Traditional networks trusted whatever was inside the perimeter, which fails badly when the inside includes thousands of devices that may be compromised or counterfeit. Zero trust replaces location with verification: each connection must present a device identity, each request is checked for authorization, and the device’s health, such as its firmware version or attestation result, can factor into the decision.
For IoT this is more a direction than a switch. Legacy equipment without credentials still exists, so network segmentation and gateways that front older devices with proper identities form a bridge. The pay-off is resilience: a single compromised sensor cannot move laterally, and access can be revoked for one unit without touching the others.
Part of the IoT Glossary. Spotted an error or a missing term? Tell us.