On-Demand Webinar: Agency Guide to Zero Trust Maturity

The results are in for the first robust research study on federal agency approaches and technology prioritizations to zero trust since the White House Office of Management and Budget issued its strategy in January.

What are agencies prioritizing and how can they address challenges to achieve true zero trust maturity? During this webinar, subject matter experts from GDIT and Appgate provide recommendations on where agencies should place their priorities and the steps they should consider to meet EO requirements.

Federal IT and line of business managers know that implementing zero trust is a strategic approach to defend against cyber threats. Ahead of the 2024 deadline, federal agencies are making progress in their zero trust implementation, according to the study. But agencies also recognize the challenges they face and know there’s still important work to do. Read the full report here.

The executive order requires government agencies to achieve specific zero trust security goals by the end of fiscal year 2024.

• 63% of respondents said their agencies will meet these requirements on time or early.
• 92% are confident in their agency’s ability to defend against cyber threats.
• 76% have a formal zero trust strategy in place, with 52% actively implementing one.

But, with such a major undertaking against an ambitious timeline, challenges remain.

• 58% said one of the primary challenges to implementing zero trust architecture is rebuilding or replacing existing legacy infrastructure.
• 50% are having trouble identifying what technologies they need.
• 48% think their agencies lack sufficient IT staff expertise.

“When some agencies still have data on mainframes or legacy systems, it’s a big challenge,” said Dr. John Sahlin, cyber solutions director for GDIT’s defense division. “Agencies know they can't bolt on zero trust, so they must decide to rebuild or replace systems. That requires additional spending on top of investing in zero trust. Agencies have to make some hard decisions.”

The research study, Agency Guide to Zero Trust Maturity, conducted by GDIT in partnership with Market Connections, a leading research firm, surveyed 300 federal government officials in federal civilian and defense agencies to determine insights around their zero trust journeys, challenges, and progress toward meeting the EO deadline.