How to Achieve Scalable Compliance and Zero Trust within a Remote and Hybrid Workforce

The value of creating a STIG-secure baseline upon which to build Zero Trust is essential to protecting DoD and other government assets in the cyber arena. Once you achieve that, however, you’ll soon be wondering, “but how can we make our solution more scalable and effective?”

The 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey showed a shift from nearly half of federal employees working remotely during the 2020 pandemic to 14% remote work and 25% teleworking at least three days a week by the end of 2022. This shines a light on the next evolution of cybersecurity—addressing the remote and hybrid workforce, Zero Trust and scalable compliance.

Zero Trust, scalable compliance and the remote and hybrid workforce.

The next iteration of compliance automation—Compliance Automation 2.0—is tailored to the realities of many government networks. Endpoints may be scattered geographically. Or they might belong to work-from-home, remote or hybrid workers whose computers may or may not be on when it comes time to scan.

This creates both a logistical nightmare and a wider attack surface that, if not effectively managed, can undermine even the most robust Zero Trust and STIG-protected enterprises. But fear not. SteelCloud has a ConfigOS for that.

The impact of a remote workforce on Zero Trust and compliance.

The effectiveness of Zero Trust goes beyond multifactor identification and other identity management techniques. It is impacted by multiple factors outside of the purview of Zero Trust alone. Consider these requisite elements every worker needs to complete their mission:

• User credentials to verify their identity
• An endpoint such as a PC, tablet, or phone
• Applications you provide that they use to complete their work
• The data they need to perform their job
• A network over which traffic flows between devices and applications, regardless of whether users are onsite or on the internet

Each one of those elements is an attack vector that needs to be protected by the “never trust, always verify” principle of Zero Trust.

What multifactor identification can’t do, STIGs can. But remote and hybrid workforces make it difficult to keep your network continuously STIG compliant. Ideally, Zero Trust and STIGs should work together to harden all the attack vectors listed above.

Scalable compliance for Zero Trust and a distributed workforce.

ConfigOS MPO was built specifically to address the needs of large-scale and distributed architectures. It helps realize the promise of some of your most desired outcomes in regard to Zero Trust and securing the endpoints of remote and hybrid workforces:

• Rapid Scanning and Remediation. MPO eliminates the time and effort it takes to become STIG compliant. Once policies are set, MPO can make you STIG compliant in as little as TWO MINUTES. Really.
• Remote and Hybrid Workforce Support. Your remote workers can be offline for days and, the minute they logon again, their workstations are brought into compliance. No need to track them down or set a time for everyone to be online. MPO automatically brings them up to compliance.
• Continuous ATO and Compliance. Because of its rapid remediation and support for remote and hybrid workforces, you can achieve continuous compliance at scale throughout your enterprise with set-it-and-forget-it precision and ease.
• Zero Trust Support. MPO validates both identity and configuration automatically, quickly creating a secure, compliant baseline upon which to establish a Zero Trust architecture.
• Continuous Monitoring and Visibility. MPO gives you real-time insight into both your security and posture and possible threats. This enables you to rapidly respond to any threat that may come your way.
• Simplified Compliance. There is no need to add cybersecurity staff in the midst of industry-wide shortages. You can STIG using the staff you already have. Which means your people now have the time to address Zero Trust and other pressing missions.
• Scalable Compliance and Zero Trust. The client architecture of MPO’s solution makes it easily scalable to change and shift as your endpoints change and shift, delivering continuous compliance every step of the way. This, in turn, simplifies Zero Trust at scale for remote and hybrid workforces.

See how continuous compliance at scale works for yourself.

As threats evolve, so too must our security. Zero Trust and STIGs are not destinations. They are journeys. STIGs have regular updates to keep up with new and emerging threats. And Zero Trust compliance will similarly transform over time, albeit at a slower pace.

ConfigOS MPO is a proven way to simplify cybersecurity and make things like scalable compliance for a remote and hybrid workforce possible. But don’t take our word on this. Schedule a free demo and see the mind-blowing results for yourself.