured or compliant, they can become gateways for cyberattacks.
Device trust ensures that only secure, trusted devices can access your network, reducing vulnerabilities and preventing breaches. With the line between work and personal devices increasingly blurred, securing what enters your network is more important than ever.
So, what exactly is device trust? Let’s explore this concept in detail. Read On-
What is device trust?
It’s a security framework that ensures that only trusted devices can access sensitive systems and data. By assessing factors like security posture, configurations, and authentication, device trust guarantees that only compliant devices are granted access, preventing unauthorized or compromised devices from connecting to corporate networks.
As credential theft rises, traditional multi-factor authentication can be bypassed[1]. Device trust adds an extra layer of protection, strengthening access control and reducing security risks.
How does device trust work?
Device trust works by establishing a set of criteria that a device must meet before it can be granted access to corporate resources. This process typically involves several key stages: device identification, identity verification, compliance validation, and risk assessment.
- Device identification: Identify whether the device is enrolled within the organization’s security infrastructure, whether it’s managed or unmanaged, and whether it has the necessary configurations and software installed. For instance, a managed laptop registered in your enterprise’s system may be treated differently from an employee’s smartphone.
- Identity verification: Once the device is identified, it’s crucial to verify its identity. This can be done using digital certificates, hardware IDs, or other unique identifiers that confirm the device’s authenticity. The goal is to ensure that the device attempting to connect to the network is indeed the device it claims to be, mitigating the risk of impersonation and unauthorized access.
- Compliance validation: Ensure devices meet the organization’s security standards and compliance requirements by verifying that antivirus software is up-to-date, the operating system is patched, and the device adheres to internal security policies. Devices that fail to meet these standards may be blocked or granted limited access until compliance is restored.
- Risk assessment: Assess the potential security risks associated with a device by evaluating factors such as its operating system, the network it’s connecting from, and the current threat landscape. If the device is deemed a risk, access may be denied or restricted, potentially requiring additional measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Continuous compliance checks: Continuously evaluate the security status of devices based on organizational policies and standards to identify vulnerabilities and ensure they are not compromised. This ongoing monitoring helps maintain high levels of device trust, with non-compliant devices facing access restrictions until remediated.
- Establishing device trust: Verify the device’s integrity, security posture, and compliance before granting access to sensitive systems, ensuring that only trusted devices connect to critical resources.
- Conditional access controls: Implement dynamic access controls based on real-time assessments of a device’s security status, user behavior, and contextual factors. Access can be granted or restricted flexibly, providing a secure, context-aware approach to managing device access.
By combining these elements, device trust ensures that only secure, compliant devices can access sensitive resources, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.
Challenges of device trust
While device trust is an essential component of modern security strategies, implementing and managing device trust comes with its fair share of challenges. Here are a few obstacles organizations face when it comes to device trust:
1. Disconnected device sprawl
With the increase in bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies and the variety of devices being used by employees (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.), managing device trust has become more complex. Each device may have different security standards, operating systems, and software, making it harder to ensure compliance across the board.
2. Device lifecycle management
Organizations must track the lifecycle of each device, from procurement to retirement. Keeping track of device ownership, security status, and updates can be a daunting task, especially for large enterprises with a fleet of devices.
3. User privacy concerns
The trade-off between user privacy and security remains a constant challenge in device trust. Establishing trust with a device requires collecting detailed data, which can raise privacy concerns. Organizations must carefully navigate this balance, implementing robust security measures while protecting user privacy—making it a crucial factor in the successful adoption of device trust.
4. Lack of interoperability
Device trust needs to be integrated with an organization’s broader security infrastructure. When devices and platforms cannot seamlessly communicate or share security data, verifying device trustworthiness becomes inconsistent. This lack of interoperability creates security gaps and complicates the management of access control across various endpoints.
5. Difficulties in securing legacy systems
Reliance on legacy systems presents a major challenge, as these outdated platforms often lack the advanced security features needed for effective device trust. They typically fail to support continuous device validation or integrate with modern security protocols, creating critical gaps that cyber attackers can exploit. This vulnerability puts the entire network at risk.
Despite these challenges, the importance of device trust in the cybersecurity landscape cannot be overstated. Let’s dive deeper into why it matters.
The importance of using device trust
As personal, remote, and contractor devices increasingly access corporate networks, device trust has become essential to cybersecurity. It ensures that only secure, compliant devices can access critical resources, protecting your digital workspace from cyber threats and data breaches. By verifying device integrity before granting access, organizations can reduce security risks and strengthen protection against modern cyber threats.
1. Application policies
Device trust also supports application policies by ensuring that only secure devices are allowed to access specific applications or data. This can be tailored per application, ensuring that highly sensitive applications or systems are only accessible from devices with the highest security posture. Device trust enables businesses to define these application-specific policies, providing a dynamic way to control who can access what and under what circumstances.
2. Compliance with regulations
Many industries are subject to stringent compliance regulations that require organizations to protect sensitive data and systems. Device trust helps meet these requirements by ensuring that only compliant, secure devices can access your network. This reduces the risk of violations and penalties by maintaining the integrity of sensitive information and complying with data protection regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.
3. Granular access control
Device trust enables granular access control, allowing organizations to enforce policies that determine what level of access each device can have based on its security status. Not all devices should have the same level of access to sensitive data or critical applications. With device trust, organizations can implement policies that limit access depending on the device’s compliance status, user role, location, and other contextual factors. This reduces the surface area for potential breaches and ensures that sensitive data is protected.
4. Continuous monitoring
The landscape of cyber threats is constantly evolving. With device trust, continuous monitoring ensures that devices remain secure even after initial authentication. Devices are regularly assessed to detect vulnerabilities or changes in their security posture. If a device falls out of compliance, access can be revoked or restricted in real-time, minimizing the risk of threats from compromised or outdated devices.
How device trust aligns with Zero Trust principles
Device trust plays a crucial role in Zero Trust Security models, where the core principle is “never trust, always verify.” Unlike traditional security models that automatically trust devices inside the corporate network, Zero Trust assumes no device—whether inside or outside the network—should be trusted by default. This shift in mindset helps organizations address modern, sophisticated cyber threats that can originate both externally and from within.
Continuous verification, not a one-time access
In a Zero Trust framework, device trust is central to ensuring that only secure devices can access sensitive resources. It verifies the integrity of each device before granting access, and this process doesn’t stop once access is granted. Trust is continuously evaluated throughout the session, ensuring that the device remains secure during its time on the network.
Is your device ready for the green light?
Before a device is allowed to connect, its security posture is checked based on several factors:
- Device configuration: Is the device set up according to the organization’s security policies?
- Security patches: Is the device up-to-date with the latest security patches?
- Compliance: Does the device meet the required security standards?
If any of these checks fail, the device will be blocked from accessing the network, preventing potentially compromised or vulnerable devices from entering.
Always watching
Unlike traditional models that grant one-time access, Zero Trust ensures that device security is constantly reassessed. If a device’s security posture weakens during the session—for example, if it becomes outdated or begins exhibiting suspicious behavior—access can be restricted, or the device can be kicked off the network. This continuous monitoring ensures that threats are detected in real time, reducing the potential for attacks.
The role of IAM solutions in device trust
Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions are evolving to include device trust as a key element in ensuring secure access to digital resources. While IAM traditionally focuses on user authentication and authorization, integrating device trust adds another layer of security, making sure only trusted devices can access sensitive data.
1. Strong compliance checks
IAM solutions continuously monitor a device’s security status throughout its session, ensuring it meets security requirements. If a device’s security posture changes—such as an outdated patch or malware detection—access can be adjusted or revoked in real-time, providing ongoing protection.
2. Risk-based authentication
With device trust, IAM solutions enable adaptive authentication, triggering additional security measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA) when risky devices are detected. This ensures that access is tightly controlled when potential threats are identified.
3. Single Sign-On (SSO) & MFA
IAM integrates SSO with device trust, ensuring only secure devices can access multiple applications without re-authentication. Additionally, MFA is enforced if the device’s security status is uncertain, adding an extra layer of protection for sensitive data.
Key benefits of device trust
Your organization’s security is only as strong as the devices you trust. Device trust doesn’t just act as a defense—it’s the cornerstone of your security strategy, ensuring that only secure and compliant devices are granted access to your network. Think of it as the unsung hero of your digital fortress, preventing vulnerabilities and safeguarding against unauthorized access.
Now that we’ve covered the what and how of device trust, let’s explore the why and uncover the real impact it has on your enterprise.
1. Securing lateral movements and insider threats
Device trust limits unauthorized lateral movements within the network by ensuring that only secure, compliant devices can access critical systems. This helps to significantly reduce the risk of insider threats by maintaining control over device access.
2. Enforcing conditional access policies
By leveraging device trust, businesses can implement conditional access policies that allow access based on device health, user role, and location. This adds an extra layer of security by ensuring that only authorized devices meet predefined security criteria before granting access.
3. Improved compliance
Device trust verifies the security posture and integrity of devices, ensuring they comply with industry standards and regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and more. This simplifies compliance management by automating the verification process and reducing the risk of non-compliance.
4. Streamlined access control
Device trust simplifies user authentication by ensuring that only trusted devices can access sensitive information. This improves the overall user experience while ensuring robust security measures are in place to protect company resources.
5. Hybrid and remote workforce
For a hybrid or remote workforce, device trust ensures that employees can only access corporate data from secure, compliant devices, regardless of their location. This minimizes the risk of data breaches while supporting flexibility in work arrangements.
6. Reduced risk of data loss
Device trust prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information by ensuring it’s only accessible on secure, trusted devices. This greatly reduces the risk of data loss and helps protect the organization’s intellectual property.
7. Better endpoint management
Device trust allows enterprises to monitor and enforce security policies on employee devices, ensuring they are up-to-date with the latest security patches. This proactive management reduces the attack surface and strengthens overall device security.
Best practices for implementing device trust
The growing digital sprawl increases the risk of device-related security breaches. A single compromised device can open the floodgates to cyber threats. That’s why device trust is non-negotiable—it ensures only secure, compliant devices get access to your sensitive systems.
So, how do you build a device trust strategy that works?
- Continuously validate device security: Regularly assess and verify device security settings to ensure they meet the latest standards. Implement security policies to block any devices that pose a risk to your environment.
- Granular access policies: Implement tailored access controls based on factors like user roles, device security posture, and risk levels, ensuring that only trusted devices have appropriate access.
- Implement SSO and MFA: Strengthen access security by using Single Sign-On (SSO) for streamlined authentication and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add extra layers of protection.
- Leverage context-aware signals: Use contextual data such as device behavior, location, and time to make adaptive, real-time security decisions.
- Adopt zero trust security: Embrace a Zero Trust approach, where no device or user is trusted by default, and every access request is thoroughly validated before approval.
To protect your organization, securing every device that connects to your systems is no longer optional—it’s essential. By implementing these practical insights into establishing device trust, you ensure that only secure, compliant devices can access sensitive resources.
Device trust and Scalefusion OneIdP
Device trust is a vital security control, but it’s only part of a comprehensive approach to securing your endpoints. To effectively protect your digital resources, you need an integrated solution that combines device trust, identity and access management (IAM), application security, and data protection.
With Scalefusion OneIdP, organizations can easily incorporate a robust device trust framework into their IAM and Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) capabilities. This ensures that only trusted devices gain access to company resources and internal systems, providing a more secure and streamlined environment.
What sets Scalefusion OneIdP apart is its ability to integrate device trust into a single platform, eliminating the need for multiple, siloed solutions. This consolidation allows for easier configuration and management of device trust across the organization, ensuring better control and efficiency.
- Granular access policies: Create customized access controls based on user groups and behavioral detection rules, ensuring only trusted devices can access sensitive resources.
- Third-Party and on-prem app access control: Set policies to require a trusted device for a third-party app or on-prem app access, adding a layer of security to your cloud ecosystem.
- Restrict browser policies: Easily configure and enforce browser security settings, ensuring that all web-based activities remain secure.
- Simplified endpoint security: Manage, configure, and secure all endpoints from a single console. Push security updates, remotely lock or wipe devices, and enforce consistent policies across your entire device fleet.
By consolidating device trust, IAM, and UEM capabilities into one platform, Scalefusion OneIdP not only streamlines security management but also enhances operational efficiency, providing a competitive edge in safeguarding your organization’s digital ecosystem.
