GlobalData analysts predict 2023 will be the year that zero-trust architecture implementation will gain more traction and maturity.

David Bicknell, principal analyst of thematic intelligence at GlobalData, explained that cyberthreats are not going to "let up," especially with geopolitical conflicts and continued ransomware attacks that are possibly fueled by artificial intelligence (AI).

“Ongoing geopolitical tensions and related threats from both state-sponsored actors and related organized cybercrimnals continue to loom large as organizations try to mount effective defenses against hackers,” added Amy DeCarlo, principal analyst of global IT hosted and managed services at GlobalData.

The good news is that “a zero-trust approach to security should give organizations better long-term damage limitation, even in the face of a feared catastrophic cyberattack by 2025,” Bicknell wrote, adding zero-trust security can ensure all corporate application access is verified and authorized to strengthen attack defenses.

“2023 will be the year many organizations’ maturity levels when it comes to the adoption of zero-trust security architectures increases,” he forecasts.

DeCarlo added that zero-trust implementations will gain momentum “as organizations seek to mirror work already done by entities such as the U.S. federal government.”

The White House released a memo last January that looked to move government agencies toward a zero-trust security approach. That was followed more recently by the Department of Defense (DoD) releasing its zero-trust strategy and roadmap.

Bicknell also expects a zero-trust officer role to emerge at organizations to “coax, cajole, and bully companies on their zero-trust journey.” Cloudflare Field CTO John Engates called this role “chief zero trust officer,” which is “the zero-trust czar for the enterprise.”

“What it reflects on is the scope of change involves zero trust … [and] how important having some zero trust czar is in the company as we go through these journeys,” Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming told SDxCentral in an earlier interview.

On the technology side, Bicknell expects to see wider passkey adoption as a replacement for passwords.

Passkey was introduced by the FIDO Alliance and its partners, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft. It is a cross-platform, general-use term referring to a password replacement that simplifies and secures sign-ins and account registration for websites and apps across all of a user’s devices.

Apple introduced its passkey feature at its WWDC 2022 event. Google’s Android and Chrome, and Microsoft’s Windows platforms are anticipated to fully support passkey early this year. The FIDO Alliance expects to see more major brands adopt the feature this year.