Never trust, always verify, at every layer. We design and implement Zero Trust architectures aligned to CISA's 5-pillar maturity model, replacing perimeter-based security with continuous verification across identity, devices, networks, applications, and data.
The traditional network perimeter is gone, users are remote, applications are in the cloud, and third-party access is ubiquitous. Perimeter firewalls that implicitly trust everything inside the network are the reason a single phishing email can result in complete domain compromise weeks later.
We implement Zero Trust aligned to CISA's Zero Trust Maturity Model across all five pillars, Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications, and Data, and aligned to OMB M-22-09 federal requirements. Each pillar advances from Traditional through Advanced to Optimal maturity using specific technology implementations: Entra ID Conditional Access, Intune/CrowdStrike device health, Illumio microsegmentation, and ZTNA replacing legacy VPN.
Key differentiator: We implement Zero Trust as a practical architecture, not a vendor sales pitch. Our roadmaps are sequenced to deliver quick security wins (phishing-resistant MFA, ZTNA for remote access) in 30–60 days while executing the longer-term microsegmentation and data protection workstreams in parallel.
The specific pillars, tools, and implementation patterns of a mature Zero Trust architecture.
5-pillar framework assessment and roadmap, Identity, Devices, Network, Applications, and Data. Current maturity scored Traditional/Advanced/Optimal per pillar against CISA ZTMM v2.0. Gap roadmap prioritized by risk reduction and aligned to OMB M-22-09 federal deadlines. Pillar-by-pillar technology selections based on existing investments, avoiding rip-and-replace where incremental improvement is achievable. Quarterly maturity reassessment cadence.
Microsoft Intune and Jamf MDM integration for device enrollment, compliance policy enforcement, and configuration management. CrowdStrike Falcon device health signals fed into Entra ID Conditional Access, devices with active threats or missing patches denied access to sensitive applications automatically. Certificate-based device authentication replacing password-based machine accounts. Compliance policies enforcing disk encryption, screen lock, and approved OS versions.
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) and Cloudflare Access replacing legacy VPN, users connect to specific applications, not to the network. Application segmentation eliminates lateral movement risk from compromised VPN clients. Continuous session re-evaluation terminates access when device posture degrades mid-session. User/device/context-aware policies, contractors get read-only access, employees get full access, high-risk sign-ins get step-up MFA. Palo Alto Prisma Access for SASE-based deployments.
Illumio Core for workload microsegmentation, map existing traffic flows, define policy by workload label (environment/application/role), enforce deny-all with whitelist policy. VMware NSX for east-west policy enforcement at the hypervisor layer for VM-based workloads. Guardicore Centra for visualization of blast radius before policy enforcement. Policy simulation mode validates impact before enforcement. 95% reduction in permitted east-west communication paths, lateral movement becomes virtually impossible.
Google BeyondCorp Enterprise and AWS Verified Access for application-level access policies without network-level VPN access. IAP intercepts every request and evaluates identity, device posture, and contextual signals before forwarding to the application. Applications hosted behind IAP are completely invisible to the internet, no direct access path even if an attacker discovers the hostname. Continuous re-authentication for privileged applications with session-level audit logging.
Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels for automatic data classification, Confidential, Highly Confidential, Public, with encryption and access controls that travel with the data regardless of where it is stored. Azure AD Conditional Access policies enforcing data residency requirements. DLP policies integrated with Zero Trust framework, sensitive data exfiltration blocked even on managed devices. Rights Management Services (RMS) for document-level encryption and access control.
Zero Trust is a multi-year architecture transformation. We design it to deliver security improvements at every phase, you're more secure after Phase 1 than before we started, regardless of how long the full journey takes.
Our ZT architects have implemented CISA ZTMM programs for federal agencies under OMB M-22-09 mandates and enterprise transformations for heavily regulated industries. We bring practical implementation experience, not just framework knowledge.
Score current maturity against CISA ZTMM v2.0 across all five pillars. Map identity systems, device management, network topology, application access patterns, and data flows. Identify existing ZT-aligned investments (Entra ID Conditional Access, existing MDM) that can be extended. Deliverable: ZT maturity scorecard, capability gap inventory, and 12-month phased roadmap with expected maturity improvements per phase.
Identity is the control plane for Zero Trust. Deploy phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2/WebAuthn) for all users, hardware security keys for privileged users, Microsoft Authenticator number matching for standard users. Configure Entra ID Conditional Access with risk-based policies (sign-in risk + user risk signals). Establish PAM with CyberArk for privileged accounts. Identity pillar typically advances from Traditional to Advanced in 60–90 days.
Enroll all devices in MDM (Intune/Jamf) with compliance policies. Feed CrowdStrike/Defender device health signals into Conditional Access, non-compliant devices lose application access automatically. Deploy certificate-based machine authentication. Establish device compliance baseline: disk encryption, screen lock, approved OS versions. Block access from unmanaged personal devices to corporate applications. BYOD policy updated with conditional access for personal devices.
Deploy Zscaler ZPA or Cloudflare Access to replace legacy VPN for remote access. Map existing network traffic flows using Illumio or Guardicore before touching policy. Implement microsegmentation policy in simulation mode, validate for 30 days before enforcement. Incrementally enforce deny-all microsegmentation namespace-by-namespace. Eliminate flat network segments with unrestricted east-west communication.
Deploy BeyondCorp or AWS Verified Access for critical applications, remove direct internet access, enforce identity and device checks at every request. Microsoft Purview sensitivity labeling for data classification, start with top-secret data discovery across M365, expand to file shares and databases. DLP policy rollout starting in audit mode to measure impact before enforcement. Continuous maturity measurement and quarterly CISA ZTMM re-scoring.
Full Microsoft Purview deployment with automated sensitivity labeling for new content. DLP enforcement for outbound data movements. Rights Management encryption for Highly Confidential documents. Continuous ZT telemetry feeding SIEM for anomaly detection. Annual CISA ZTMM re-assessment to track maturity progression toward Optimal tier. OMB M-22-09 compliance reporting for federal agencies with automated evidence collection.
How Zero Trust transformations are protecting organizations across sectors against modern threats.
Led ZT implementation for a federal cabinet agency with 15,000 users mandated to meet OMB M-22-09 deadlines. Deployed FIDO2 hardware keys for all privileged users, phishing-resistant MFA for all 15K users, Entra ID Conditional Access with 47 policies, and Zscaler ZPA replacing Cisco AnyConnect VPN. CISA ZTMM pillar scores improved: Identity from Traditional to Advanced in 90 days. Zero phishing-based account compromises in 18 months post-deployment.
Zero phishing compromises in 18 monthsSecured a 3,000-user fully-remote workforce for a global consulting firm after VPN-based breach exposed client data. Replaced GlobalProtect VPN with Cloudflare Access ZTNA, deployed Intune MDM with device health compliance, enabled CrowdStrike signals in Conditional Access. Post-deployment: zero VPN-related security incidents, 40% improvement in remote access performance (ZTNA faster than VPN for SaaS apps), and 60% reduction in help desk calls for VPN connectivity issues.
Zero VPN incidents, 40% faster accessImplemented Illumio Core microsegmentation across a 14-hospital health system with 40,000 connected devices, including medical IoT (imaging systems, infusion pumps, monitoring equipment). Mapped 2.8M existing traffic flows in 3 weeks. Enforced deny-all microsegmentation policy isolating clinical workloads from administrative, IoT from clinical networks. Simulated WannaCry-style attack post-implementation: lateral movement contained to 3 workstations vs. estimated 4,000 pre-segmentation.
WannaCry blast radius: 4,000 → 3 workstationsDesigned Zero Trust contractor access model for a defense contractor with 800 third-party contractors accessing sensitive internal systems. Replaced VPN+firewall rules with BeyondCorp IAP, contractors access specific applications with full MFA, device health checks, and session recording. Zero network access for contractors, eliminated lateral movement risk from compromised contractor credentials. Contractor access provisioning time reduced from 5 days to 4 hours with automated entitlement workflow.
Contractor provisioning 5 days → 4 hoursStart with a Zero Trust Readiness Assessment, we score your current CISA ZTMM maturity and deliver a phased roadmap with security improvements at every milestone.