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Rana Usman Ahmad
06Expertise

Zero Trust Architecture

I implement Zero Trust end to end across all six Microsoft pillars: verify explicitly, enforce least privilege, and assume breach, across identity, endpoints, applications, data, infrastructure, and network.

Microsoft
Azure
Microsoft 365
Entra ID
Defender XDR
Sentinel
Purview
Intune
Copilot

Up to 80%

security posture uplift from Zero Trust models I have designed

50,000+

users secured across enterprise Zero Trust and EMS rollouts

01

The principles

01

Verify explicitly

Authenticate and authorize on every signal available: identity, device health, location, and risk. No implicit trust.

02

Least privilege access

Just-enough and just-in-time access, risk-based policies, and no standing privilege that nobody is watching.

03

Assume breach

Segment to contain blast radius, verify end to end, and use analytics to detect and respond fast.

02

The six pillars, with Microsoft

For each pillar: what I deliver, the Microsoft technologies, and the business outcome.

Identity

Entra ID architecture, a layered Conditional Access framework, MFA, and PIM for just-in-time admin access.

  • Entra ID
  • Conditional Access
  • PIM
  • MFA

OutcomeEvery access decision is explicit, risk-aware, and auditable.

Endpoints

Intune compliance policies tied to access, and Defender for Endpoint for risk-based device signals.

  • Intune
  • Defender for Endpoint

OutcomeOnly healthy, compliant devices reach your data.

Applications

App governance, session controls, and shadow IT discovery so app access follows the same policy as everything else.

  • Defender for Cloud Apps
  • Conditional Access

OutcomeSanctioned and unsanctioned apps are governed, not guessed at.

Data

Purview classification, sensitivity labels, and DLP so protection travels with the data itself.

  • Microsoft Purview
  • Sensitivity Labels
  • DLP

OutcomeSensitive data stays protected wherever it moves.

Infrastructure

Defender for Cloud posture management, hardening baselines, and least-privilege control of workloads.

  • Defender for Cloud
  • Azure Policy

OutcomeDrift and misconfiguration are caught before they become risk.

Network

Segmentation, Azure Firewall, and private connectivity that contains blast radius and removes flat trust.

  • Azure Firewall
  • Segmentation
  • Private Endpoints

OutcomeA breach in one segment stays contained, not estate-wide.

03

Reference architecture

The Microsoft Zero Trust model, mapped across identity, endpoints, apps, data, infrastructure, and network.

Zero Trust policy engine

Verify explicitly · Least privilege · Assume breach

  • Identity
  • Endpoints
  • Applications
  • Data
  • Infrastructure
  • Network
Conceptual Zero Trust architecture across the six Microsoft pillars. Original diagram; Microsoft and product names are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Zero Trust

Ready to make identity your control plane?

I can assess where you are against the six pillars and build a practical, staged Zero Trust roadmap.