For more than two decades, Comply-to-Connect (C2C) has been a stated goal across the Department of Defense (DoD). The idea is simple: before a system, device, or user connects to the network, it must be verified as secure and compliant. In practice, however, C2C has been anything but simple. Early approaches relied on fragmented network access control (NAC) tools, point-in-time compliance checks, and manual processes that couldn't keep pace with evolving threats or complex federal environments.
These legacy solutions often created operational disruptions, false positives, and visibility gaps, while doing little to address insider risks or the reality of a global defense supply chain. C2C was treated as an access control problem rather than a continuous trust verification challenge. Today, that paradigm is shifting. By combining Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange with CimTrak's real-time integrity monitoring and assurance, agencies can finally achieve the promise of C2C, continuous verification of system trust tied directly to secure access.