Most Canadian SMEs still run a flat network where one compromised laptop can reach the file server, the backups, and the finance VLAN. Zero Trust changes the default from trusted because you're inside to verified on every request. You don't need a Fortune 500 budget to get there.
What is Zero Trust, really?
Zero Trust is an access model where no device or user is trusted by default, even on the internal network. Every request is authenticated, authorised, and encrypted based on identity and device posture, not network location. It builds on the same senior-led network design we run elsewhere, so an attacker who lands on one machine can't move sideways to the next.
Why the flat network has to go
A flat network is convenient on day one and dangerous on day 400. When every VLAN can route to every other VLAN, ransomware spreads at line rate. Segmentation is the highest-impact change most mid-sized firms can make, and it sits at the centre of our security work.
Segment by segment, not big bang
You don't cut over in a weekend. Start with the highest-value segment, wrap it in identity-based policy, prove it, then move to the next.
What it costs, and what it doesn't
The licences you likely already own cover most of the controls. The real cost is design time, not capital. A phased rollout for a 120-person firm typically runs 6 to 10 weeks of senior engineering, scoped per segment. If you want this mapped for your network, book a scoping call.
