Zero trust has emerged as a pivotal concept in modern cybersecurity, emphasizing a framework of security practices rather than a specific technology, as outlined by CISA. Despite its significance, both federal agencies and private companies face challenges in understanding and implementing zero trust, partly due to a complex and sprawling market where vendors often misuse the term for marketing purposes. The CISA zero trust maturity model identifies five key technology pillars—identity, devices, networks, applications/workloads, and data—underscoring the necessity for cross-pillar coordination in visibility, automation, and governance to achieve holistic cybersecurity. Agencies must tailor their zero trust strategies to their unique environments and priorities, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach and focusing on building a flexible, adaptable, and scalable technology stack. This involves a careful evaluation of technologies like Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), Security Access Service Edge (SASE), Security Service Edge (SSE), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and Security Orchestration and Response (SOAR), ensuring they align with specific organizational requirements and achieve effective integration for continuous improvement in cybersecurity defenses.