On May 12, 2021, the United States Presidential Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) on “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (14028).” The administration issued this EO to bolster the nation’s security poster and modernize federal government cybersecurity practices. As mandated, the EO requires all federal agencies to develop a plan to implement a zero trust architecture.
Additionally, the mandate required the National Institute of Standards and Technology to publish guidelines on enhancing software supply chain security. This includes defining critical software and its required security measures, criteria to evaluate software security and practices to be strictly followed by all federal agencies.
In proactive compliance, branches of the US Department of Defense (DoD) have released plans to position themselves against rapidly paced technological advances. Their efforts will cover advances in space, cyber, information, and electronic warfare capabilities. Not surprisingly, these plans have resulted in the most expansive modernization program the department has seen in forty years.
A modernized unified network centered around supporting Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) is a key component for secure, global operations. The success of a modernized network plan is its foundation, built on the zero trust framework.
To be successful, it’s paramount to establish a baseline of the overall data architecture within an enterprise network, and then use that data to drive modernization. And, enterprise agility, which allows for change to occur rapidly, is critical to the effectiveness of a modernized organization. Ultimately, a streamlined method to evaluate and approve changes is required to achieve these goals.
In this how-to guide, gain insights on improving the nation’s cybersecurity posture by achieving complete observability.
