OMB Memorandum M-21-31 was issued to improve the Federal Government's investigative and remediation capabilities for cybersecurity incidents. The memorandum responds to the operational lessons of major incidents, including the need for better visibility before, during, and after compromise. It establishes a maturity model for event log management across four tiers and requires agencies to improve log collection, log retention, log integrity, centralized access, automated forwarding, passive DNS logging, SOAR planning, user behavior monitoring, and access by CISA and the FBI when required by law and mission need.
Graphiant is fundamental to the network layer: Graphiant provides a secure, policy-driven, encrypted, observable, programmable, and centrally governed connectivity fabric that produces and forwards high-value network telemetry and provides operational controls that materially improve investigation and remediation. Graphiant is a strong enabler of M-21-31 maturity, especially for Network Device Infrastructure, Remote Access, Firewall, Network Flow, API Activity, Authentication, DLP-adjacent, partner connectivity, cloud connectivity, and traffic-path evidence categories.
Graphiant meets and exceeds the requirements :
1. Graphiant improves enterprise visibility by giving operators centralized insight into Edge health, connectivity, application activity, circuit performance, segmentation behavior, anomalies, and traffic trends.
2. Graphiant supports centralized log forwarding to agency-controlled collectors, SIEM platforms, and Enterprise Log Managers.
3. Graphiant strengthens investigation through device logs, packet capture, connectivity tests, support archives, reboot history, path-level telemetry, and exportable diagnostic artifacts.
4. Graphiant strengthens remediation by enabling centralized policy changes, zone-based controls, deny/drop/allow/inspect actions, segmentation validation, forced administrative session logout, and rapid isolation of risky flows.
5. Graphiant preserves confidentiality by using strong cryptography, including AES-256-GCM & PQC ML-KEM for communications, while avoiding payload decryption patterns.
6. Graphiant extends beyond conventional log collection by delivering policy, telemetry, encryption, path control, data movement assurance, and Zero Trust enforcement as integrated network fabric functions.
Graphiant gives agencies a stronger foundation for investigative and remediation readiness than legacy MPLS, VPN, or tunnel-heavy SD-WAN architectures. In legacy models, incident responders face fragmented visibility, limited path evidence, slow partner onboarding, and broad lateral movement. Graphiant reduces weaknesses by making secure connectivity observable, programmable, segmented, and centrally governed.
Framework
M-21-31 establishes a maturity model for Event Logging across four tiers: EL0 Not Effective, EL1 Basic, EL2 Intermediate, and EL3 Advanced. EL1 requires foundational capabilities such as Basic Logging Categories, Minimum Logging Data, Time Standard, Event Forwarding, Protecting and Validating Log Information, Passive DNS, CISA and FBI Access Requirements, SOAR planning, user behavior monitoring planning, and Basic Centralized Access. EL2 adds intermediate logging categories, standardized log schema publication, inspection of encrypted data or metadata, and greater centralized access. EL3 adds advanced logging categories, finalized automated hunt and incident response playbooks, finalized user behavior monitoring, container security monitoring, and advanced centralized access.
Tier | M-21-31 Rating | Requirement Summary | Graphiant Relevance |
EL0 | Not Effective | Critical logs are not retained in acceptable formats for required timeframes. | Graphiant helps move agencies out of EL0 by producing and forwarding actionable network logs, telemetry, diagnostics, and event data into agency-controlled logging platforms. |
EL1 | Basic | Highest-criticality logging requirements are met, including minimum log fields, time standards, event forwarding, log protection, passive DNS, SOAR planning, user behavior monitoring planning, and basic centralized access. | Graphiant supports EL1 by enabling Syslog forwarding, Edge monitoring, device logs, traffic and application visibility, NGFW policy events, and centralized Portal-based operations. |
EL2 | Intermediate | EL1 is met; intermediate log categories, schema publication, encrypted-data metadata, and broader enterprise SOC visibility are implemented. | Graphiant supports EL2 through consistent telemetry, API-driven access, metadata-aware observability, encrypted traffic handling without unnecessary decryption, and standardized operational reporting. |
EL3 | Advanced | All criticality levels are retained; automated hunt and incident response playbooks, user behavior monitoring, container monitoring, and advanced centralized access are implemented. | Graphiant supports EL3 through APIs, SDKs, playbooks, rapid policy enforcement, Zero Trust access telemetry, partner flow visibility, and integration with SOC automation platforms. |
Graphiant Architectural Relevance
Graphiant is strategically relevant because it sits at the network layer where incident activity frequently becomes observable: lateral movement, unusual destination access, unauthorized cloud paths, partner/extranet misuse, policy violations, routing changes, remote access events, firewall actions, and application flow anomalies. Graphiant's architecture provides those signals through a modern NaaS fabric rather than through fragmented appliances.
Graphiant is an infrastructure software for modern wide-area networking, cloud access, and secure data movement. It replaces rigid hub-and-spoke and hardware-heavy WAN constructs with a meshed software data plane under centralized policy control and includes a control plane for policy, dashboards, APIs, telemetry, and automation.
These capabilities align directly because they give agencies a consistent operations for collection, monitoring, investigation, and remediation across branches, data centers, cloud environments, remote users, partners, and sensitive data exchange paths.
Network Device Infrastructure Mapping
M-21-31 Category | Graphiant Supporting Capability | How Graphiant Meets and Exceeds |
Network Device Infrastructure - General Logging | Graphiant Edge, Device Logs, Syslog, Observability, Edge Monitoring, Security Policies, API telemetry. | Graphiant provides a centralized, policy-aware network telemetry source rather than isolated device logs. This improves investigation, correlation, and remediation. |
Firewall Logs | Graphiant Edge NGFW, security zones, zone pairs, rule sets, deny/drop/allow/inspect actions. | Graphiant enforces firewall policy at the Edge and ties policy action to segmentation context, strengthening both evidence and containment. |
Network Flow Logs and Service Metrics | Edge Monitoring, Observability, Data Assurance, application activity, circuit performance, traffic trends. | Graphiant provides flow and path context, not just source/destination records, improving the fidelity of incident reconstruction. |
API Activity Logs | Graphiant Portal REST API, OpenAPI, SDKs, programmatic access. | Graphiant enables automated SOC workflows and auditable programmatic operations for investigation and response. |
Authentication and Administrative Activity | Graphiant IAM, roles, permissions, MFA type, last active status, force logout. | Graphiant supports role-based administration and rapid session termination for suspicious administrative access. |
Remote Access / VPN Replacement | Graphiant SASE, ZTNA, identity/context-based access, approved application access. | Graphiant improves over broad VPN reachability by limiting users and devices to approved applications, reducing lateral movement. |
DLP and Data Movement Evidence | Graphiant SASE DLP, Data Exchanges, Data Assurance, data sovereignty controls. | Graphiant makes data movement visible and policy-controllable, which improves investigative and compliance evidence. |
Packet Capture | Local Web Server packet capture with filters and exportable results. | Graphiant allows targeted packet capture for troubleshooting and incident analysis without defaulting to wholesale decryption of all payloads. |
Routing Changes / BGP / Path Evidence | Graphiant policy-based mesh, Cloud Gateway, Edge diagnostics, service path visibility, routing controls. | Graphiant reduces fragmented path evidence and enables deterministic path control across hybrid and cloud environments. |
Partner / Extranet Evidence | Graphiant Data Exchanges and B2B service with real-time visibility, encrypted traffic, and policy control. | Graphiant replaces opaque legacy partner VPNs with a Zero Trust, policy-controlled, auditable partner exchange model. |
Graphiant Exceeds M-21-31 Requirements
M-21-31 Objective | Baseline Need | Graphiant Advantage |
Centralized visibility | Agency SOCs need visibility into logs and events across components. | Graphiant centralizes network visibility through Portal, Edge Monitoring, Observability, Syslog, APIs, and reporting. |
Near-real-time forwarding | Events must be forwarded to SIEM, ELM, storage, and analytical workflows. | Graphiant Edges can be configured for Syslog forwarding to centralized agency systems and combined with live monitoring dashboards. |
Log integrity and access control | Logs and logging systems must be protected against tampering and unauthorized access. | Graphiant combines centralized IAM, role controls, authentication requirements, cryptographic communications, and agency-controlled external retention. |
Encrypted-data metadata | Agencies should retain available metadata when full inspection is not performed. | Graphiant provides telemetry and path metadata while preserving end-to-end encryption and avoiding unnecessary vendor-side payload decryption. |
SOAR and response playbooks | Agencies must plan and then implement automated hunt and response playbooks. | Graphiant APIs, SDKs, playbooks, and centralized policy controls enable automated containment and remediation actions. |
User behavior monitoring | Agencies must detect compromised credentials, improper access, compromised hosts, and lateral movement. | Graphiant SASE and ZTNA add identity/context-based network evidence and enforcement to agency UBA workflows. |
Network device infrastructure logs | Network infrastructure must produce firewall, API, flow, authentication, routing, and remote-access evidence. | Graphiant supplies integrated network evidence across Edges, cloud gateways, policy controls, diagnostics, and partner exchanges. |
Cross-agency and Federal response support | Agencies must be able to provide relevant logs to CISA and FBI. | Graphiant improves the quality, context, and speed of evidence production through centralized telemetry and agency-controlled forwarding. |
Conclusion
OMB M-21-31 requires agencies to mature event logging, centralized visibility, log retention, log protection, automated forwarding, incident response automation, behavior monitoring, and SOC access to high-value cyber evidence. Graphiant provides a strong and differentiated foundation for achieving these outcomes at the network layer.
Graphiant meets the requirements by generating and forwarding relevant logs, providing centralized operational visibility, supporting diagnostics and packet capture, enabling Syslog, applying strong cryptography, supporting IAM and administrative access control, exposing APIs for programmatic access, and integrating with agency SOC workflows.
Graphiant exceeds the requirements by making network telemetry actionable. Its policy-driven mesh, Stateless Core, Edge enforcement, SASE, ZTNA, DLP, Data Exchanges, Cloud Gateway, Data Assurance, Observability, and automation capabilities allow agencies to move beyond passive logging into active investigation and remediation. The platform provides the missing operational link between cyber evidence and network containment.
For Federal agencies implementing M-21-31, Graphiant should be positioned as a mission-critical investigative and remediation fabric: a secure, encrypted, observable, programmable, and policy-enforced network platform that accelerates detection, supports incident reconstruction, enables faster remediation, and materially improves SOC effectiveness across hybrid, cloud, remote-user, and mission-partner environments.