A focused course, tailored for you
Federal Zero Trust Network Architecture for FY26 ATO
A zero trust network reference architecture for federal contractor programmes preparing FY26 ATO submissions under OMB M-22-09 and the DoD Zero Trust Reference Architecture v2.0.
Federal contractor network engineers face FY26 ATO submissions that must show zero trust network maturity. The course delivers the reference architecture and the artefact pack that assessors accept.
$199 one-time
Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.
Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.
Why this course
Federal contractor network engineers face FY26 ATO submissions that must show measurable zero trust network maturity. OMB M-22-09 set the trajectory in 2022. The DoD Zero Trust Reference Architecture v2.0 codified the target shape. The CMMC 2.0 final rule landed. The Authority to Operate package now expects a zero trust network section that survives assessment scrutiny.
The default approach is a deck. The deck names the seven pillars and claims a maturity score. The assessor asks for the network architecture artefact, the segmentation evidence, the policy-decision-point and policy-enforcement-point inventory, the encryption-in-transit posture, and the audit trail. The deck does not produce these. The package goes back for rewrite.
The course works through the reference architecture and the artefact pack that survives assessment scrutiny. The macro-segmentation pattern. The micro-segmentation pattern. The policy-decision-point and policy-enforcement-point inventory pattern. The identity-aware-proxy integration. The east-west encryption posture. The audit-trail integration with the customer's existing SIEM. The artefact pack that the ATO submission attaches. Twelve modules with deliverables. Plus a hand-built playbook for your specific programme.
What you walk away with
- A documented macro-segmentation pattern.
- A micro-segmentation pattern.
- A PDP/PEP inventory pattern.
- An identity-aware-proxy integration.
- An east-west encryption posture.
- An audit-trail integration with SIEM.
- An artefact pack that attaches to ATO.
- A 10-week build plan.
The 12 modules
Module 1. The FY26 federal zero trust landscape
Walkthrough of the FY26 federal zero trust landscape. OMB M-22-09 implementation status across agencies. The DoD Zero Trust Reference Architecture v2.0. CMMC 2.0 final rule. NIST SP 800-207 alignment. FedRAMP Rev 5 alignment. The strategic decisions a federal contractor faces when preparing an FY26 ATO. The assessor expectations evolved from FY24 and FY25 cycles.
Module 2. Macro-segmentation pattern
Build the macro-segmentation pattern. The mission-system boundary definition. The shared-service boundary definition. The trust-zone topology. The east-west traffic-pattern documentation. The integration with the customer's existing routing and firewall infrastructure. The audit-trail integration. Plus the worked example for a federal programme with three mission systems and two shared-service zones.
Module 3. Micro-segmentation pattern
Build the micro-segmentation pattern. The workload-identity-based segmentation. The label-based policy framework. The service-mesh integration where applicable. The east-west policy-enforcement at the workload level. The integration with the customer's existing CMDB and asset-inventory. The audit-trail integration. Plus the worked example for a federal programme with 500 workloads across three classification levels.
Module 4. Policy-decision-point and policy-enforcement-point inventory
Build the PDP/PEP inventory pattern. The control-plane policy-decision-point inventory. The data-plane policy-enforcement-point inventory. The policy-administration-point inventory. The integration with the customer's existing IAM and identity-governance. The cryptographic-anchor pattern for policy decisions. Plus the worked example for the inventory artefact that satisfies the assessor's verification request.
Module 5. Identity-aware-proxy integration
Build the identity-aware-proxy integration. The remote-access pattern. The cloud-resource-access pattern. The east-west service-access pattern. The integration with the customer's existing IAM and CAC infrastructure. The audit-trail integration. The integration with the customer's CDM (Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation) cadence. Plus the worked example for the identity-aware-proxy topology in a typical federal programme.
Module 6. East-west encryption posture
Build the east-west encryption posture. The TLS 1.3 deployment pattern. The mutual TLS pattern. The certificate-management framework. The integration with the customer's existing PKI. The cryptographic-anchor pattern for the policy decisions in module 4. The CNSA 2.0 alignment for post-classical readiness. Plus the worked example for the encryption posture artefact and the assessor verification path.
Module 7. Audit-trail integration with SIEM
Build the audit-trail integration with the customer's existing SIEM. The log-format normalisation pattern. The high-volume telemetry-management pattern. The correlation-rule library. The integration with the customer's existing SOC cadence. The integration with the customer's existing incident-response runbook. Plus the worked example for a federal programme's SIEM ingestion volume and retention pattern.
Module 8. Continuous monitoring integration
Build the continuous monitoring integration. The CDM dashboard integration. The CDM data-feed integration. The CDM evidence pattern. The integration with the customer's existing GRC platform. The integration with the customer's existing ATO maintenance cadence. Plus the worked example for the continuous monitoring artefact and the assessor verification path.
Module 9. Artefact pack for ATO submission
Build the artefact pack for the ATO submission. The network architecture artefact. The segmentation evidence artefact. The PDP/PEP inventory artefact. The encryption posture artefact. The audit-trail artefact. The continuous monitoring artefact. The system security plan integration. The plan of action and milestones integration. Plus the worked example for the artefact pack the assessor accepts in first review.
Module 10. Assessor engagement pattern
Build the assessor engagement pattern. The pre-submission walkthrough. The mid-assessment response pattern. The deficiency-response pattern. The escalation framework. The integration with the customer's existing ATO programme office cadence. Plus the worked example for the engagement pattern that converts a first-pass assessor concern into a closed finding within the assessment window.
Module 11. Sustainment pattern
Build the sustainment pattern. The maturity-progression framework across the seven pillars. The continuous-monitoring data feed maintenance. The PDP/PEP inventory maintenance. The encryption-posture cadence. The CMMC 2.0 alignment maintenance. Plus the worked example for the sustainment cadence over the 36-month ATO cycle.
Module 12. Your 10-week build plan
Week by week. Weeks 1-2: federal landscape and macro-segmentation. Weeks 3-4: micro-segmentation and PDP/PEP inventory. Weeks 5-6: identity-aware-proxy and east-west encryption. Weeks 7-8: audit-trail SIEM integration and continuous monitoring. Weeks 9-10: artefact pack, assessor engagement, sustainment. Deliverable: a zero trust network reference architecture and ATO-ready artefact pack.
How this addresses your situation
Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.
ATO submission is the bar → Module 9.
Assessor asks for segmentation evidence → Modules 2-3.
Assessor asks for PDP/PEP inventory → Module 4.
Assessor asks for encryption posture → Module 6.
Assessor asks for audit trail → Module 7.
CDM integration needed → Module 8.
Sustainment over 36 months → Module 11.
What you get with this course
- The 12-module course delivered as text plus downloadable templates.
- Templates and worked examples for every module.
- A hand-built playbook generated for your specific programme.
- Three reference artefact packs from peer federal contractor engagements.
- Scripted talking points for the customer ATO programme office engagement.
What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1
Day 1: Macro-segmentation pattern scaffold drafted.
Week 4: Micro-segmentation and PDP/PEP inventory designed.
Week 8: Identity-aware-proxy, encryption, audit-trail, continuous monitoring operational.
Week 10: Artefact pack and assessor engagement pattern ready.
Before and after
Before
Deck with seven pillars and claimed maturity scores. Assessor asks for artefacts. Package goes back for rewrite. Programme slips.
After
Reference architecture and artefact pack. Assessor verifies in first review. ATO holds. Sustainment cadence maintains posture over 36 months.
What happens if you do not address this
FY26 ATO cycles begin shortly. Federal programmes that arrive with a deck rather than the artefact pack do not close in window. The next-year cycle compounds risk.
Who it is for
For federal contractor senior network engineers, principal network architects on federal programmes, security engineering leads at federal SIs, and senior consultants delivering zero trust programmes to federal customers.
Who this is NOT for. Pure non-federal practitioners. Practitioners with no ATO experience. Pure non-network roles.
How it arrives
Text-based course via LMS, plus downloadable templates and worked examples and the hand-built playbook.
Time investment. Roughly 18 hours of reading and 80 to 160 hours of build effort across the 10-week plan.
Why $199 is the right number
External federal zero trust programme consultants charge from 200,000 to 1,500,000 USD. 199 USD buys the focused playbook and the implementation document for your programme.
FAQ
Will this work for DoD programmes specifically?
Yes. Module 1 covers DoD Zero Trust Reference Architecture v2.0 specifics.
Does this cover CMMC 2.0 alignment?
Modules 1 and 11 cover CMMC 2.0 alignment.
What about FedRAMP Rev 5?
Module 1 covers FedRAMP Rev 5 alignment and the cloud-hosted programme pattern.
What is in the implementation playbook for me specifically?
Reference architecture tuned to your programme classification level, artefact pack matched to your assessor history, sustainment cadence aligned to your ATO cycle date.
30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.
