The Government Technology Insider Podcast

Growing support for worker’s rights, including work-life balance and improved access to healthcare, has led state governments to consider the ways in which they support workers and how those services can be improved. 13 states plus the District of Columbia have taken steps to support community health by adopting and implementing Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) programs, which allow workers to take protected paid leave to care for a family member or address their own medical concerns. Data from the states with active programs has demonstrated their efficacy and necessity, but their unique design and implementation requirements mean that many states are unsure of how to move forward.In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, we spoke with Admira Makas, Director, Paid Family and Medical Leave at TCS – Tata Consultancy Services, to discuss PFML’s potential health and economic outcomes, the benefits it can have for employers, and how more states can take the next step toward PFML implementation.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was designed to provide citizens with transparency into government operations and play a critical role in maintaining public trust. However, government agencies face many challenges fulfilling FOIA requests, which often undermine trust in government even further. How can government agencies overcome these challenges – from cybersecurity concerns to siloed data infrastructures – to simplify the fulfillment of FOIA requests quickly and accurately? To answer that, Government Technology Insider talked with Amit Dungarani, Vice President of Growth Enablement and Amy Hilbert, Executive Vice President of Government Solutions at Casepoint to discuss how federal agencies can navigate legacy challenges using innovative technology to simplify FOIA requests.

Federal healthcare agencies have been working diligently over the last few years to modernize service delivery to improve patient outcomes and experiences. Before health agencies can modernize, they must first overcome challenges around data interoperability to improve the future of patient care. Government Technology Insider talked with Monica Rosser, Health Market Lead at Maximus, to discuss how agencies can navigate the challenges of public health to modernize successfully.

Federal government agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners have dedicated time, resources, labor and funding to keeping ahead of an increasingly complex technical landscape. The Federal 100 Awards, considered the most prestigious awards for the federal IT community, present an opportunity to recognize the leaders driving that innovation forward. For this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, we invite a guest host, Dale Smith, Director of UI and Workforce Programs at TCS – Tata Consultancy Services, to speak with Andrew Stettner, Director of the Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization at the United States Department of Labor. In February, Stettner was recognized for his work at the Department of Labor with his induction into the Fed 100 Class of 2024. In today’s conversation, Smith and Stettner discuss the significance of the Fed 100, developments in the unemployment insurance (UI) space, and the work Stettner is doing to continually improve how states can deliver UI programs, support their constituents, and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse.

AI implementations not only revolutionize network functionalities but also play a pivotal role in elevating employee morale and help create the elusive unicorn employee. In part three of the AI and DevNet podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker once again comes together with Ruben Dedman, Technical Consulting Manager for Cisco DevNet at TD SYNNEX, to discover real-world examples of how AI-driven automation within networks empowers teams, fostering a sense of purpose and satisfaction, especially during challenging times. The benefits this creates for partners showcase the unique ways AI contributes to the development of unicorn employees—individuals with unparalleled skills and a profound sense of purpose.

Local government agencies have worked diligently to transform and modernize how services are delivered. But delivering unique experiences that streamline and personalize interactions with agencies isn’t always as easy as it might appear. To better understand what makes local government modernization successful, Government Technology Insider sat down with Josh Fruecht, Senior Sales Leader at Granicus, who has over 17 years of experience working in, and for, public sector organizations. In the interview, Fruecht explains how agencies can integrate technology solutions in a strategic way using human-centered design to realize their vision to provide these unique experiences seamlessly to their key stakeholders.

Increasingly, nation-state sponsored cyberattacks are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their chances of successfully compromising an organization. But federal government agencies can also put the power of AI to work to bolster their cyber defenses. The advantage that AI brings to cybersecurity and defense is that it can analyze vast amounts of data, identify unusual patterns, predict potential security incidents, and enable cybersecurity teams to focus on verified threats instead of false positives. In a recent podcast with Government Technology Insider, Jon S Kim, Vice President of Solutions and Services at Presidio Federal shared the potential applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity for federal agencies. Despite all the benefits it may bring, there are potential ethical issues when it comes to using AI. Federal cybersecurity leaders must consider algorithmic bias and the potential to unfairly target or discriminate against groups.

For years – if not decades – federal government agencies have been facing a quartet of cyberattacks – phishing, supply chain attacks, ransomware, and DDoS. Now, in addition to these, agencies must deal with new threats including deep fakes. Deep fakes are a type of synthetic media that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to impersonate government officials and other trusted individuals to spread disinformation. Now, however, they’re also becoming an emerging tactic that cyber-criminals are taking advantage of to launch highly effective cyberattacks. Government Technology Insider sat down with Jon S Kim, Vice President of Solutions and Services at Presidio Federal to discuss new cybersecurity threats that federal agencies are tackling in 2024. In the conversation he highlights how critical it is for agencies to stay ahead of deep fakes and other emerging threats, as well as traditional attacks, through continuous training, investing in advanced threat intelligence, conducting regular security audits, and implementing a Zero Trust architecture.

Jeff Colburn, Enterprise Networking Solutions Architect at Presidio Federal, discusses the importance of incorporating Zero Trust architecture in cybersecurity practices, including multi-step verification processes for users. Due to the increase of cloud services, mobile devices, and remote work among federal agencies, there are more opportunities for data to be breached. Compromised systems have led to the loss of confidential and personal data and have even caused economic damage from industrial shutdowns and shortages. In conjunction, security approaches must evolve to ensure secure networks. Zero Trust architecture revolves around the assumption of compromise. Instead of allowing verified users access to an entire network - segmenting networks into smaller, more isolated zones, barricades high level access for all users. As security threats become more sophisticated, defenses around identity and access must be a top priority. Agencies must adopt an identity-centric approach with continuous verification of trust, shifting from traditional security approaches that assume everything inside the network is trusted.

While many partners without an engineering or coding background may shy away from implementing AI because of the perceived complexities involved, no-code tools are game-changers. These tools are revolutionizing development processes, making AI accessible to everyone, and reshaping the innovation narrative. In part two of the AI and DevNet podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker reconnects with Ruben Dedman, Technical Consulting Manager for Cisco DevNet at TD SYNNEX, to dive into the tools, trends, and considerations shaping the future of AI implementation.