Zero Trust for Higher Education.
Zero Trust architecture for higher education — engineered to protect federally-funded research data (CUI under NIST 800-171), student records (FERPA), and the operational reality that academic culture values openness — security controls must not break academic federation.
Drivers in higher education
- NIST 800-171 for federally-funded research with CUI
- FERPA student record protection
- InCommon + eduGAIN federation preservation
- Research collaboration with external institutions
Regulations this combination must satisfy.
- NIST 800-171
- FERPA
- CMMC 2.0 (defense research)
- state privacy laws
Patterns we actually ship for higher education.
- Pattern · 01
Research CUI enclave with NIST 800-171 controls, separate from general campus identity
- Pattern · 02
InCommon Research & Scholarship category federation for cross-institution collaboration
- Pattern · 03
Risk-based step-up authentication preserving low-friction student experience
- Pattern · 04
Endpoint posture assessment optional rather than mandatory for unmanaged research devices
Common questions.
How do you balance zero-trust with academic openness?+
Zero-trust does not mean "low trust everywhere." It means continuous, risk-based authorization. For research collaboration we keep the federation open; we tighten control on sensitive data enclaves rather than across the board.
Where does CUI research scope sit in a zero-trust model?+
In a separate enclave with NIST 800-171 controls, isolated from general-campus identity. The enclave has its own access reviews, MFA, and audit posture. Sponsored research with CUI is a defined sub-program.
Ready to scope Zero Trust for Higher Education?
Two-week diagnostic. Audit-ready artifacts. Same engineers from discovery through handoff.