Ep. 14 How to Optimize Federal Identity Management

June 21, 2022

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently highlighted the five pillars of a maturity model when it comes to Zero Trust: Identity, Device, Network, Workload, and Data. There is no accident that the first pillar is identity.

Sean Frazier is a well-known expert in identity management. During this interview, he provides a perspective about this topic that ranges from compliance to assistance in proposal writing.
One can argue that this is an isolated emphasis until you realize that the OMB Memo 22-09 talks about centralized identification, multifactor identification, and device signaling,

It would seem reasonable to conclude that an effective identity management system is a key component in making sure today’s dynamic federal hybrid cloud is safe.

"that identity is the first pillar because nothing really happens to someone or someone accesses something"

Sean Frazier, Okta Tweet

During the interview, Sean Frazier emphasizes Zero Trust Architecture and identity management. He answers questions about tools, public-private partnerships, and unfunded mandates. Expanding on tools, Okta brings unique value to the federal information technology professional. They offer a free tool called the “Identity and Zero Trust Assessment Tool.”

Additionally, your agency may be frustrated with the proverbial unfunded mandate, Okta offers to assist you in developing a proposal to get agency funding through the Technology Modernization Fund.

In a facetious manner, CISA has also provided “Bad” practices for federal agencies. These include being aware of end-of-life software, poor password management, and the use of single-factor authentication.

Today’s interview with Sean Frazier from Okta touches on the last two concepts.
When it comes to Zero Trust, Sean Frazier from Okta can make sense of the all-acronym soup . . .

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may want to listen to episode #11 Identity Management and the Federal Government