The NSA lays out the first steps for zero trust adoption
Security pros often say that zero trust sounds straightforward until they try to apply it across real systems, real users, and real data. Many organizations are still sorting out what they own, how access works, and where authority sits. That day-to-day reality is the context for a new set of implementation documents released by the National Security Agency.
A series built for phased adoption
The NSA has published the first two documents in its Zero Trust Implementation Guidelines series. These initial releases cover the Primer and the Discovery Phase, which together set the groundwork for future guidance tied to the Department of War CIO Zero Trust Framework. Each phase focuses on a defined set of technical and operational steps that support movement toward those targets.
The series is designed to be modular. Organizations with different maturity levels can select capabilities that align with their current environment and priorities. This approach allows teams to apply the guidance incrementally without waiting for a single, comprehensive rollout.
The Primer explains how the ZIGs are organized and how they are intended to be used. It outlines the principles that guide the series and describes how individual phases fit together. The document also frames zero trust as a combination of technology, process, and operational discipline.
Establishing visibility through discovery
The Discovery Phase focuses on understanding the environment as it exists today. The guidance directs organizations to build visibility into data, applications, assets, services, and access activity across the architecture. This work supports the creation of a dependable baseline that teams can use for planning and prioritization.
Discovery activities include identifying where sensitive data resides, mapping dependencies between systems, and observing how users and services authenticate and authorize access. These steps help teams document current conditions in a structured way.
The outcome of this phase is an informed view of the operational landscape. That view supports decision making as organizations prepare for later phases of zero trust implementation.
Preparing for later phases
The NSA positions the Primer and Discovery Phase as entry points to the broader ZIG series. The guidance is meant to prepare system owners, cybersecurity teams, and other stakeholders for the release of Phase 1 and Phase 2 documents.
Reviewing these initial guidelines can help organizations align internal teams around common definitions and expectations. It can also support early planning efforts tied to governance, tooling, and data management.
Future Zero Trust Implementation Guidelines releases are expected to build on this foundation with more detailed direction on implementing specific capabilities across environments.
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