Microsoft insists collecting Telemetry data of users is critical while implementing ‘Zero Trust’ architecture: Will opting out negatively impact security and safety?

Microsoft Zero Trust Architecture Platform Usernames Passwords
Zero Trust needs your Telemetry data. Pic credit: ToddABishop/Flickr

Microsoft has been strongly advocating the use of Zero Trust Architecture to secure modern-day computers, software, Internet applications, and the web. However, the company insists it needs consistent access to Telemetry data to deploy the security practice.

Multiple tech giants, including Google, and Microsoft, have been supporting the Zero Trust Security model. However, these companies have implied that they must have easy and open access to the Telemetry data of users in order to secure them and their data.

Tech giants and Internet companies trying to eliminate the use of passwords altogether:

User authentication is still primarily happening through usernames and passwords. However, Microsoft, Google, and several others are trying hard to eliminate such authorization methods.

Passwords are still a big concern for tech companies. Businesses have long warned against using simple passwords. However, poor password hygiene continues to remain a problem.

To address the same, Microsoft has boldly removed passwords altogether from its services. Users now have to use alternate login methods to authenticate themselves. These include biometric, PIN, authenticator app, FOB key, OTP, etc.

These methods are way more secure than a single username. Moreover, companies like Google are even mandating the use of Two Factor Authentication or 2FA.

All these techniques, however, need Zero Trust Environment, claims Microsoft. The company has been experimenting with the same for a year and has just published a whitepaper.

Microsoft publishes ‘Evolving Zero Trust’ whitepaper which insists on capturing Telemetry data to ‘better secure’ an organization:

To better secure networks and accounts, multiple tech giants have been advocating the adoption of Zero Trust Architecture. Technical jargon aside, Zero Trust essentially means networks and platforms do not lay any trust even on regular users. Every user needs to authenticate himself every single time as there are no implied or trusted credentials.

Microsoft claims it has learned lots of things when it comes to implementing Zero Trust for multiple organizations around the globe. The company has also published a whitepaper called “Evolving Zero Trust” that describes its learnings in more detail.

The concerning aspect of the paper is that Microsoft insists companies need a lot of Telemetry data from users to implement Zero Trust.

The paper clearly highlights Microsoft’s renewed focus on capturing Telemetry to better secure an organization. In other words, the company is reportedly demanding data in order to shield users with threat intelligence, measurement of user experience, policy-making, and proactive remediation.

Interestingly, Microsoft claims 76 percent of large organizations have adopted Zero Trust already. This clearly means more companies around the world could eventually adopt the security model and its associated tooling and technologies, indicated the company.

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