Architecture · Filed · New York · 10 min read

Zero Trust Roadmap: A 12-Month Implementation Plan

A pragmatic zero trust roadmap aligned to NIST SP 800-207 — identity, device, network, application, and data pillars — sequenced for real organizations.

By Cyber Inspect Editorial Board

Zero trust is a strategy, not a product

No vendor sells zero trust. Zero trust is the strategy of eliminating implicit trust and continuously verifying every transaction across identity, device, network, application, and data.

A 12-month sequence

  • Months 1 – 3: Identity foundation — SSO, MFA, conditional access, PAM.
  • Months 4 – 6: Device posture — MDM, EDR, compliance conditions.
  • Months 7 – 9: Network segmentation — SASE, ZTNA replacing VPN.
  • Months 10 – 12: Data-centric controls — DLP, classification, encryption.