As public health concerns continue, and as employee access preferences skew toward remote work using personal technology, it seems likely some government agencies will support telework and virtual service delivery indefinitely. But budget challenges and a lack of proper protections can increase cybersecurity risks. Already a prime target of phishing attempts to obtain user credentials for data breaches or ransomware attacks, the public sector is even more vulnerable in today’s new normal.

To improve their cybersecurity posture, IT teams need an effective strategy that will address and adapt to business and security challenges — including the ongoing pandemic and any disruption to come. A key part of this strategy will be adopting a zero-trust model to verify user identity and establish device trust before granting access to applications and data. Along with steps to improve overall security best practices, this strategy will strengthen an agency’s digital defenses in the present and beyond.