What should a cloud engineer reference when establishing a zero trust architecture in a cloud environment?

When establishing a zero trust architecture in a cloud environment, the cloud engineer should reference NIST 800-207, which specifically addresses the design and implementation of zero trust architectures. This document outlines the fundamental concepts and principles of zero trust, helping organizations to enhance their security posture by assuming that threats could be inside or outside their network perimeter.

NIST 800-207 provides guidelines on how to implement zero trust principles, including identity management, resource access policies, and continuous monitoring. It assists organizations in creating an environment where access to resources is based on strict identity verification and least privilege principles, rather than relying solely on perimeter defenses.

The other documents, while valuable in their own contexts, do not specifically focus on zero trust architectures. NIST 800-53 is more about a broader set of security and privacy controls applicable to information systems. NIST 800-61 addresses incident handling and response processes, which is critical but not specifically aligned with the principles of zero trust. NIST 800-84 focuses on the development of a contingency planning guide, emphasizing recovery from incidents rather than the preemptive security framework that zero trust represents. Therefore, NIST 800-207 is the most relevant reference for someone looking to implement a zero trust architecture in