{"id":16055,"date":"2025-10-08T11:08:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/defining-a-standard-taxonomy-for-segmentation-cisco-blog\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T11:08:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:08:56","slug":"defining-a-standard-taxonomy-for-segmentation-cisco-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/defining-a-standard-taxonomy-for-segmentation-cisco-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining a Standard Taxonomy for Segmentation \u2013 Cisco Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Segmentation has emerged as\u00a0a\u00a0foundational\u00a0technology\u00a0for cybersecurity teams around the world\u00a0as a way to\u00a0stop threats from spreading laterally through the network, mitigate their impact and enforce zero trust strategies.\u00a0\u00a0Dozens of\u00a0segmentation\u00a0solutions have flooded the marketplace \u2013 all claiming\u00a0the best approach for\u00a0defining,\u00a0identifying\u00a0and isolating\u00a0specific\u00a0workloads based on behavior and identity.<\/p>\n

The evolution\u00a0of segmentation\u00a0has been swift\u00a0\u2013 dizzying even.\u00a0And customers are having trouble breaking through the hype.\u00a0What is the best segmentation approach for my organization? What solution best matches our needs? How do we\u00a0measure and\u00a0evaluate\u00a0our segmentation strategy? And how does segmentation align with business\u00a0objectives?<\/em><\/p>\n

As a result,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0launching\u00a0a new blog\u00a0series specifically focused on segmentation. Over the next several months,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0explore use cases,\u00a0challenges\u00a0and strategies so you can compare,\u00a0deploy\u00a0and manage segmentation solutions more effectively across your diverse IT environments. We want you to make informed decisions \u2013 decisions that enhance overall security posture, support increasingly complex compliance efforts and\u00a0enhance\u00a0zero-trust security models.<\/p>\n

Segmentation is Evolving to Meet Security Challenges in the AI World<\/h2>\n

Segmentation was developed decades ago\u00a0as a\u00a0way to\u00a0implement traffic management and\u00a0prevent\u00a0threats\u00a0from moving laterally across the network.\u00a0Since then, as digital transformation, distributed computing and\u00a0the\u00a0cloud have\u00a0changed the way we work, segmentation has evolved to allow security teams to\u00a0isolate specific workloads based on behavior or identity.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0ability to implement\u00a0micro-segmentation\u00a0at scale\u00a0has become\u00a0foundational to\u00a0modern\u00a0enterprise security strategies\u00a0and the zero trust security model\u00a0\u2013 enabling\u00a0the containment of breaches,\u00a0the\u00a0enforcement of\u00a0access policies and\u00a0improved\u00a0visibility\u00a0across increasingly complex IT environments and threat landscape.<\/p>\n

This is especially true in the age of AI.\u00a0Today\u2019s highly sophisticated threats\u00a0can\u00a0spread laterally across the network in a matter of seconds, and static segmentation policies are unable to respond quickly to evolving threats. New\u00a0AI-powered micro-segmentation\u00a0solutions can speed response times immensely.\u00a0Security teams have taken notice, embracing these micro-segmentation\u00a0tools\u00a0to stop attacks before they are able to spread throughout the network.<\/p>\n

A Communication Problem for Vendors, Integrators and Customers<\/h2>\n

The evolution of segmentation\u00a0has created a vast ecosystem of various technologies,\u00a0methods,\u00a0infrastructures\u00a0and enforcement strategies\u00a0\u2013 contributing to much confusion in the marketplace.\u00a0Vendors and integrators use different terms,\u00a0push\u00a0different\u00a0approaches\u00a0and make conflicting promises. The resulting inability to\u00a0fully\u00a0grasp\u00a0the\u00a0subtleties of\u00a0segmentation\u00a0prevents organizations from having\u00a0fruitful conversations around segmentation needs,\u00a0challenges\u00a0and solutions \u2013\u00a0ultimately putting\u00a0segmentation projects at risk of\u00a0failure or\u00a0not\u00a0realizing their\u00a0full value.<\/p>\n

As cybersecurity\u00a0threats\u00a0continue to grow\u00a0in volume, sophistication and impact, organizations are going to need to get a better grasp of this foundational technology so they can make better decisions in line with business\u00a0objectives\u00a0and risk.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u00a0Agree on a Standard Taxonomy for Segmentation<\/h2>\n

The first step is to standardize how we talk about\u00a0segmentation. A recent paper published\u00a0at\u00a0TechRxiv\u00a0takes a first stab at\u00a0defining a common taxonomy. Written by\u00a0a Cisco colleague, the paper\u00a0\u201cintroduces a taxonomy and shared vocabulary for discussing and comparing segmentation approaches across real-world deployment\u00a0contexts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking the same language is important because it ensures that all stakeholders\u00a0are in agreement\u00a0about what is being discussed and how it is being discussed.\u00a0When someone uses a\u00a0label,\u00a0they are\u00a0assuming\u00a0their subjective interpretation\u00a0is the same as the audience\u2019s interpretation.\u00a0If\u00a0they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0align, miscommunication can occur, leading to\u00a0confusion,\u00a0disconnected\u00a0expectations and, often, hurt feelings. Standard taxonomies ensure that everyone\u00a0is speaking the same language, communication is\u00a0clear\u00a0and\u00a0everyone is aligned.<\/p>\n

Given the rapid evolution of segmentation, its\u00a0various types\u00a0and the use of jargon by vendors, segmentation is in desperate need of an established taxonomy. Fortunately, the\u00a0TechRxiv\u00a0paper does\u00a0a great job\u00a0of\u00a0organizing segmentation taxonomy, separating terms into three buckets:<\/p>\n