Zero Trust Maturity Score
Measured progress against CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model pillars across identity, devices, networks, applications, and data
Industry Benchmark
2.8/5
+12.0% from previous period
Industry average: 2.3/5
Calculation Method
Average maturity level across five CISA ZT pillars (Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications, Data) scored 1–5 via quarterly assessment
Significance
Zero Trust is the dominant 2026 architecture mandate. CISOs must demonstrate measurable pillar-by-pillar progress to boards and regulators, not just aspirational roadmaps.
What is Zero Trust Maturity?
Zero Trust Maturity quantifies how far an organization has progressed from perimeter-based security toward a continuous verify, never trust model. CISA's Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM) v2 defines five pillars and four maturity stages: Traditional, Initial, Advanced, and Optimal.
Five CISA Pillars
- Identity — MFA, continuous authentication, identity governance
- Devices — Device health attestation, EDR, patch compliance
- Networks — Micro-segmentation, encrypted traffic, east-west inspection
- Applications & Workloads — Least-privilege access, app-level policies
- Data — Data classification, DLP, encryption at rest and in transit
Why it matters in 2026
Federal mandate: OMB M-22-09 requires federal agencies to reach Advanced ZT by end of FY2024; enterprise adoption pressure follows.
Breach reduction: Organizations at ZT Advanced stage report 37% fewer lateral movement incidents (Forrester 2025).
Insurance requirement: Cyber insurers increasingly require ZT Initial stage minimum for full coverage eligibility.
Industry benchmarks (2026)
- Financial Services: 3.1/5 average
- Healthcare: 2.2/5 average
- Technology: 3.4/5 average
- Retail: 1.9/5 average
- Manufacturing: 2.0/5 average