Akamai Brings Defense-Grade Zero Trust Access Control to UK Supply Chain Security

The cybersecurity landscape in government and defense is shifting. As third-party access becomes increasingly critical—yet increasingly risky—organizations are scrambling to find solutions that don’t sacrifice operational speed for security assurance. Enter a new collaboration reshaping how UK defense entities approach identity and access management.

Bridging Two Worlds: Akamai’s DoD Pedigree Meets UK Government Expertise

Akamai Technologies, a major player in cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure, has partnered with P3M Works, a UK-based cyber resilience specialist with deep roots in government and national security, to deliver what they’re calling a comprehensive zero trust identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) offering tailored for the UK defense supply chain.

The partnership carries significant weight. Akamai brings two decades of proven experience securing U.S. Department of Defense networks, including successful deployments of Zero Trust Federated ICAM solutions across U.S. Army operations. P3M Works contributes established relationships with UK government agencies and an intimate understanding of regulatory requirements specific to British defense infrastructure.

What does this mean in practical terms? Organizations can now implement policy-driven access controls that enforce least-privilege principles—meaning users only get access to exactly what they need—while maintaining the operational agility required for complex, multi-party collaborations involving vendors, contractors, and allied partners.

The Technical Edge: How It Actually Works

The joint solution hinges on a policy engine that makes access decisions dynamically. Rather than granting blanket permissions, the system continuously evaluates context: who is accessing what, from which device, under what conditions, and whether their behavior looks normal.

Key capabilities include federated identity management for seamless third-party collaboration, attribute-based access control that adapts to real-time risk factors, and continuous authentication throughout user sessions. The system also handles challenging environments where connectivity is unreliable—think disconnected, denied, or limited bandwidth scenarios common in military and defense operations.

Every access request gets logged and audited, creating a comprehensive trail of who touched what and when. This continuous verification approach significantly reduces the attack surface for supply chain vulnerabilities and insider threats.

Why Now?

Supply chain attacks have evolved from theoretical risks to operational realities. When vendors and contractors need access to sensitive systems, the question isn’t whether to grant it—it’s how to grant it safely. A zero trust approach answers that challenge: instead of trusting access requests by default, the system verifies every single one.

Martin Hellmer, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Akamai, frames it clearly: “The increasing sophistication of cyber threats and the expansion of supply chain attack vectors demand a zero trust approach that continuously validates every access request, regardless of source or destination.”

P3M Works founder Jack Marley adds that the collaboration bridges a critical security gap: “This partnership allows us to implement policy-based controls that enforce least-privilege access while providing the flexibility needed to maintain operational effectiveness.”

Timeline and Visibility

The collaborative offering becomes available to UK government agencies and their supply chain partners beginning in Q3 2025. Akamai is also a lead sponsor of CYBERUK, the UK government’s flagship cybersecurity event hosted by the National Cyber Security Centre, taking place May 6-8 in Manchester—underscoring the vendor’s commitment to UK government security priorities.

The Bottom Line

As defense supply chains grow more distributed and threats more sophisticated, having zero trust identity and access management isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s becoming operational necessity. This Akamai UK government collaboration represents a significant step toward making enterprise-grade, defense-tested solutions accessible to organizations that can’t afford compromise.