Cyber Leaders: Cultural Shift Vital to Zero Trust Success

A change in mindset is instrumental as the federal government deploys zero trust principles in its systems, according to several industry leaders who attended the recent RSA Conference.

Chris DeRusha, former federal chief information security officer and deputy national cyber director, said that culture and legacy systems are common hurdles blocking the deployment of zero trust cybersecurity strategies in most federal organizations.

The former federal CISO also called for establishing standards to assess the progress of the zero trust deployment, GovCIO Media and Research reported.

On what would help overcome organizational culture challenges, DeRusha, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker and past Wash100 awardee, said that a complete re-architecture and a different approach to working must be embraced.

Huban Gowadia, principal associated director for global security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, agreed with DeRusha, commenting that the significant generational shift in the laboratory’s information technology team and the whole workforce will contribute to greater familiarity with cyber systems and their risks.

The government-wide rollout of zero trust principles started under DeRusha in 2022, when the Office of Management and Budget led the deployment effort, assisting agencies with cybersecurity cost management and cultural shift.