Federal and defense CIOs are racing to implement zero trust (ZT) architectures and IT infrastructure modernization. Their aim is to improve cybersecurity, meet ZT mandates, and achieve cost savings. To that end, many CIOs are seeking a secure ZT access solution—one that can be rolled out at scale in a fully automated way in the cloud, on premise, and at the tactical edge.

To meet the need, Booz Allen has formed a strategic partnership with commercial tech company Versa Networks, hardening Versa’s tech to protect sensitive environments and mission-critical systems from tomorrow’s threats. Booz Allen is leading the first large-scale deployment of Versa’s Zero Trust Edge (ZT Edge) capability across the Department of Defense (DOD) via the advanced DOD ZT platform known as Thunderdome. ZT Edge is a unified software solution that transforms security by continuously applying ZT conditional-access policies. ZT Edge is part of the turnkey Thunderdome solution that meets DOD’s highest ZT standards. It’s also available a la carte to DOD customers via Thunderdome’s flexible contract vehicle. Federal civilian agencies can adopt this capability, too, by partnering with Booz Allen.

Not familiar with this tech yet? Here are a few reasons why it’s so important:

• It continuously applies ZT conditional access policies in real time by validating device posture, user identity, and other ZT attributes.
• It serves as a policy decision point and policy enforcement point (PDP/PEP) for customer environments, provides micro-segmentation and software-defined networking (SDN), and enforces access controls.
• It’s deployable in tactical, disconnected, highly sensitive environments—so it can support forward-deployed warfighters in need of secure, resilient communications.
• It’s an integral part of Thunderdome’s consolidation of legacy point products, resulting in improved efficiency and visibility (e.g., removing point products from the Joint Regional Security Stack [JRSS] to create a single software stack).

This kind of consolidation reduces operational complexity, improves manageability, makes the transport network agnostic, and strengthens security by enabling consistent policy enforcement across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments. For agencies facing similar sprawl, streamlining disparate functions into a unified platform isn’t just more efficient—it’s essential for meeting ZT objectives at scale.

Expediting cybersecurity improvements is a national imperative. Together, Booz Allen and Versa can enable agencies to implement ZT architectures and infrastructure modernization with greater confidence and speed.