Microsegmentation: The Security Solution Everyone Wants but Few Deliver

It’s the cybersecurity equivalent of a New Year’s resolution: nearly every security leader vows to implement microsegmentation, yet when the dust settles, most organizations are nowhere near their goals. According to a new Omdia survey of U.S. healthcare and manufacturing security chiefs, 99% are planning or rolling out microsegmentation-but over 90% admit their critical systems remain largely unsegmented and vulnerable. The disconnect is stark, and the consequences are real: almost half have suffered lateral movement attacks in the past year, as attackers exploit these gaps to move undetected across networks.

Microsegmentation, once a buzzword, is now a must-have in the war against ransomware and advanced threats. In theory, it creates digital firebreaks-compartmentalizing networks so that if attackers gain access, their movement is strictly limited. Yet the Omdia survey, commissioned by Elisity, exposes a troubling truth: while nearly all organizations recognize its importance, execution lags far behind.

Why the gap? For starters, legacy technologies like VLANs, ACLs, and agent-heavy tools remain entrenched, despite their limitations. These approaches demand constant maintenance and still leave east-west traffic-the lateral pathways attackers love-wide open. Only 22% of organizations report hands-on experience with modern, identity-based microsegmentation solutions, which enforce policies directly on existing network switches without disrupting operations or requiring new hardware.

Healthcare and manufacturing face unique hurdles. In hospitals, a chaotic mix of managed and unmanaged devices-especially among clinicians and staff-makes granular policy enforcement challenging. Manufacturing’s reliance on legacy operational technology systems means “rip and replace” is not an option, and remote engineers add another layer of complexity. Both sectors cite integration with security platforms and maintaining zero downtime as persistent roadblocks.

The survey highlights a shift in attitudes: 68% now view microsegmentation as vital to Zero Trust strategies, and a majority agree that today’s solutions are markedly easier than even five years ago. Business realities are also pushing the issue-cyber insurance and compliance mandates are fast becoming non-negotiable drivers for segmentation projects.

Still, scars from early, complex microsegmentation efforts linger. “What’s changed is the architecture,” says James Winebrenner, CEO at Elisity. “Identity-based microsegmentation lets teams enforce precise policy on the switches they already run, so security becomes an enabler rather than a gate.” The promise: rapid containment of threats across IT, IoT, and OT environments, often within weeks, not years.

The message is clear: intent alone doesn’t stop attackers. Until organizations bridge the gap between ambition and execution, critical systems will remain exposed to lateral movement and ransomware. As new, easier-to-deploy tools hit the market, the real test will be who can finally turn microsegmentation from a resolution into reality.

WIKICROOK

• Microsegmentation: Microsegmentation divides a network into small, isolated sections, limiting how far attackers can move if they break in and enhancing security.
• Lateral Movement: Lateral movement is when attackers, after breaching a network, move sideways to access more systems or sensitive data, expanding their control and reach.
• Zero Trust: Zero Trust is a security approach where no user or device is trusted by default, requiring strict verification for every access request.
• VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network): A VLAN segments a physical network into logical groups, isolating devices or services to improve security and manageability.
• Identity: Identity is the digital representation of users or devices, essential for verifying access and protecting systems from unauthorized use in cybersecurity.