Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Everyone who has listened to a podcast about technology has heard the phrase, “People, Process, Technology.”  This is a model derived from a management consultant in the 1960’s.  We have seen a lot of focus on technology, a smattering of attention given to people, almost no concern with the process itself. Today’s interview with Aubrey Vaughn, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Celonis, to discuss process intelligence over artificial intelligence. Instead of a technical description, Aubrey shares a story about saving $10 billion in improper payments and emphasizes the importance of understanding why processes fail.  Aubrey explains that process intelligence is the backbone of business operations, simplifying and improving efficiency. One approach to evaluating a process is to make a duplicate of it and analyze the processes apart from the operation. Some call this making “digital twins.” He highlights the role of digital twins in creating a complete blueprint of organizational processes. During the interview, Aubery Vaughn provides information about the "Process Intelligence Day" event in September 2025 to the audience, including details on the location, agenda, and how to register. events in September will offer educational sessions and CPE credits on process intelligence.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com AFCEA’S TechNet Cyber conference held in Baltimore, Maryland was the perfect opportunity to sit down with Bryan Rosensteel, Head of Public Sector Marketing at Wiz.  Wiz is the “new kid on the block,” and it has had tremendous growth.  During the interview, Bryan Rosensteel shows how agentless approaches can improve visibility and assist with compliance.  We all know how complexity has infiltrated federal technology.  We have the usual suspect of Cloud Service Providers, hybrid clouds, private clouds, and, if that was not complicated enough, alt-clouds.  As a result, it is almost impossible to get a “bird’s eye” visibility to provide cyber security. Two main ways have been proposed to secure this much-desired system’s view. Agent.  One approach is to put a bit of code on each device, called an “agent” method.  It is good for granular control, but can slow down a scan and must be maintained Agentless.  Bryan Rosensteel from Wiz describes something called a “agentless” method to gain visibility into complex systems.  This method leverages infrastructure and protocols to accomplish the scanning objective much faster. Bryan Rosensteel states that in a world of constant attacks, this faster method allows for rapid updates to threats. Beyond better observation, an agentless method, like the one provided by Wiz, allows for compliance automation, continuous monitoring, and sets the groundwork for effective Zero Trust implementation.

AFCEA’S TechNet Cyber conference held in Baltimore, Maryland was the perfect opportunity to sit down with Greg Carl, Principal Technologist from Pure Storage. Pure Storage is used by 175 federal agencies.  Time to sit down from a subject matter expert and explain their value proposition. Today’s federal government is attempting to accomplish digital modernization through a move to the cloud and, at the same time, reduce staff.  To multiply the risk associated with this endeavor, we see an increase in cyber attacks on data at rest, in transit, and while in use.  Greg Carl drills down on how Pure Storage can help federal leaders in several areas, he begins with Retrieval Augmented Generation, RAG. People have jumped into AI without knowing how to structure a large language model, the popular LLM.  RAG focuses on text generation and tries to make sure the data collected is accurate, relevant, and contextually aware. Pure Storage asks, if RAG protects the results of a query, what protects the “Retrieval” part of RAG.  We know LLMs are being attacked every day.  Malicious code could be placed in a LLM, and the RAG system might not know. A decade ago, backups were child’s play.  A server down the hall, a backup appliance.  Today, one needs an agile cloud solution to perform continuous backups in a hybrid world.  One way to gain resilience is to use immutable backups where the attacked system can be restored and not lose valuable time. Speed and security handling important data activities can reduce costs for federal leaders by improving accuracy of LLMs and speed the time to recover after an attack. Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com When most of us hear the word “lifecycle,” we normally assume they are talking about the Software Development Lifecycle. Today, we are going to vary that concept and discuss the Contract Lifecycle and its management. It has been recognized as a part of systems management, so it has developed its own abbreviation: Contract Lifecycle Management, or CLM. Our guest is Ryan Donley from Icertis. He highlights the shift from traditional methods like Excel spreadsheets to modern digital platforms. Much like software, the CLM can be divided into pre-award, post-award, compliance, and closeout areas. Every agency oversees this sequence in a unique manner. Ryan Donley points out that some organizations still use Excel spreadsheets for this task. He recommends that people realize that antiquated processes can limit your ability to have accurate information and can cause reporting to be delayed. Further, when a system is automated, coordination between departments is accelerated, and issues like compliance can be acted upon quickly. Icertis operates on a single-tenant GCC high cloud with Microsoft, ensuring security and compliance.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Brian Funk from Metaphase summarizes his company in one sentence, “It’s all about meeting – meeting the mission with the technology.” What makes his company unique is the focus on drawing down costs in an efficient way. That is a great concept and has worked for Metaphase since its founding in 2013, but today we are uncertainly living in a world of policy. The question to ask, how does Metaphase operate in a world where the next six months are almost impossible to predict. Brian Funk’s response is that they support over twenty agencies, it has given them a range of experience so they can select from a wide range of solutions. One example he gives includes a rapid response to a DHS RFI. Instead of sketching a possible solution, Metaphase delivered a fully functional application. That in and of itself, is a demonstration of being able to rapidly adapt to unpredictable situations. Funk also discusses the need for guardrails in AI usage and the potential for AI to enhance both efficiency and security in federal IT.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com The federal government is releasing so many RFIs and RFQs that it is increasingly challenging to select which ones to respond to. For example, let us say you get 60 requests. You do not have an equal chance to win any of the sixty messages. Do you assign the same amount of time to each one? Do you review each and rank the chances of success? What about the time you used in the ranking process? Remember, you could jeopardize your chances of winning if you do not respond promptly. Deep Water Point & Associates offers one solution to this dilemma. During the interview, Brian Seagraves describes a system called “North Star” that leverages AI to look at an opportunity and give it a grade for your specific company. A ranking of 0—100 means you will not waste time or effort on a proposal that will go nowhere. As a “proof of concept,” John Milward from Axxa painted a picture of a solution. In 2023, he was drowning in responding to opportunities. He started using the North Star system and has experienced drastic improvement. Brian Seagraves reminds the audience that the federal government still awards contracts and sends out RFPs. During stressful times, it is always best to keep a cheerful outlook and increase the number of opportunities for your company.  

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Artificial Intelligence can be applied to code generation, predictive analytics, and what is called “generative” AI. " Generative means the AI can look at a library of information (Large Language Model) and create text or images that provide some value. Because the results can be so dazzling, many forget to be concerned about some of the ways the starting point, the LLM, can be compromised. Just because LLMs are relatively new does not mean they are not being attacked. Generative AI expands the federal government's attack surface. Malicious actors are trying to poison data, leak data, and even exfiltrate secure information. Today, we sit down with Elad Schulman from Lasso Security to examine ways to ensure the origin of your AI is secure. He begins the interview by outlining the challenges federal agencies face in locking down LLMs. For example, a Generative AI system can produce results, but you may not know their origin. It's like a black box that produces a list, but you have no idea where the list came from. Elad Shulman suggests that observability should be a key element when using Generative AI. In more detail, Elad Shulman details observability from a week ago vs. observability in real-time. What good is a security alert if a federal leader cannot react promptly? Understanding the provenance of data and how Generative AI will be infused into future federal systems means you should realize LLM security practices.  

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com The federal government needs to share information on a wide variety of platforms and must provide methods to ensure this transmission is secure.  Of course, the hard part is the “how” part of this data transfer.  Tim Fuhl from Owl Cyber Defense gives the listener an overview of how Owl Cyber Defense can help federal agencies share information securely. To accomplish this task, he discusses two fundamental concepts: diodes and Cross Domain Solutions. Diodes.  This is a mysterious word that was liberated from electrical engineers. When designing a semiconductor,  one may need to create a one-way path to prevent a signal from returning.  The solution in electronic design is a “diode.”     Owl Cyber Defense took an electrical concept called a diode, which provided “one-way” data transfer. When they combined this one-way street with a data path, they developed a “data diode,” a device that limits data transfer to one direction, protecting the system from a reverse movement.  When it comes to securing federal systems, a “data” diode is a device that restricts data transfer one way, essentially creating a one-way street. Cross Domain Solutions.  One of the newest abbreviations in the world of security is Cross Domain Solution (CDS).  The federal technical world is comprised of levels of protection.  As a result, what is needed is a way for communication between varying security levels. During the interview, Tim Fuhl defines both terms and gives examples of where this innovation can be applied to federal systems.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com In traditional commercial selling, a company seeks to understand its business problems and then presents a solution that would save time and money. Understanding federal requirements has a few more barriers than scheduling a meeting with the CIO.   The federal government has security requirements and considerations few commercial companies can even consider. There are no effortless ways to understand system requirements for a company trying to break into the federal marketplace. This has been understood for decades. In fact, Ron Reagan decided to help small businesses understand their needs and provide some assistance. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program was established in 1982. The concept was simple: an agency would post requirements and look for a small company to get a response. If the proposal was favorable, some steps allowed further development and funding. During today’s interview, Tom Ruff updated us on the three phases of SBIR and provided specific examples of companies that have successfully navigated the process.

  Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Most people are so overwhelmed with the dazzle of Artificial Intelligence that they dismiss the power of quantum computing. Reality is the optimized solution for solving some federal problems involving artificial intelligence; other issues need to consider quantum. Today, Murray Thom puts the ability of quantum computing in a better perspective. For example, when it comes to aerospace maintenance, there are so many variables that classical computing is challenged to provide an answer. We all know that a traditional computer would use bits (0s and 1s). Quantum allows an approach that is not as linear and can provide faster answers to many questions. The crus of the interview was not a debate on the origins of quantum and Einstein’s remark about God not throwing dice. The debate is over—quantum work. Quantum computing can help the federal government find solutions to public sector challenges like optimizing public services, transportation networks, and defense. The core of this interview is whether your federal agency is looking for a problem that is too expensive or too time-consuming to solve using classical computing. It is possible to use quantum innovation to solve the problem more economically. Look at some success stories from D-Wave; they may provide an economic option for you. Download the D-Wave e-book “Transforming the Public Sector: Quantum-Powered Optimization” on the Carahsoft website.