Executive Summary

Like no time before, cybersecurity is a national problem demanding a national response. In 2021 alone, America has suffered massive disruptions to some of its gas pipelines, meatpacking plants and more.

Now, constituents nationwide wonder which part of their lives may be disrupted next. Private-sector companies are worried about cyberthreats interrupting their business. Perhaps worst of all, agencies at every level are unsure they can protect sensitive data and serve the public effectively. Across the United States, the time is ripe for a cybersecurity transformation.

Enter America’s most sweeping cybersecurity policy yet. In May 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order (EO) aimed at strengthening every part of national cybersecurity. Federal agencies will lead the charge, changing their people, processes and technology in ways that their state and local peers will likely replicate.

Although rank-and-file employees may not feel the impact of these changes immediately or have a direct role in carrying out all the EO’s requirements, there are trickle-down effects. No matter your role or your agency’s mission, the EO pushes for stronger individual and collective cybersecurity overall.

For instance, federal employees will strive to share more information about cybersecurity risks, threat intelligence and mitigation with their public-and private-sector peers. Federal agencies will also try to improve their processes for detecting, preventing, responding to and logging cybersecurity incidents. Lastly, these agencies will modernize their operational and informational technology using tools such as cloud computing, data encryption and zero trust cybersecurity. Collectively, these actions can make any agency more resilient against cyberthreats.

If your agency needs help unpacking the EO and what it means, this guide can help. The best practices, statistics and thought leader interviews we share can quickly align your agency with Biden’s cybersecurity EO. This resource will:

• Explore the latest anecdotes, data, developments and quotes to understand government cybersecurity nationwide

• Analyze the EO’s impact on five key areas: the cloud, data, people, processes and zero trust cybersecurity

• Share insights from major federal, state and local thought leaders that can improve your agency’s cybersecurity

• Provide tips for making your agency’s mission closely fit the cybersecurity EO The old way of practicing cybersecurity is not working, so agencies should rapidly modernize their cyberdefenses. Here is how the new EO brings government cybersecurity into the future.