Zero Trust Architecture for Federal Agencies and Contractors

What This Session Covers

Federal agencies and their contractors are under mounting pressure to demonstrate measurable Zero Trust progress. This four-hour workshop cuts through the policy language and gives compliance practitioners a structured, technical path from current-state assessment to a defensible implementation roadmap. Drawing on OMB M-22-09, the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model 2.0 (ZTMM), and NIST SP 800-207, the session maps exactly what each framework requires, where they reinforce one another, and what evidence auditors and agency contracting officers will expect to see.

The Five Zero Trust Pillars in Depth

The curriculum is organized around the five pillars defined in the CISA ZTMM: Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications, and Data. For each pillar, the session covers the specific capabilities that distinguish Traditional, Initial, Advanced, and Optimal maturity stages, the technical controls that move an organization up the maturity curve, and the implementation patterns most relevant to contractors aligning to agency Zero Trust mandates.

• Identity: phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, enterprise identity governance, and least-privilege access enforcement consistent with M-22-09 requirements
• Devices: device inventory and health validation, endpoint detection integration, and government-furnished versus contractor-owned device considerations
• Networks: macro- and micro-segmentation, encrypted DNS, and transitioning away from perimeter-based trust assumptions
• Applications: application-layer access controls, continuous authorization, and secure software supply chain considerations
• Data: data categorization, tagging, and access controls that align with both Zero Trust principles and CUI handling requirements under DFARS and CMMC

Maturity Assessment and the Federal ZTA Roadmap

Participants work through a structured maturity assessment exercise against the CISA ZTMM scoring criteria, learning to identify gaps honestly and prioritize remediation based on risk and federal mandate timelines. The session then walks through the federal ZTA roadmap construct: how to sequence pillar-level improvements, how to document progress for agency stakeholders, and how to build internal governance around Zero Trust that survives staff turnover and contract transitions.

Implementation Patterns for Contractors

Contractor environments present unique challenges — hybrid infrastructure, multiple agency relationships, and compliance obligations that stack NIST 800-207 technical guidance on top of contractual and regulatory requirements. This session addresses those realities directly, covering practical integration patterns, common pitfalls in contractor ZTA deployments, and how to communicate maturity status credibly to agency program offices.

What You Will Leave With

• A completed CISA ZTMM pillar-level gap assessment you can adapt to your organization's current environment
• A Zero Trust roadmap template structured around the five pillars and federal maturity stages
• Working knowledge of how OMB M-22-09 mandates, CISA ZTMM scoring, and NIST 800-207 technical controls map to one another
• Documentation frameworks for demonstrating ZTA progress to agency stakeholders and contracting officers
• A prioritized list of implementation patterns your team can begin applying immediately

Who Should Attend

This workshop is built for the practitioners responsible for making Zero Trust real inside their organizations. If your team includes any of the following roles, this session will advance their work directly:

• Compliance managers and analysts at defense or federal contractors tracking agency Zero Trust mandates
• Information system security officers (ISSOs) and ISSMs responsible for authorization boundaries and control implementation
• IT and security architects designing or evaluating Zero Trust-aligned infrastructure
• vCISOs and security program leads who need a current, authoritative view of the federal Zero Trust landscape — including those supporting clients through Regulatory vCISO engagements
• Program managers who own the compliance posture for a contract vehicle and need to brief agency stakeholders on ZTA progress

Managers approving training budgets: this is a focused, four-hour investment that produces usable artifacts and measurable skill gains. Your team members will return with a gap assessment they can act on, not just a certificate of completion.

Continue Building Your Compliance Program

Zero Trust architecture does not exist in isolation. Organizations that attend this workshop often find it accelerates broader compliance work across their federal portfolio. Cleared Systems supports that broader effort through Compliance Program Development services designed for defense and federal contractors at every stage of maturity. Explore how instruction and ongoing advisory support can work together to move your program forward.