Looking Ahead Of The OMB Zero Trust Mandate In 2025

Uploaded on 2025-01-09 in TECHNOLOGY--Resilience, FREE TO VIEW

Federal agencies in the US faced a deadline in September 2024 to implement a zero-trust architecture set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB's mandate, outlined in memorandum M-22-09, established ambitious goals for federal agencies to achieve a zero trust architecture. However, backed by previous survey data, it is likely that implementation challenges for organizations will persist.

This includes a disconnect between IT and other parts of the organization, the management of vendors, budget constraints, and overcoming internal resistance.

Despite these hurdles, the benefits are clear. From enhanced security to better end-user experiences, Zero Trust is revolutionizing how organizations safeguard their environments.

As we look to 2025, organizations must recognize that zero trust implementation is an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary one. Organizations that can effectively navigate the challenges while capitalizing on emerging opportunities will be best positioned to achieve their security objectives.

Leaving Outdated Defense Models Behind

Traditional perimeter-based defense models will no longer be sufficient in protecting data and systems from today’s ever-changing and complex threat landscape. Employees are now working remotely from anywhere, using a wide range of devices, apps, and programs. This new reality creates an even greater attack surface for attackers who are constantly seeking opportunities to take advantage of vulnerable organizations that struggle to adapt to this new landscape.

Embracing The opportunities Of Zero Trust

The founding principle of Zero Trust is, "Never trust, always verify.” Users and devices should never be trusted by default, even when previously verified and connected to an authorized network. Zero Trust allows organizations to define who has access to the five complementary areas of effort (pillars) as defined by CISA (Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications and Workloads, and Data) and to control that access.

Three areas of opportunity for Zero Trust in 2025 include:

Advanced Identity Management Solutions
As we move into 2025, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities will enhance identity and access management systems. These technologies will enable more sophisticated user behavior analytics, providing dynamic risk scoring and automated access decisions based on contextual factors. Organizations will have opportunities to implement more nuanced and adaptive authentication mechanisms that balance security with user experience.

Cloud-Native Security Integration
The continued shift toward cloud-native architectures presents opportunities for organizations to build zero trust principles directly into their infrastructure. Cloud service providers are increasingly offering native zero trust capabilities, making it easier for organizations to implement micro-segmentation, end-to-end encryption, and automated policy enforcement across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Enhanced Visibility and Analytics
Advanced security analytics platforms will provide deeper insights into network behavior and potential threats. Organizations will benefit from an improved ability to monitor and analyze network traffic patterns, user behaviors, and application interactions in real-time, enabling more proactive security measures and faster incident response.

Facing common barriers to adoption

While the benefits of Zero Trust are tremendous, there are many common barriers standing in the way of full implementation for many organizations:

Three areas of challenge for 2025 include:

Legacy System Integration
One of the most pressing challenges organizations will face in 2025 is the continued presence of legacy systems that weren't designed with zero trust principles in mind. Integrating these systems into a zero trust architecture while maintaining operational continuity will require careful planning and potentially significant resources.

Workforce Skills Mismatch
The implementation of zero trust architecture demands specialized skills that combine traditional security knowledge with cloud computing, automation, and modern development practices. Organizations will need to invest heavily in training existing staff and competing for scarce talent in an increasingly competitive market.

Policy & Compliance Evolution
As technology evolves and threats become more sophisticated, regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks will need to adapt. Organizations will face the challenge of maintaining compliance with evolving standards while ensuring their zero trust implementations remain effective and practical.

Moving Forward With Zero Trust

The key to success lies in maintaining flexibility and adaptability in security architectures while ensuring robust protection for critical assets. Organizations should focus on building sustainable zero trust capabilities that can evolve with changing threats and business requirements rather than pursuing quick fixes to meet compliance deadlines. Organizations should shift their focus from mere compliance with the OMB mandate to developing mature zero trust capabilities; embrace automation and orchestration to manage the complexity of zero trust implementations and invest in the user experience.

This year represents a critical period in the evolution of zero trust implementation. While the OMB mandate has provided important initial momentum, organizations must look beyond compliance to build effective security architectures.

Success will require careful attention to both technical and organizational factors, continuous adaptation to emerging threats and technologies, and a long-term commitment to security transformation. Those organizations that can balance these elements while maintaining operational efficiency will be best positioned to thrive in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Dylan Owen is CISO at Nightwing

Image: Ideogram

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