Implementing zero trust, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other emerging technologies and techniques can help government agencies address threats to cloud environments, said Jason Payne, chief technology officer at Microsoft Federation.
In an article published on Carahsoft.com, Payne wrote that Zero Trust enables agencies to prevent unauthorized access, implement granular security policies, and prevent lateral movement across clouds in the event of a breach.
Using AI and machine learning, agencies can “automate threat detection and response” and improve security operations.
Payne noted that some cloud platform security tools such as Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, and Azure Arc offer a comprehensive approach to cloud security.
Microsoft's federal CTO also discussed how continuing authority can enable agencies to regularly evaluate their security posture.
Data storage, encryption, monitoring, logging, access management and data auditing should be key considerations as agencies develop the use of AI-enabled systems in their decision-making processes, Payne said.
“Security teams must understand why the system made a certain decision and be able to trace the decision back to the data. Therefore, storing data on a secure, transparent and reliable platform will be critical.”
He called on agencies to consider data management and indexing principles as vital.
“By adhering to these principles and adopting proven security practices, agencies can maximize the benefits of cloud technology,” Payne added.
