Authors : Adetunji Oludele Adebayo; Olatunde Ayomide Olasehan; Nathaniel Adeniyi Akande; Victoria Abosede Ogunsanya; Uju Judith Eziokwu

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 11 - November

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/mw3wzcck

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/rn3dhm6n

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25nov1134

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Zero trust security is moving from concept to operational strategy in enterprises that depend on cloud-based data ecosystems. However, many organisations still treat zero trust as a set of security tools rather than as a design model that affects scalability and risk management. This paper examines how zero-trust security models reshape cloud-based data ecosystems and what this means for enterprise scalability and risk. It synthesises findings into a conceptual reference model and provides practical implications for multi-cloud and data-intensive environments. The paper shows that zero trust can support horizontal and vertical scalability through identity-centric controls, policy-driven automation, and segmentation at workload and data layers, but also introduces operational complexity and performance overhead. It also finds that zero trust improves risk management for insider threats, identity attacks, and data breaches when supported by continuous monitoring and risk-based access, yet shifts risk into policy design, identity systems, and governance. The paper proposes an integrated model that connects zero trust capabilities to scalability and risk outcomes and identifies research and implementation gaps, including metrics, economic evaluation, and socio-technical impacts in large enterprises.

Keywords : Zero Trust Architecture; Cloud Security; Data Ecosystems; Enterprise Scalability; Risk Management; Multi Cloud; Continuous Access Control.

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