Identity-Centric Security: ICAM as a Mission Advantage

In the public sector, identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) is no longer just a box on an IT checklist. With escalating cyberthreats, tightening regulatory mandates, and citizens who are expecting secure, seamless digital services, ICAM has become a key component for mission success.

In this blog post, we explore how adopting modern ICAM — powered by the correct capabilities — can help government agencies meet mandates, ensure cyber resilience, and transform the function of identity into a distinct security advantage.

Historically, identity management in government was treated like plumbing: necessary but invisible. Think siloed directories, VPN vulnerabilities, endless reset requests for the help desk, and glaring gaps in visibility.

This legacy approach often slowed down operations. It also increased risk: Attackers could still exploit weak or shared credentials, “trusted” internal networks, or poorly protected apps. And compliance, while necessary, commonly felt like a burden rather than an opportunity to modernize.

Modern ICAM flips that script. When done right, it delivers four major mission advantages:

1. Continuity and resilience

2. Mandate compliance

3. Secure service delivery to maintain citizen trust

4. Operational agility and cost efficiency

Agencies must remain operational even during high-volume attacks, supply chain disruptions, or other cyber stress events. Strong ICAM reduces the risk of account takeover, insider threats, and lateral movement.

U.S. federal mandates like Executive Order (EO) 14028 (Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity) require civilian agencies to adopt Zero Trust architectures, use multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure software supply chains, and improve identity/authentication controls.

The Office of Management and Budget’s M-22-09 Federal Zero Trust Strategy further defines identity (specifically, enterprise-managed identities and phishing-resistant MFA for agency staff) as one of its five foundational pillars.

And the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication (NIST SP) 800-207 provides the technical framework that agencies use to architect Zero Trust, also emphasizing identity/authentication, least-privilege access, continuous verification, and segmentation.

By aligning ICAM solutions with Zero Trust requirements, agencies not only check the compliance box but also strengthen mission assurance by meeting federal mandates with comprehensive Zero Trust adoption.

U.S. federal mandates like Executive Order (EO) 14028 (Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity require civilian agencies to adopt Zero Trust architectures, use multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure software supply chains, and improve identity/authentication controls.

The Office of Management and Budget’s M-22-09 Federal Zero Trust Strategy further defines identity (specifically, enterprise-managed identities and phishing-resistant MFA for agency staff) as one of its five foundational pillars.

And the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication (NIST SP) 800-207 provides the technical framework that agencies use to architect Zero Trust, also emphasizing identity/authentication, least-privilege access, continuous verification, and segmentation.

By aligning ICAM solutions with Zero Trust requirements, agencies not only check the compliance box but also strengthen mission assurance by meeting federal mandates with comprehensive Zero Trust adoption.

Here’s a plausible example scenario to illustrate what strategic ICAM can look like in practice.

A federal agency responsible for public benefits was seeing frequent login failures, bot attacks, and occasional credential stuffing targeting its benefits portal. At the same time, remote staff and contractors required VPN access to internal systems, which increased operational overhead.

The agency decided to implement a modern ICAM stack, including:

• App & API Protector to shield the portal, which reduced credential abuse and bot traffic by more than 70%

• API Security to safeguard identity‐exposed APIs and integrations, which strengthened validation and logging

• Enterprise Application Access to move staff and contractors off legacy VPN by using least-privilege access and adaptive MFA

• Akamai Guardicore Segmentation to define boundaries inside the network; in the case of an intrusion, lateral movement is now limited so that only noncritical zones are exposed

In our example scenario, the outcomes would’ve been improved uptime of citizen services, fewer breaches and disruptions, lower operations cost, and better auditor and compliance readiness for a more secure and more agile mission.

The game plan to move from legacy identity toward identity as a strategic security advantage includes:

• Defining mission outcomes and metrics 

• Architecting for Zero Trust and least privilege 

• Securing the full access chain: Apps to APIs to infrastructure 

• Continuously validating, monitoring, and adapting

• Integrating governance, culture, and compliance 

The following indicators should induce you to start your move toward modern ICAM today.

• Mandates and policy requirements are clear and urgent. EO 14028 demands Zero Trust, secure authentication, and software integrity.
  

• OMB-level strategy (M-22-09) identifies identity as foundational to the Zero Trust framework, including requirements for phishing-resistant MFA.
  

• Cyberthreats are evolving. Credential-based attacks, API abuses, and lateral movement inside networks, are frequent vectors. Zero Trust architectures built around identity provide the strongest defenses.
  

• Public expectation is rising. Citizens demand digital services that are both secure and seamless. Government failure to protect identity data can erode trust quickly.