A recent analysis by Swimlane delved into the adoption rate of zero trust by federal agencies in response to an executive order from 2022. The study focused on assessing the confidence of these agencies in aligning with federal standards and the methodologies they employ to navigate the complexities of integrating key elements of a zero trust framework.

The findings indicated that 67% of the government agencies believe they are adequately or extremely equipped to conform to the zero trust standards specified in the U.S. government’s Memorandum M-22-09. In relation to the strategies they are adopting to satisfy all the prerequisites for a zero trust system and address the intricate security hurdles, 64% have shown a preference for low-code security automation.

Within the federal establishment, security teams are tasked with examining and addressing a multitude of alerts each day, all while adapting to constantly shifting directives. The analysis revealed the following:

• A substantial 83% of agencies acknowledged having vacancies in their security teams.
• There has been a notable increase in the duration to fill a security role, with 64% of agencies reporting it takes more time now compared to two years prior.
• A significant portion, 35% to be exact, of the agencies are of the opinion that they might never achieve a completely staffed security team possessing the requisite expertise.
• A staggering 99% recognized the advantages of low-code automation platforms, especially their capability to meet all security automation needs with decreased dependency on extensive coding expertise.

Conversely, a majority of the agencies, specifically over 90%, have observed that no-code solutions fall short in accommodating cloud or hybrid setups and are missing essential reporting and case management functionalities.