Federal agencies must deploy AI fast – but safely. The White House’s Executive Order, new OMB guidance requiring Chief AI Officers, and citizen expectations are driving rapid adoption. More than 1,700 AI use cases are already live across Government, doubling in just one year.
The challenge? Traditional security can’t keep up with AI systems operating at machine speed and scale. Federal agencies need Zero Trust architecture built specifically for AI agents, not retrofitted legacy systems. The recent addition of Nuggets’ Trust Layer solutions to the GSA Schedule provides exactly that foundation.
The Zero Trust Imperative for Government AI
Here’s the reality: AI agents make thousands of decisions per second across multiple systems. Without Zero Trust verification, agencies can’t prove who authorized what action, when or with which data.
The core challenges are clear:
- Speed vs oversight: AI operates faster than current security can verify
- Scale: Thousands of simultaneous agent interactions with no unified oversight
- Accountability gaps: No audit trails for autonomous decisions in black-box systems
- Compliance blind spots: NIST IAL2/IAL3 standards weren’t designed for autonomous AI
- Sophisticated threats: AI-powered spoofing attacks that overwhelm legacy defenses
Federal agencies face intense pressure to adopt AI, but risks around bias, privacy, accountability and public trust threaten safe deployment. The gap between what agencies must deliver–secure, transparent, compliant services—and what legacy systems can support continues to widen.
Why Legacy Solutions Can’t Keep Up
Traditional identity systems were built for humans, not AI agents. While protocols like Agent-to-Agent (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) enable coordination between agents and tools, they don’t verify trust, intent or authorization, especially when handling sensitive Government data.
Point solutions create security silos and compliance blind spots. Legacy frameworks simply don’t account for autonomous decision-making, leaving agencies without proof of who or what acted, when and with proper authorization. Without this foundation, compliance and accountability are left to chance.
The Trust Layer Solution: Zero Trust for AI
Nuggets provides purpose-built Zero Trust architecture for agentic AI. Recognized by Gartner as a leader in decentralized identity, our trust layer embeds verification into every AI interaction, no matter the agent, system or data involved.
The comprehensive architecture creates compliance by design through three core capabilities:
Verifiable Identity: Cryptographically verified identity for every human, organization and AI agent that works across all platforms, contexts, devices and systems.
Complete Audit Trails: Every AI decision creates tamper-proof records with consent receipts and authorization proofs that meet Federal accountability requirements.
Standards Compliance: Built-in adherence to NIST IAL2/IAL3, AAL2 and UK Digital Identity Trust Framework requirements, ensuring agencies can deploy AI while meeting stringent security standards.
The result: a Zero Trust foundation on which agencies can deploy autonomous AI systems with confidence that every action is verified, compliant and auditable. This will enable both rapid innovation and Government accountability.
Real Impact: Government AI That Works
For Government IT leaders, the practical outcomes are substantial and measurable. Agencies using Nuggets’ trust layer achieve:
Operational Confidence: AI agents operate autonomously while maintaining security standards, delivering efficiency without sacrificing oversight.
Compliance Assurance: Built-in adherence to Federal identity verification requirements eliminates compliance guesswork.
Mission Success: Complete audit trails for all AI interactions and decisions ensure accountability while preventing unauthorized actions that could compromise sensitive operations.
Real-world use cases demonstrate the impact: automated document processing across agencies with complete audit trails, AI-driven eligibility checks and fraud detection that withstand regulatory scrutiny, secure inter-agency data sharing with verified agent identities and AI-powered citizen services that maintain privacy while delivering efficiency.
Each deployment proves that agencies can achieve both AI innovation and Government accountability, systems that are trusted by regulators, citizens and the mission itself.
The GSA Schedule Advantage
Procurement complexity often slows Government adoption of new technologies, but Nuggets eliminates these barriers. The solution is available through multiple pre-vetted contract vehicles, including GSA Schedule No. 47QSWA18D008F, SEWP V contracts, ITES-SW2, NASPO ValuePoint, OMNIA Partners and E&I Contract.
This means agencies can move from evaluation to deployment quickly, leveraging Carahsoft’s established Government relationships and support infrastructure. No lengthy procurement delays, no security gaps, no compliance questions.
Ready for Trusted AI Deployment?
As agencies expand AI capabilities, traditional security cannot keep pace with the speed, scale and complexity of autonomous systems. Purpose-built Zero Trust infrastructure is essential for agencies that must balance innovation mandates with compliance requirements and public accountability.
See how Federal agencies are deploying AI that’s secure, compliant, transparent and trusted. Schedule a personalized demo to explore how Nuggets’ Trust Layer can secure your agency’s AI deployment with the accountability that Government operations require.
Deploy AI that’s trusted by regulators, citizens and your mission. Contact Carahsoft at (844) 214-4790 or Nuggets@carahsoft.com. Learn more at www.carahsoft.com/nuggets.
Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including Nuggets, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.
