CIO Brief: What the Federal Zero Trust Mandate Means for Private Companies

Retrospective: this article looks back at events from May 2021, written in 2026 with the benefit of hindsight.

The short version: In 2021, a US executive order made "zero trust" official federal policy and required multi-factor authentication, encryption and better software security for government agencies. Those expectations have since spread to contractors, insurers and large customers.

Why it matters if you aren't a government agency

• Federal contractors must meet many of these requirements directly.
• Large customers increasingly ask suppliers the same questions in security questionnaires.
• Insurers ask about MFA, endpoint protection and backups before writing policies.
• Regulators use similar language in their own guidance.

What zero trust means in practice

Stop assuming anything inside your network is safe. Verify every sign-in strongly, check that devices are healthy, give people only the access they need, and watch for unusual activity. It's a direction, not a product you can buy.

Questions to ask your team

• Which zero trust practices have we already implemented, and which are gaps?
• Would we pass a customer or insurer questionnaire based on these requirements today?
• What are the next three projects that would most improve our position?

What good looks like

A simple maturity score across identity, devices, networks, applications and data, a prioritized roadmap, and regular progress reports to leadership.

The decision

Ask for a one-page zero trust maturity assessment and a 12-month roadmap. It will also help you answer the next customer security questionnaire.