Jane Edwards 
- Mattermost has partnered with Virtru on zero trust file protection
- The partnership adds classification, encryption and access controls to file sharing
- The 2026 Intel Summit will explore AI, cyber capabilities and secure information sharing
Mattermost and Virtru have partnered to bring Zero Trust Data Format, or ZTDF, file protection natively into the Mattermost platform to facilitate secure collaboration.
Federal agencies continue moving toward zero trust, and companies across the defense industrial base are under pressure to meet related security standards. Artificial intelligence and secure information sharing will take center stage at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Intel Summit on Sept. 24. The event will feature a panel discussion about cybersecurity in the age of agentic AI. Save your spot now to join the conversation!
Mattermost said Tuesday the integration is designed to help national security and mission-critical teams collaborate securely while supporting the Department of War’s Zero Trust Strategy and data protection requirements tied to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Special Publication 800-171.
How Does the Integration Secure Files Shared in Mattermost?
Mattermost said the integration under the partnership seeks to address the gap left by collaboration platforms that lack built-in protection for data at the point it is shared.
The process begins when a user uploads a file to Mattermost. The platform prompts the user to classify the file and apply handling restrictions. Virtru then secures the file inside a protected ZTDF container. The container carries encryption and access controls with it. Those controls remain in place even after the file leaves Mattermost and moves across other users and systems.
The two platforms divide responsibilities within this architecture. Mattermost functions as the policy enforcement point, while Virtru serves as the policy decision point. The companies said this structure aligns with DOW’s zero trust principles. It also follows the ZTDF standard recognized across the intelligence community, known as IC-TDF, along with ACP 240 and NATO specifications.
What Did Mattermost & Virtru Officials Say About the Partnership?
“Zero Trust is no longer aspirational for national security teams, it’s a mandate. What makes this partnership significant is the level of control it brings to data-centric security: collaboration where sensitive files are protected based on who can access them, under what conditions, and for how long,” said Jason Blais, vice president of product and NATO alliances at Mattermost. “This is exactly what modern mission operations require, and it’s what Mattermost and Virtru deliver together.”
Virtru CEO and Co-Founder John Ackerly said secure collaboration is essential to mission success and should not come at the expense of intelligence sharing.
“Through this partnership with Mattermost, teams can protect sensitive files at the moment of sharing, with controls and policies that persist wherever the data needs to travel,” added Ackerly.
How Does the Partnership Build on Mattermost’s Recent Product Milestones?
The Virtru partnership builds on a series of recent moves by Mattermost. In October, the company launched Mattermost Entry, a free, self-hosted tier of its collaboration platform meant to help defense, government and critical infrastructure organizations keep full control of their data as AI-driven security threats grow.
In June 2025, Mattermost introduced Enterprise Advanced, a platform designed to give defense, intelligence and critical infrastructure organizations secure collaboration and AI-ready tools for managing multidomain operations. The company also unveiled the Intelligent Mission Environment, a sovereign, AI-enabled platform built to modernize mission-critical operations for defense, intelligence and critical infrastructure teams.
