Identity and network security are the two fundamental pillars of modern IT security. Attackers compromise identities to gain initial access — then exploit flat, unsegmented networks to move laterally between systems. Neither area alone provides effective protection: only their combination gives organizations a real ability to detect and contain attacks. In 2026, best practices in both areas have matured to the point where implementation is both technically feasible and operationally necessary.
Identity and Network: Two Pillars of Modern Security
Every significant security incident of recent years started with an identity compromise: a stolen password, a hijacked session token, a VPN exploit requiring only a valid certificate. Once an attacker gains access to a user or service account, further exploration of the environment depends on how effectively the network impedes lateral movement.
In unsegmented environments, a compromised account can scan entire subnets, attempt RDP and SMB connections to every host, and copy data from network shares. In a microsegmented environment, the same account can only reach resources it has explicitly defined access to. Combining strong identity controls with effective network segmentation creates layered defence where no single point of failure leads to full compromise.
Identity protection blocks initial access and makes privilege escalation harder. Network segmentation limits the blast radius when an identity is compromised despite those controls. Together they implement the principle of least privilege at both the authentication layer and the network communication layer.
Identity Security Best Practices 2026
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a baseline security requirement — but not every MFA implementation is equally effective. Authenticator apps (Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator) are the minimum for all user accounts. SMS as a second factor is insufficient for sensitive data due to vulnerability to SIM swapping and message interception. For privileged accounts — system administrators, service accounts with broad access, access to critical systems — FIDO2 keys (YubiKey, Windows Hello for Business) should be the standard, as they are resistant to phishing and token hijacking.
Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID allow you to make access to cloud applications contingent on meeting additional conditions: a compliant Intune-managed device, geographic location, and sign-in risk level. Key rules to implement: require MFA for all cloud applications, block legacy auth protocols (SMTP, POP3, IMAP, basic auth), and block unmanaged device access to sensitive data.
Privileged access management (PAM/PIM) requires separate administrative accounts not tied to everyday mailboxes, just-in-time access for high-privilege roles (Global Admin, Domain Admin), Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) used exclusively for administrative tasks, and recording all administrative sessions in the PAM system.
Identity governance means quarterly access reviews identifying accounts with excessive permissions, immediate access removal at employee offboarding, and regular certification of service accounts and permissions to critical systems. Neglecting governance leads to accumulation of "zombie accounts" — inactive accounts with broad access that attackers can take over without risky actions.
Network Security Best Practices 2026
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is replacing traditional VPN as the remote access model. VPN grants users access to an entire subnet containing resources. ZTNA grants access to a specific application or resource, verifying user identity, device state, and request context for each connection. Solutions such as Zscaler Private Access, Microsoft Entra Private Access, and Cloudflare Access implement ZTNA without requiring open inbound firewall ports — eliminating many attack vectors available through traditional VPN.
Microsegmentation implements the default-deny principle for east-west traffic between workstations and servers. Servers in the same data centre should not have unrestricted communication with each other: a web application server should talk only to its database server, not to the backup system or domain controller. Tools such as Elisity microsegmentation or Cisco ISE SGT allow this policy to be implemented without redesigning the entire network.
DNS filtering is an effective protection layer that blocks communication with malware domains and phishing at the name resolution level. Solutions such as Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway, and Quad9 can block hundreds of thousands of malicious domains before traffic ever reaches a target host. DNS filtering is a low-cost, fast-to-deploy protection layer available to organizations of any size.
Network traffic monitoring (NDR — Network Detection and Response) provides visibility into east-west traffic inside the network that is invisible to perimeter firewalls. NDR tools (Darktrace, Vectra AI, ExtraHop) detect behavioural anomalies: port scanning from inside the network, unexpected connections between servers, and traffic to external IP addresses characteristic of C2 botnets.
Integrating Identity with Network Security
The most mature approach to identity protection is its direct integration with network access control. In Cisco ISE, network policies (SGTs) are assigned based on Active Directory group membership — a user in the "Finance" group automatically receives an SGT tag granting access only to finance department resources, regardless of which switch or access point they connect from.
Elisity implements similar integration in a cloud-native model: Entra ID or Active Directory groups directly define microsegmentation policies. When a device connects to the network, Elisity identifies its identity and group, then automatically applies the appropriate rules. Changing a device's group membership in AD results in immediate network policy updates without manual administrator intervention.
Network access decisions based on identity, device state, and risk level are the foundation of Zero Trust architecture. A user attempting to access a resource is evaluated not just on their password and MFA, but also on whether their device is managed and compliant, from what location they are connecting, and whether their behavioural profile shows anomalies. This approach combines network security with identity security into a coherent control system.
Continuous monitoring and re-evaluation ensure that access decisions remain valid throughout the user session, not just at login time, adapting to changing risk factors and device conditions in real-time.
How ExColo Can Help
ExColo specializes in designing and implementing integrated security solutions covering both identity protection and network segmentation. We help organizations through comprehensive security posture assessment, identifying gaps in MFA and Conditional Access configuration, network segmentation architecture design, and implementing selected tools with knowledge transfer to the internal IT team.
We work vendor-agnostically — selecting solutions best matched to the client's environment. We have experience with Microsoft Entra ID, Cisco ISE, Elisity, and leading NDR tools. Contact us to discuss how to strengthen identity and network protection in your organization: ExColo contact form.
