The Government Technology Insider Podcast

In this podcast Dale Smith of TCS will be talking with Andrew Stettner, who is the Director of the Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization at the United States Department of Labor. Recently, Stettner attended the 2024 NASWA Summit and has joined us to discuss the current state of unemployment insurance and where state workforce agencies are going.

In our newest podcast, Scott DeViney, a business development executive at SolarWinds, explained that observability offers agencies a modern approach to updating their IT infrastructures by going beyond traditional monitoring. Unlike monitoring, which only tells you what is happening, observability provides insights into why an issue occurs, whether it is related to network activity, cloud infrastructure, or application code. For federal government agencies overseeing some of the world’s most intricate networks, this shift is especially valuable. Observability allows agencies to proactively identify issues before they become outages or security breaches by correlating data from across the IT environment. In the most recent episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, DeViney and host Lucas Hunsicker explore the challenges civilian agencies face when updating their IT infrastructure and how observability can provide much-needed solutions. Civilian agencies tasked with delivering secure and reliable digital services to the public often struggle with complicated infrastructure and aging legacy systems. The ongoing need to balance security, compliance, and efficiency puts a strain on resources and creates major operational hurdles. Some of the key challenges discussed included managing thousands of users spread across multiple regions, and the growing complexity of hybrid cloud environments. DeViney pointed out that observability is particularly helpful in handling these complexities because it allows IT teams to transition from reactive to proactive operations by interpreting and correlating vast amounts of data. This improved resource optimization helps to ensure compliance with constantly changing regulations and helps agencies maintain safe and efficient services. One interesting real-world example DeViney shared was how observability assisted an agency in identifying and resolving a configuration issue that had affected user experience. Although individual IT tools reported no issues, they were able to identify the root cause and promptly restore service quality by comparing performance metrics.

What if you could cut information search times by 35 percent or boost customer satisfaction by 20 percent, all thanks to the power of AI? In this episode, Ruben Dedman, DevNet technical consultant and AI developer at TD SYNNEX, reveals how AI is business operations and fueling innovation. With 90 percent of top businesses investing in AI, Dedman outlines a clear roadmap for implementing AI, including no-code tools that prove even non-technical teams can harness AI. Tune in to discover how AI can revolutionize your business and supercharge your operations.

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Langone, Global AI Lead at Nutanix to discuss how agencies can jumpstart their cloud-free AI journey to deliver new capabilities and efficiencies while preserving their data sovereignty.

Imagine you’re working with a key customer, and they urgently need a specific file to move forward with their project. You spend hours digging through countless folders, but you never find what you’re looking for. Frustratingly, it turns out that the file was there the entire time, but someone had named it in a completely different way, making it impossible to find. This is a common challenge, especially in large organizations like TD SYNNEX and Cisco, where managing many documents can be “difficult.” Decision making can be affected by this challenge, which can include duplicating documents, relying on outdated information, or just now knowing here the most accurate data is kept. Keeping documents organized and easily accessible is a common challenge we all are familiar with, especially as business and the number of saved files grows over time. The enormous amount of data kept in multiple wikis and databases is a major challenge partners face, causing inefficiencies and delays when retrieving current, relevant data. Ruben Dedman, TD SYNNEX Net DevOps Consultant - Cisco DevNetGovernment Technology Insider podcast to discuss how WikiBot, an AI-powered tool, is set to revolutionize how partners and teams manage documentation. aims to address these challenges head-on by streamlining documentation processes and transforming team operations. By integrating with existing systems, WikiBot increases efficiency for partners by providing tailored access to knowledge that enhances client services and internal operations. It also helps sales teams locate product documentation and recommends solutions based on past purchases, enabling them to focus on high-value tasks. Dedman highlights WikiBot’s impact to democratizing knowledge and increasing productivity. Routine tasks can be automated to improve collaboration, reduce errors, and ensure that documentation is current and easily accessible. Ultimately, WikiBot empowers partners to manage documentation more effectively and provide better results. As Dedman said, “Wikibot... provides real-time wiki integrations with LLM AI models... it's a game changer. It's really been an awesome solution that we've been able to apply." For more into how WikiBot and AI are transforming documentation and boosting success, tune into the full podcast below.

In this episode, we sit down with Alex Dixon, Senior Principal of Military Health Technology Consulting Services at Maximus, to discuss how the Defense Health Agency (DHA) can take a digital first approach to improve military health service delivery.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker deliberates these themes with Bryan Schromsky, Managing Partner of 5G Public Sector at Verizon Business Group. In their conversation, Schromsky highlights how 5G technology offers the DoE a ubiquitous infrastructure, capable of supporting dynamic use cases across its vast facilities. The robust coverage and low latency of 5G can enhance both day-to-day operations and advanced research initiatives. The discussion explores the practical adoption of fixed wireless access as a versatile solution for both remote and backup connectivity, enabling crucial activities like meter reading and scientific research. Furthermore, the shift from BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to GID (Government Issued Device) underscores the importance of agency-owned devices in ensuring operational efficiency and security. Schromsky emphasizes the critical role of collaboration between industry, academia, and government in continuing to drive wireless innovation forward.

In this episode, we sit down with Bob Ainsbury, Chief Product Officer at Granicus, to discuss how data can be a powerful driver for transforming federal customer experiences.

In the ongoing discourse surrounding the use of AI, the world stands at a crossroads. While some herald AI as a transformative force, poised to revolutionize various domains, others harbor concerns about its potential to replace human roles. Amidst this debate, a profound realization emerges: the most impactful advancements in AI arise from a fusion of human ingenuity with machine learning (ML), embodying a human-centric approach. Rather than viewing AI as a threat to human relevance, forward-looking innovators recognize its potential as a tool for augmenting human capabilities. By prioritizing the development of human-centric AI/ML solutions, the federal government is working toward a future where technological progress harmonizes with human intellect and judgement the power of AI lies not in its capacity to render humans obsolete, but in its ability to amplify and enhance our collective potential. In the second part of this Government Technology Insider podcast, Amir Bagherpour, PhD, Managing Director at Accenture Federal Services, rejoined host Lucas Hunsicker to further explore the dynamic world of cybersecurity, focusing this time on the symbiotic relationship between human expertise and AI/ML tools. Bagherpour highlighted the critical role of AI and ML in automating repetitive tasks, enhancing threat detection, and accelerating the cognition process for cybersecurity professionals. As agencies explore the human-centric AI/ML solutions currently available, industry partners play a vital role in driving innovation and facilitating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies within the federal government. As cybersecurity continues to be a primary concern, collaboration between government agencies and industry partners is essential in fortifying defenses to ensure the resilience of critical systems against evolving cyber threats.

The October 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence marked a significant milestone in the federal government’s embrace of AI technology in combating cyber threats. As the cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, attackers are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics, including stealth operations, identity theft, social engineering, ransomware, and supply chain attacks. In response to these challenges, agencies are using AI and ML-powered cyber tools to triage threats and simplify the decision-making process, supporting enhanced judgement and actions recommended by SOC engineers. By harnessing the power of AI-driven analytics, agencies can transition from reactive firefighting to proactive threat anticipation. Identifying better ways to harness AI and ML technologies and improving data intelligence applications are crucial steps in this endeavor. In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker delves into the realm of proactive cyber defense with Amir Bagherpour, PhD, Managing Director at Accenture Federal Services. Together, they explore how advancements in AI and ML not only empower agencies to anticipate, understand, and mitigate cyber threats more effectively but also enhance the judgment capabilities of cybersecurity professionals. The discussion underscores the urgency for agencies to move beyond conventional defense mechanisms, especially as geopolitical tensions add complexity to the threat landscape.