In many ways, our critical and increasingly integrated technology environments are a microcosm of the cyber threats that the country and the world are experiencing now—and will continue to face in the coming years. Our experts at Edgewater Federal Solutions weigh in on how to defend and protect these integral landscapes across the Enterprise.
The recently released 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy and its five pillars serve as a “call to action” for the United States to address the growing and complex cyber threats worldwide. However, from a Zero Trust perspective, everything and everyone should be considered a cyber threat. No user, device, service, or network can be trusted. In addressing these five pillars, Zero Trust compliance strategies become the key to a secure, connected, and resilient enterprise.
A Zero Trust Architecture to support the mission is not a new idea for Government agencies. It has long been at the forefront with implementations such as multifactor authentication (MFA), encryption, and logging initiatives. Proactive organizations have been maturing their applied guidelines regarding the security of systems and data, leveraging best practices by other agencies and pulling from some of the greatest minds in private/public partnerships.
A good roadmap is an excellent starting point, but actively secured organizations avoid taking a “checklist approach” to address ever-evolving security standards. Success requires teamwork, creativity, and a leadership team with security-by-design always in mind. An organization should not arbitrarily choose capability alignments but allow its trusted team to leverage the best parts of multiple models, continuously advancing the infrastructure through measured and impactful enhancements.
With a structured, disciplined, and creative Zero Trust compliance strategy, agencies can demonstrate how their Enterprise leadership can provide tools, methodologies, and expert guidance to empower and engage stakeholders within the organization. Following a framework will instill confidence throughout the environment, based on continuous and effective monitoring, analysis, and management of network activities – enabling new implementations and launching innovative solutions.
Simultaneously, we need to apply defensive solutions to critical infrastructure, working in conjunction with toolsets like containerization and micro-segmentation, and leveraging AI/ML and virtualization best practices. This should take place all while actively working to disrupt and dismantle threat actors who are constantly attempting to breach and subvert our systems.
Our collective approach to Zero Trust must deliver enhanced security and resilience within the Government’s interconnected environment. By working together, our collective industry and Federal partners can set an example for the entire world in terms of the security and functionality of critical Enterprise systems.
To learn more about Edgewater and our approach to Zero Trust, contact us here.