Advertise on podcast: Feds at the Edge

Professional sports reward those who perform under pressure. In federal technology, the stakes are even higher.  This week on Feds At the Edge, we sit down with experts navigating the realities of securing federal systems in an environment where threats are constant and decisions carry real consequences. Gary Barlet, Public Sector CTO for Illumio, poses a critical question: "Do you have a plan for what happens when a malicious actor breaches your system?" He explains how segmentation can stop attackers from being able to "land and expand," and why "real-time" observability is essential to understanding actual network dependencies.   Mark Mitchell, Federal Security Architect at Netskope, highlights a familiar challenge: "If this alert is valid, what is my next step?" He introduces "Active User Coaching," which helps guide users with warnings and safer alternatives when risky actions occur.   Together, the conversation also explores aligning zero trust strategies with federal guidance and the importance of assuming breaches from the start.   Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear how effective federal cybersecurity requires planning, real visibility, and clear action in the moments that matter most.            

In order to determine its value, Federal Technology leaders know it's all about the workflow when it comes to the possibility of incorporating AI. Once they do, having a deeper understanding of the distinction between traditional and generative AI, as well as the importance of data cleanliness and security will be key for an effective adoption. This week at Feds At the Edge, we outline the steps agencies should know and take to take as they prepare to expand into the newest digital landscape. From defining terms, to ensuring clean and secure data, to identifying and removing potential bias, we'll explore what the new lifecycle of information should look like.  Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear how streamlining the data process can help optimize the value that AI can bring to the table.        

We have all seen the power of AI; the question is, can it be implemented in a secure federal environment?   This week on Feds At the Edge, we sit down with three experts who are proving that powerful AI can be deployed securely in federal environments, without compromising compliance or mission outcomes. Leaders from the Library of Congress, Idaho National Lab, and Keysight share how responsible implementation, curated data, and private AI models are unlocking transformative results. You'll hear how agencies are navigating sensitive data repositories, building secure AI ecosystems, and fostering collaboration to accelerate innovation, while keeping privacy and security front and center.   Tune in on your favorite podcast platform for a practical look at how federal leaders are securely scaling AI from experimentation to real-world impact.   

What if better visibility into your IT assets could unlock cost savings, strengthen security, and free teams to focus on the mission?    This week on Feds At the Edge, we explore how federal agencies are turning digital modernization into a strategic advantage by strengthening software and asset visibility. With a clearer understanding of existing licenses, agencies can eliminate duplication, retire unused tools, and collaborate across organizations to secure better pricing and maximize value.    The conversation also highlights how AI is elevating asset management, moving beyond static reporting to real-time insights, forecasting future needs, and uncovering hidden risks like shadow IT. At the same time, aligning asset and procedure management is enabling more proactive operations, where adaptive licensing and better data help teams shift from compliance-heavy tasks to mission-focused work.  Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn how a more connected, forward-looking approach is helping agencies cut costs, reduce risk, and operate smarter for the future.   

Trust is difficult enough in an environment with strict controls and security; AI adds dimensions that make establishing trust even more challenging in the public sector. Over the last decade, if we have learned anything, it's that check box solutions never work.     This week on Feds At the Edge, we break down what it takes to build trustworthy AI in high-stakes government environments. From model transparency and "model cards" to the risks hidden in data and the importance of context, they explore how leaders can evaluate trust across the model, the data, and the monitoring processes.    Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn why continuous monitoring, strong governance, and thoughtful implementation are essential, and how agencies can move beyond checkbox compliance to deploy AI with confidence.          

How do you upgrade a global fleet when failure isn't an option?  This week on Feds At the Edge, we dive into the Navy's "Operation Cattle Drive," an ambitious initiative to modernize technology across hundreds of ships in the world's most challenging environments.   We sit down with experts from the U.S. Navy and Red Hat to break down the three pillars of high-stakes digital transformation:  Development: Using digital twins to test systems in advance—eliminating risk where failure isn't an option.   Scaling: Building infrastructure that can support growing AI demands across a distributed fleet.  Automation: Applying thoughtful automation can support patching, compliance, and faster updates. Moving toward a world where complex military networks are as seamless to update as a commercial smartphone.   Tune in on your favorite podcast platform as our experts highlight why strategy, enterprise platforms, and a culture of change are essential for mission success.   

AI presents such a dazzling set of opportunities that federal leaders can be tempted to dive in without careful planning.  This week on Feds At the Edge, we move past the hype to explore the tactical realities of deploying AI within the unique constraints of the federal environment. Ashley Billman, Cybersecurity Analyst, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, explains why agencies must align AI architecture with mission and security needs, whether on-prem, hybrid, or cloud environments, and highlights a critical question: what's actually in the training data, and what might be missing? The discussion also explores emerging risks. Experts Gary Bartlett from Illumio and Mark Mitchell from Netskope join the conversation to warn against the "agent" trend, sharing cautionary tales of AI inadvertently accessing sensitive information and explaining why robust governance is the only way to ensure your AI's conclusions are actually valid. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn why AI literacy is no longer an optional skill, but a strategic necessity for the future of federal cybersecurity. Stop chasing the headlines and start building a framework that turns AI from a risk into a mission-critical asset

AI has the power to transform government operations, but only if it's used wisely.  This week on Feds At the Edge, we dive into the high-stakes world of applied AI within public agencies, where the potential for massive efficiency gains sits right next to the risk of moving too fast without a map.   From Todd Sharkey of Lorain County, OH's look at the document "drowning" in many government organizations to Brandon Ragle at Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology's vital warnings on data privacy and strict procedural safeguards, we explore the thin line between innovation and liability. Brad Porter of Knowledge Lake joins us to bridge that gap, demonstrating how AI can classify and secure sensitive data at speeds once thought impossible.  Tune in on your favorite podcast platform for our experts' takeaways: start small, pilot carefully, and measure the impact. When implemented thoughtfully, AI can turn overwhelming archives into actionable insights.      

I isn't here to replace government professionals, it's here to elevate them.   Artificial intelligence is still new territory for many public sector leaders, but understanding how to apply it effectively can unlock major gains in productivity and insight. This week on Feds At the Edge, we dive into the essential transition for government professionals: offloading routine tasks to AI so humans can reclaim high-level analytical work.  Dr. Nancy Washton breaks down the critical distinction between "deterministic" traditional computing and today's "non-deterministic" AI, explaining why the same prompt can yield different results and how to vet those outputs by asking the system to document its own logic. Alongside Alyssa Ashworth's insights on data security, human oversight, and productivity metrics, this discussion provides a roadmap for moving from simple applications to complex, scaled solutions.  Tune in on your favorite podcast platform as this discussion explores how to build professional confidence by starting small and scaling smart in the new age of intelligence.        

What if the solution to our most daunting infrastructure challenges isn't just more concrete, but more clarity?  This week on Feds At the Edge, we explore how cutting-edge technology is turning budget constraints into opportunities for smarter, more sustainable growth.   Experts from VHB, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Georgia Department of Transportation, Bentley Systems, Inc, and Reynolds, Smith & Hills, discuss how leveraging digital twins - dynamic software-based replicas of physical projects - states can revolutionize the way they plan and build (avoid planning mistakes, enabling iteration cycles) allowing for precision-engineered spending and seamless workflows.  We will break down why Model-Based Design is more than just a fancy tool; it is a fundamental mindset shift to a single-source model that helps agencies navigate rapid technological change and severe resource shortages.   Tune in on your favorite podcast platform as this discussion reveals how moving to a single-source digital model can optimize every dollar spent, ensuring our communities get the modern, reliable infrastructure they deserve.        

Citizens expect government services to work seamlessly on their phones, and agencies are moving quickly to adapt. But simply extending legacy systems to mobile can leave critical security and usability gaps.    This week on Feds At the Edge, experts from California DMV and SailPoint break down three key lessons for building trusted, modern access.    First, MFA alone is no longer enough. As attackers find ways around one-time codes, organizations are shifting from basic identity checks to stronger, continuous authentication approaches.    Second, "fire-and-forget" permissions create risk. Access must be monitored and adjusted over time as roles and responsibilities change.    Third, what good is a better mousetrap if nobody uses it? Even the best technology fails without adoption. Agencies must engage users, demonstrate value, and make secure tools easy to use.    Tune in on your favorite podcast platform because now is the time to act: evaluate your current systems and identify your gaps, strengthen access, and build the trust needed for successful digital transformation.        

What does a massive county-based state like North Dakota have in common with a compact, town-centered state like Vermont? More than you'd think, and the stakes for their data have never been higher.  This week on Feds At the Edge, experts from North Dakota Information Technology, State of Vermont Agency Digital Services, and Palo Alto explore how states bridge geographical and administrative divides to secure their digital future. Despite stark differences in scale and structure, both faces universal challenges: managing massive data volumes and modernizing legacy systems.  We discuss three approaches that can improve services while reducing costs:  Scalable Operations: The benefits of a Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC) for multi-agency coordination.  Surface Management: Utilizing external perspectives to identify entry points and address vulnerabilities.  Incident Response: Moving past a "head-in-the-sand" mentality to develop actionable plans for when a state gets hit.  Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn how effective, team-based operations are helping leaders rise to the occasion and achieve the goal of doing more with less.       

Most practitioners building cybersecure environments know the basics: simplify system procedures, invest in continuous education, and elevate visibility across the network.    But what happens when new mandates are applied to legacy systems? The "bolt-on" approach is often expensive, frustrating, and ineffective.     This week on Feds At the Edge, experts from NETCOM, DARPA, and Axonius discuss how automation, AI, and continuous learning are reshaping cyber defense, and what agencies must do to build security that works.    We examine patching challenges, attack surface reduction, and how AI can help ease "task saturation," along with why visibility and education remain essential.    Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to hear whether modern technology is enough to meet today's security demands.       

Today, we hear how to leverage the much-vaunted AI and ML technologies to make practical cybersecurity improvements for the federal government. The analysis includes comments about setting a base line, prioritizing alerts and a quick dive into the characteristics of Operational Technology (OT). BASELINE: Signature-based risk analysis has proven to be easy to deceive. Alex Maier from August Schell suggests that the solution is a move to a "behavior" based tool. In other words, see where a user's behavior varies from the norm. If that is the case, then you must know what "typical" is all about and begin by observing typical patterns to discern noticeable differences. AERTS:    Some estimates suggest that a Security Operations Center (SOC) can receive 10,000 alerts a day. It is no wonder operators suffer from "alert fatigue" and miss problems. Rubrik has technology that can establish a risk-based alerting system to filter out low-level concerns. ELEMENTS OF OT: Mark Hadley of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory describes OT as deterministic. That is to say,  given a signal, always produce the same output with a fixed set of rules. Given that understanding, a heighted importance must be given to the value of the specific commands given to OT devices. The discussion also covered the need for transparency and accountability, as well as the potential risks of AI-based attacks.    

One sensor can generate 1.3 million data points per minute. Now imagine hundreds of them on a single military aircraft. OT powers everything from sensors in Air Force fighter jets to floating ocean buoys, yet applying traditional data management strategies to these systems is anything but simple. While many understand that OT controls physical devices, far fewer grasp the scale, velocity, and complexity of the data these systems generate.    This week on Feds At the Edge, experts from US Coast Guard, US Strategic Command, Army Test and Evaluation Command, and BMC explore practical ways to bring Operational Technology (OT) into modern federal IT architectures, from using analytics tools to extract actionable insights, to adopting platforms that unify data across systems, and training people to use technology effectively.     Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn how federal agencies can turn overwhelming OT data into clarity, confidence, and smarter operational decisions.