“What is lost in the race for a better solution to the growing cyber threats is a unified definition and set of capabilities for the successful implementation of Zero Trust in an organization’s environment. Through their series of books, the authors of The Zero Trust Playbook Series, Nikhil Kumar and Mark Simos, attempt to answer questions surrounding Zero Trust – including the core defining capabilities and characteristics and how to successfully implement a Zero Trust architecture.

Nikhil and Mark both have extensive professional experience on the front lines of cyber defense, advising global organizations on architecture and best practices. As they delve into the topic of Zero Trust, they not only define the topic but also provide answers to the why, as well as detailed guidance on the how.

There has never been a greater need for a change in the cybersecurity defense methodology, and Zero Trust will bring the industry a long way toward maturity. Grounding this topic in pragmatic guidance while also clarifying why the purpose is a worthy task, I commend Nikhil and Mark for embarking on this journey”

Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President – Microsoft

“Zero Trust Introduction and Playbook Overview" is an indispensable guide for cybersecurity and tech professionals navigating Zero Trust implementation complexities. It offers clear, practical insights and a structured playbook series tailored to diverse organizational roles. With rich content covering scoping, AI integration, and success factors, the book's role-based approach targets business leaders, tech experts, managers, and practitioners. The three-pillar model and six-stage plan ensure a holistic understanding, while real-world examples, including Acme case studies, provide practical application insights. Precision in language and well-organized chapters make it accessible to a broad audience. Emphasizing organizational accountability and culture for business leaders and technology strategy integration for tech leaders, the book provides a synchronized roadmap for diverse roles. While occasional repetition could be streamlined for conciseness, the book's thoroughness compensates, making it a vital reference for navigating the cybersecurity landscape, facilitating a seamless transition from theory to implementation.”

Fabrizio Di Carlo - Group Manager @ Avanade | Architecture, Cloud and Security | Board Advisor | Zero Trust | Current research topic: Web3 Security

Mark Simos helps individuals and organizations meet cybersecurity, cloud, and digital transformation goals. Mark is the Lead Cybersecurity Architect for Microsoft where he leads the development of cybersecurity reference architectures, strategies, prescriptive planning roadmaps, best practices, and other security and Zero Trust guidance. Mark also co-chairs the Zero Trust working group at The Open Group and contributes to open standards and other publications like the Zero Trust Commandments. Mark has presented at numerous conferences including Black Hat, RSA Conference, Gartner Security and Risk Management, Microsoft Ignite and BlueHat, and Financial Executives International.

Nikhil is Founder at ApTSi with prior leadership roles at Price Waterhouse and other firms. He has led setup and implementation of Digital Transformation and enterprise security initiatives (such as PCI Compliance) and built out Security Architectures. An Engineer and Computer Scientist with a passion for biology, Nikhil is an expert in Security, Information, and Computer Architecture. Known for communicating to the board and implementing with engineers and architects, he is an MIT mentor, innovator and pioneer. Nikhil has authored numerous books, standards, and articles, and presented at conferences globally. He co-chairs The Zero Trust Working Group, a global standards initiative led by The Open Group.