Zero Trust
Verify every user, device, and network. Before they reach anything.
Zero Trust is not a product — it is the principle that nothing on your network is trusted by default. FCI deploys this model pragmatically for firms with distributed field operations, covering all four areas: users, endpoints, networks, and cloud applications.
4
areas of Zero Trust — fully integrated
400+
financial services environments
1,000+
devices deployed in under an hour
The Problem
When one device is compromised, the entire network is at risk.
Flat Network Trust
In traditional models, once a user or device is inside the network, it is trusted. A compromised laptop in a branch office can reach client data, internal systems, and every other network connection that user normally accesses.
Piecemeal Solutions
Most vendors cover one area of Zero Trust and call it done. MFA on one application, a VPN for the network, endpoint protection on some devices. This piecemeal approach creates gaps attackers exploit.
Distributed Field Exposure
Financial firms operate across dozens or hundreds of field locations — branch offices, independent reps, home offices. Every location is an entry point that must be verified and controlled.
Compliance Without Proof
Firms claim Zero Trust on compliance questionnaires but cannot produce evidence that every access request is actually verified. Regulators and cyber insurers are no longer accepting self-attestation.
The Principle
Never trust. Always verify. Contain the blast radius.
Every access request is verified — user identity, device health, network location, and application context — before a connection is allowed. If anything fails verification, access is denied. If a device is compromised, it can reach nothing it has not been explicitly authorized to access.
Not a Product
Zero Trust is not a single tool you purchase. It is an architecture applied across your entire environment — users, endpoints, networks, and cloud applications working together as a verification system.
Not Just MFA
Multi-factor authentication is one component. True Zero Trust verifies the device, the network, the application, and the user — all at once, continuously, not just at initial login.
Blast Radius Containment
When an incident occurs, Zero Trust determines how far the damage spreads. A compromised device in one branch stays in that branch — it cannot reach other locations, other users, or other systems.
Continuous Verification
Access is not granted once and assumed safe. Device health, user behavior, and network context are evaluated continuously throughout every session.
Conditional Access
Validate the user, the device, and the network — before access is granted.
Every access request passes through three gates. If any gate fails, the connection is denied. If all three pass, access is granted — and continuously re-evaluated throughout the session.
Zero Trust Complete
Four areas — all integrated, all enforced, all producing evidence.
Users
Verifying that only authorized users can access private data, endpoints, software, and networks. Phishing-resistant MFA enforced at every access point — not optional, not user-configured.
Endpoints
Automating enforcement of cybersecurity settings and endpoint protection across every device. Device health verified against a current baseline before access is granted.
Networks
Enforcing secure and encrypted communication inside and outside corporate networks. Always-On VPN ensures every session is encrypted and every connection is logged.
Cloud Applications
Hardening software and validating user, endpoint, and network compliance at the time of login. Unknown devices and non-compliant endpoints are blocked before they reach systems of private data.
How FCI Deploys Zero Trust
Pragmatic deployment for firms that do not have enterprise security teams.
Always-On VPN
Every session runs through FCI's managed VPN — automatically, without requiring the user to connect manually. Every session encrypted. Every connection logged. Regulators see consistent, verifiable evidence.
Identity Verification
Multi-factor authentication enforced on every device and every access point. Deployed and maintained by FCI — consistently, without drift. Aligned to CISA's Phishing-Resistant MFA guidance.
Device Trust
Every device requesting access is verified against a current health baseline — encryption status, patch level, endpoint protection active. Non-compliant devices are flagged before they create exposure.
Access Segmentation
Access is granted by role, office, and supervisor — mapped from your directory services. Field advisors reach what they need. A compromise in one location stays in one location.
How FCI Is Different
Complete Zero Trust — not piecemeal, not partial, not aspirational.
Expert Mastery
400+ environments. FCI knows which settings matter, why defaults fail, and what vendors leave unconfigured. What FCI discovers for one firm protects every firm.
Automated Procedures
Templates and enforcement replace manual configuration. Zero Trust deployment that would take months takes hours. The Sanctuary deployment: 1,000+ devices in under an hour.
Consistent Controls
All users, all devices, all networks. BYOD, corporate, branch, independent, home office — all under the same standard. No gaps, no exceptions, no drift.
Persistent Compliance
Evidence produced every day — not just on audit day. NIST CSF, CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model, SEC, FINRA, NYDFS alignment built into how the controls operate.
Interconnection
Zero Trust is not a standalone domain — it is the architecture that connects all six.
Each FCI security domain implements its own Zero Trust verification. Together, they form an integrated system where no single failure defeats the defenses.
Endpoint Security
Device health verified before access — the endpoint becomes an authentication factor
User Security
Identity verified at every access point — phishing-resistant MFA, not just passwords
Network Security
Encrypted tunnels and IP-based access controls ensure only known networks connect
Data Security
DLP and exfiltration controls enforce data access policies at the point of work
Cloud App Security
CASB policies block access from unknown or non-compliant devices at login
Firm Security
The FCI Portal aggregates verification evidence across all domains in real time
What You Can Prove
Evidence that every access request is verified — every day, not just on audit day.
User Verification
Proof that MFA is enforced on every access point — phishing-resistant, not optional
Device Compliance
Every device verified against health baseline before access is granted
Network Encryption
Always-On VPN evidence — every session encrypted, every connection logged
Access Segmentation
Role-based access records showing who can reach what and why
Application Gateway
Login-time compliance validation — unknown devices blocked with evidence
FCI Portal
Point-in-time audit across all Zero Trust controls — go back to any date
NIST CSF
CISA ZT Maturity
SEC
FINRA
NYDFS
Cyber Insurance
Ready to see what Zero Trust looks like when every area is covered?
FCI works with broker-dealers and branch offices, insurance carriers and agencies, and RIAs. Start with a Zero Trust assessment — see where your firm stands today across all four areas.
Phone
973-227-8878
Web
fcicyber.com