Zero trust 2026: The modern reality checklist

Summary

The definition of a secure perimeter has fundamentally changed. In a world of hybrid environments, AI agents, and exploding machine identities, "trust but verify" is no longer sufficient. You need to move to a mindset of "never trust, always verify."

We created the Zero trust 2026 checklist to help you go beyond the basics. This essential guide helps you bridge the gap between intent and implementation and separate bold claims from real capabilities.

Inside this checklist, you’ll learn how to:

• Assess whether you truly have visibility into every identity: Employees, partners, service accounts, APIs, bots, and AI agents
• Identify gaps in identity-centric controls that weaken zero trust enforcement
• Evaluate whether least privilege is continuously enforced or slowly eroding over time
• Understand if your organization is monitoring and measuring risk in a way that stands up to audits and executive scrutiny