Read parts one and two of this series.

In the initial years of cyber policy in the Pentagon in 2009-2010, the government lacked cohesiveness around the threat and agency roles and missions. By the end of the first term of the Obama administration, however, progress increased rapidly. This was due to one thing: a rise in leadership. Cabinet officials and government staff always want to improve interagency coordination and drive results for the American public, but absent good leadership, it simply won’t happen.

What leadership lessons can we draw from the 2012-2013 period in cybersecurity, and what do those lessons offer organizations today?

Illumio believes that the Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity is a strong one: "never trust, always verify” – trust nothing inside or outside your perimeter; verify everything trying to connect to your systems and your high-value assets. As I travel around the world meeting with customers, I hear the words "Zero Trust" more and more. After speaking with Dr. Chase Cunningham of Forrester about the "why" of Zero Trust, I personally bought in. Tactics and technologies can come and go, but a philosophy (and strategy) implies long-term guiding principles that customers can apply to product purchasing trade-offs – and to this end, Zero Trust provides long-term guidance rather than a specific product recommendation.

Innovation: 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. At Illumio, innovation is born out of hard work and the drive to solve our customer’s data center and cloud security problems. Our employees, customers, and partners are integral to our innovation momentum. We’re proud to share some news on that front: Illumio has been named a Best in Biz Awards silver winner in the Most Innovative Company of the Year category.

This article was originally published on nextgov.com. 

China is rising in economic and military might and presents the greatest long-term challenge to U.S. national interests—including in cyberspace. Three weeks ago, the current U.S. national security advisor, John Bolton, for the first time publicly attributed the hack of the Office of Personnel Management to China.

China is investing in military cyberspace forces and today’s cyber theft could be tomorrow’s influence operation or disruptive attack on infrastructure. So what should the United States do to prepare for the rise of Chinese power in cyberspace?

This article was originally published on defenseone.com. 

A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Defense Department took the first step in executing its new “defend forward” doctrine in cyberspace. The Pentagon telegraphed this step in its new cyber strategy, which told Russia, China, and others that if they continue to conduct cyberspace operations against U.S. interests, the U.S. will push back by targeting their military cyberspace infrastructure and disrupting their operations.