Real-Time Security: The Power of Shared Signals

Zero Trust isn’t a product you buy—it’s a strategy you build. It’s not about trusting nothing; it’s about verifying everything, continuously. But here’s the catch: for Zero Trust to work, your systems need to talk to each other. They need to share context, events, and decisions in real time.

That’s where the Shared Signals Framework (SSF) comes in.

In a world where identities, devices, and systems live in hybrid, multi-cloud chaos, SSF is the glue that makes Zero Trust deployments actually work. It’s what allows your IAM tools, security solutions, and policies to stay on the same page—even as the users and machines they’re managing constantly move.

Let’s break down why the Shared Signals Framework is a game-changer and why it’s critical for any organization serious about Zero Trust.

What Is the Shared Signals Framework?

At its core, SSF is about real-time communication between systems. Instead of siloed tools acting on stale data, SSF enables security systems and identity tools to share signals and events. This could mean:

• Sharing when a user’s risk score changes

• Alerting other systems if a session is revoked

• Propagating logout signals across apps and services

SSF isn’t reinventing the wheel; it’s standardizing how systems communicate.

Why Does SSF Matter for Zero Trust?

In a Zero Trust deployment, continuous evaluation is everything. It’s not enough to authenticate a user once and assume they’re “good to go” forever. A user’s context can change in seconds. Maybe their device is suddenly compromised. Maybe their location has shifted to an untrusted zone. Maybe their behavior no longer matches the norm.

Without SSF, your systems might take too long to notice these changes—or worse, not notice at all.

Here’s why SSF matters:

1. Real-Time Context Means Real-Time Decisions
   SSF allows tools to share risk signals and context in real time. If a user’s risk posture changes, access decisions can be adjusted immediately. No waiting. No stale data. This is the backbone of dynamic, adaptive security.

2. Session Revocation Across the Board
   Imagine this: an employee’s credentials are compromised, and you disable their account in one system. Without SSF, their sessions in other tools might still be active. SSF ensures that session revocation propagates instantly, everywhere.

3. Breaking Down Siloes in Security
   Zero Trust relies on every part of your security stack working together. The Shared Signals Framework makes this possible. It connects IAM, threat detection, and endpoint tools, enabling them to share critical information seamlessly.

The Real Impact: From Theory to Practice

Let’s make this practical. Picture an organization deploying Zero Trust across a hybrid environment:

• Scenario 1: A user logs in from an unusual location. Their IdP shares a risk signal with downstream apps, triggering stricter MFA for access to sensitive systems.

• Scenario 2: A user’s endpoint security detects malware on their device. The endpoint tool sends a “high risk” signal to the IdP, which revokes access to all active sessions immediately.

This is the power of SSF: identity and security systems working in tandem, in real time, to enforce Zero Trust principles.

Shared Signals Framework Is the Future

The future of security isn’t a single tool—it’s an ecosystem of tools that work together. The Shared Signals Framework is what allows that ecosystem to communicate, adapt, and respond to risk dynamically.

If you’re building toward Zero Trust (and let’s be honest, you should be), SSF is no longer optional—it’s foundational.

Because here’s the reality: without shared signals, Zero Trust falls apart. It becomes another theoretical buzzword instead of the dynamic, adaptive strategy it’s meant to be.

Zero Trust demands constant verification. SSF delivers the real-time communication needed to make that happen.

If you’re tackling Zero Trust deployments, start by ensuring your tools can talk to each other. Look for protocols like CAEP and SCIM. Push for interoperability.

The age of siloes is over. Real-time identity security starts here.