I’ve previously noted that too many identity/biometric companies use the same word—trust—in their marketing. Resulting in non-differentiated sameness and uniformity.
Even though the technical underpinnings behind the companies’ solutions have moved away from the ideas of firewalls, trusted networks, and trusted devices. In today’s mandated zero trust environment, everyone—including your chief engineer—must prove their rights to access information. Every. Time.
Zero trust is even stricter than the Reagan-era “Trust, but Verify.” Which is a 2026 cybersecurity expert’s worst nightmare.
And to truly embrace zero trust in both technological and business contexts, customers must demand that vendors prove themselves continuously.
Some customers don’t make such demands, but others do. I know of a national agency that had been with a vendor for years…and then decided that it was a good idea to learn what the other vendors were offering. After hearing the others, the customer let the original vendor (my then employer) make its own pitch. For a variety of reasons they switched vendors…but haven’t switched since.
If your customers insist on continuous trust evaluation, how can you as a vendor continuously re-earn that customer trust?
Bredemarket 