Cyber adversaries aren’t standing still, and our defenses can’t either. In an environment where government networks face relentless, increasingly sophisticated attacks, it’s evident that perimeter-based security models belong in the past. A zero trust framework redefines the approach: Every user, device, and connection is treated as unverified until proven otherwise, or “trust but verify.” By assuming breach, zero trust delivers what today’s government missions demand: speed, resilience and the ability to contain damage before it spreads.

To truly operationalize zero trust, agencies must look beyond theory and embrace emerging technologies. Many federal organizations are already turning to artificial intelligence and digital twins to get there. A digital twin — a software-based replica of a real-world network — creates an invaluable proving ground. Rather than waiting for an adversary to strike live systems, agencies can safely simulate cyberattacks, test and refine policies, and validate updates before deployment. In my view, this marks a fundamental shift: Digital twins aren’t just a tool, they represent the future of proactive cyber defense, where learning, adaptation and resilience happen before a crisis, not after.

This approach doesn’t just strengthen agency defenses; it also streamlines operations. Instead of maintaining expensive, outdated physical labs, agencies can rely on digital twins to keep pace with evolving cyber threats. Most recently, a large government agency demonstrated the power of this approach by overcoming years of technical debt, rapidly reconfiguring critical systems, and building a testing environment that delivered greater speed, precision and efficiency that advanced their mission and operational goals.

Strategies for anticipating compromise while ensuring operational resilience

Digital twins offer significant potential for enhancing cybersecurity, yet their widespread adoption remains nascent due to several challenges, including budget constraints and agency inertia. Agencies can reference established frameworks such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology SP 800-207 and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency Zero Trust Maturity Model, to guide their zero trust journeys. However, with various legacy systems, cloud services and devices, agencies require zero trust capabilities for their specific needs. The core challenge for government then becomes how to proactively implement effective zero trust strategies that anticipate compromises while ensuring continued operations.

To address these challenges and effectively implement zero trust, here are key actions for agency leaders to consider that include people, process and tools:

• People

Embrace change management

Zero trust implementation is as much about people and process as it is about technology. To foster cross-team buy-in, agencies must clearly articulate the “why” behind zero trust. Instead of just a technical mandate, zero trust should be framed as a strategy to improve security and efficiency. This involves creating a shared understanding of the framework’s benefits and how it impacts each team member.

Quantify and communicate value

Measuring the ROI of zero trust is complex, as preventing incidents yields invisible benefits. How will you define success: reduced risk, faster compliance, operational consistency? Agencies should set milestones for measuring security posture improvements and regulatory progress while recognizing the limitations of conventional ROI calculations.

• Process

Adopt zero trust as a damage-limitation strategy

Rather than asking, “How do we stop every breach?” agencies should take steps to shift from prevention-only thinking to dynamic containment and defense, such as:

• Developing an incident response plan that outlines roles, responsibilities and communication protocols for cyberattack stages.
• Conducting regular tabletop exercises and simulations to test the plan’s effectiveness and find improvement areas.
• Automating security workflows to accelerate response times and reduce human error.

Be thorough with zero trust planning

According to public sector best practices, projects with 90% planning and 10% execution are far more likely to succeed. Agency technology and information leaders should take an active role in driving zero trust transformation, ensuring comprehensive planning, stakeholder engagement, and organizational buy-in are prioritized from the outset.

• Tools

Leverage digital twins

Agencies are turning to emerging technology, including AI and digital twins, to keep pace with threat actors. Government IT and SecOps teams can deploy digital twins to simulate attacks, validate controls and reduce costly physical testing environments. Digital twins should also be considered a safe space for agencies to experiment, identify vulnerabilities, and optimize policies before deployment — an invaluable asset for agencies navigating mixed legacy and cloud ecosystems. Moreover, model-based systems engineering and agile approaches, paired with digital twins, can empower agencies to “rehearse” security incidents and fine-tune architectures.

Tackle tool sprawl using informed consolidation

The sheer volume of disparate vendors and tools can undermine even the best zero trust architecture. Utilizing digital twins to map and simulate your IT environment allows for thoughtful consolidation without sacrificing security or compliance. Lastly, agencies should identify where they are duplicating capabilities and envision a streamlined, mission-focused toolset.

Accelerating zero trust at scale

To address the pace and complexity of future threats, government agencies must act boldly by embracing zero trust not only as a framework but also as a fundamental mindset for continual adaptation and resilience.

By harnessing the power of technologies like AI and digital twins, modernizing planning and response strategies, and committing to cross-team collaboration, agencies can outmaneuver adversaries and protect their most critical missions.

The path forward is clear: Operational resilience is achieved by investing today in future-ready strategies that anticipate compromise, ensure continuity and empower every stakeholder to play a proactive role in defense.

John Fair is vice president of Air Force sales and account management at Akima.

The post Merging zero trust with digital twins: The next frontier in government cyber resilience first appeared on Federal News Network.