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 The Partnership for Public Service recently conducted a poll, and just 23% of Americans believe federal services are easy to navigate. Today, we will examine the importance of User Experience and how to overcome some of the challenges federal agencies face when attempting to improve. Lisa Hoover is the Head of Experience and Design at Karsun Solutions. In that role, she has experienced all aspects of federal design. She begins by observing that customer challenges may be recognized but not remediated.  She argues that there are several reasons for this standstill. Many federal agencies are dealing with legacy systems, and attempts to improve the CX can have unintended consequences. Further, qualitative improvement is difficult to determine in a world of bits and bytes. Sometimes, the ease of scaling data can make a system so complex that one does not know where to begin. Lisa Hoover recommends looking at Karsun Solutions' ReDuxAI offer. It leverages AI to establish a “blueprint” to see how everything connects, making digital transformation possible. Hoover also addresses the need for efficiency in federal IT, aiming to streamline processes and improve customer satisfaction. The conversation underscores the potential of AI to enhance federal service delivery. https://karsun-llc.com/innovation-center/innovation-center-projects/go-redux-ai/    

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Here we are at the beginning of 2025, and Bill Church, F5's CTO, discusses the company's role in helping federal agencies navigate the complexities of multi-cloud environments and cybersecurity threats. F5's strength spans the application portfolio of enterprise organizations. This includes application security, enhancement, quick access, improved availability, and even making them secure. It doesn't end there; they also help with encryption and authentication. Church emphasizes the importance of flexibility and consistency in managing diverse cloud environments. He highlights the challenges of API discovery, noting that many organizations are unaware of the number of APIs in their systems. F5's tools, like the App Study Tool, help identify and manage these APIs. Church also discusses using AI and machine learning in F5's solutions for enhanced security and data protection, including an AI gateway for large language models.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Matt Lembright, Global Lead of Censys Search, discusses the company's role in scanning the entire internet for threats, focusing on frequency, accuracy, and data richness. Censys helps government agencies and private organizations manage their attack surfaces by identifying exposed devices and vulnerabilities. The conversation highlights the challenges of securing operational technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, emphasizing the importance of understanding device protocols and maintaining up-to-date software. Lembright stresses the need for community engagement, local government involvement, and effective communication to protect critical infrastructure. He also mentions Censys' cybersecurity glossary as a resource for understanding key terms and concepts.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com There is an idiomatic expression, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.”  Essentially, it means that some people are so focused on the details that they cannot see the bigger picture. Today, Bob Ritchie, SAIC's Chief Technology Officer, takes a step back and examines the evolution of federal technology from a strategic perspective. He argues that because digital transformation is so convoluted, leaders tend to focus on the details of a transition rather than the ultimate objective. He frames this analysis in terms of systems integration vs. mission integration. He explains that while systems integration focuses on integrating technology for better outcomes, mission integration emphasizes achieving specific mission outcomes by iterative learning and adapting to technological changes.  Ritchie highlights the importance of aligning systems with mission goals and maintaining vigilance to ensure technology choices support these objectives. He also discusses the need for a mature approach to technology adoption, including the strategic use of legacy systems like mainframes and the importance of a standard data layer to reduce complexity.  

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com In spy movies, the federal government has unlimited funds for intelligence. In fact, it is always at its fingertips, no matter where it is located. Would it be so? In the real world, agencies have budgets that limit their ability to do everything from reducing fraud to ensuring the safety of a supply chain. One way to leverage the funds allocated for this task is to use Open-Source Intelligence or OSINT. During today’s interview, Jason English from Babel Street shares his thoughts on how OSINT should be a part of the matrix where federal agencies can get practical intelligence. He starts by defining OSINT, which includes search engines, social media, public relations, news sources, web scraping, data analysis, and, yes, the dark web. This information is freely available to everyone, which gives it distinctive advantages. First, classified information can be costly to obtain. Rather than limiting your information sources to one area, OSINT will provide a much wider range of sources quickly. Further, transparency is becoming a more prominent theme in technology—by definition, one can review the origin of any piece of information to assure its veracity. When it comes to collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information, OSINT provides benefits that answer many of today’s federal agency requirements.  

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Technology comes and goes; you can call it the cloud, zero trust, or even Artificial intelligence. In early 2025, we see stress that we have not seen before. The GAO has issued a report examining the federal IT Acquisition process and concluding that it needs to strengthen oversight, implement a mature acquisition strategy, and have a capacity-capable system. Today, we sat down with Reid Jackson from Unison to discuss how to make these key acquisitions.  During the interview, he discussed Acquisition Management, Cost Engineering, Virtual Acquisition, and Project Management. Unison has been involved in federal acquisition since 1984 and has a deep and thorough understanding of the procurement process.  Reid Jackson relates that some newer organizations may have a superficial knowledge of regulations and may deploy software solutions that do not enable astute and effective decisions for federal agencies. During the interview, Reid Jackson from Unison overviews many aspects of these challenges.  

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Bill Sullivan, an independent consultant with experience in federal technology, discusses the impact of the new administration's policies on federal projects. He advises federal employees to maintain professionalism despite the hiring freeze and emphasizes the importance of security standards, particularly in AI and data management. Sullivan highlights the need for government to adapt its acquisition process to keep up with technological advancements. He also compares the current AI initiative to the Kennedy space mission, suggesting it could improve energy production. Sullivan emphasizes the importance of security, especially considering global competition, and praises Elon Musk's systematic approach to change. Key takeaways: >>> Maintain a professional demeanor and continue working diligently despite the changes. >>> Monitor the developments around the $500 billion investment and its potential impact on energy and data center co-location. >>>   Advocate for reforms to the federal acquisition process to enable faster adoption of modern technologies.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com A recent SAS report shows that 84% of government decision-makers plan to invest in Generative AI in the next fiscal year. During today’s interview, Reggie Townsend details some of the precautions federal leaders must take to leverage this innovative technology. We begin the interview by mentioning that, in a governmental setting, technology cannot go beyond what is necessary to achieve a legitimate aim.  Although that is a noble concept, it can be futile because we are in the incipient stage of this technology. We do not have any laws about using AI; we have a patchwork of national and international regulations on the ethical application of AI. We can start with the Executive Office of the President. In addition to other Executive Orders, President Biden released further guidelines his last week in office. While well-meaning, these guidelines are not practical when put into perspective of what is going on in other countries. Reggie Townsend indicates that AI Safety Institutes can promote consistency and a proper ethical response to using data from citizens to feed AI.

  Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com Anyone with a pulse knows the new Trump administration has rescinded dozens of Executive Orders written by the previous president, Joe Biden. Executive orders #14110 and #14141, which dealt with artificial Intelligence, were part of this package. This has put the federal technical community in a state of expectation. On the one hand, they are charged with reducing costs by leveraging technology; on the other hand, they have a hiring freeze, and nobody knows what the new AI mandates will consist of. Today, we sat down with Jennifer Sample from EmpowerAI, a veteran of the tech wars, and asked her what direction developments in AI will take. Jennifer Sample reminds listeners that the federal government must consider privacy restrictions when applying AI to solving federal problems. Unfortunately, our near-peer adversaries have no such constraints. When the federal government attempts to apply AI, it does so inconsistently. The CIO Council may be able to list 1,700 federal use cases for AI, but the hard part is vetting the data sources and matching impact with agency goals. During the interview, Jennifer Sample discusses concepts like being AI ready, continuous qualification, and contextual governance. 2025 will force the federal government to do more with less; AI is a tool that can help accomplish that noble goal. If you want to hear a more in-depth discussion, she will speak at the Potomac Officers’ Club on March 12, 2025, in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.   

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com A recent study showed that the federal government has identified 1700 use cases for Artificial Intelligence. Today, we examine some challenges and solutions for unlocking the power of AI represented in these examples.  Our guest, Joel Krooswyk from GitLab, examines Software Bills of Material, repatriation, and what efficiency might look like in the future. SBOM. For years, software developers have recommended using a Software Bill of Material. Today, its value has become so apparent that it is becoming mandatory. During the interview, Joel Krooswyk discusses the security benefits of mandating an SBOM policy for all federal software development. Fifteen years ago, Vivek Kundra coined the phrase “Cloud First.”  It took a while, but cloud adoption is pervasive by the federal government.  However, with this adoption, we have seen examples where cloud service providers may over-promise and under delivery. The interview provides guidelines for transitioning from the cloud back to the premises, which is increasingly called “repatriation.” Software development in the future will make compliance partner with DevSecOps in an automated process. This will reduce maintenance costs and provide real-time reporting.  Intelligent automation will be able to validate each step of the process.