Ep. 276 Model Context Protocol, Agentic AI, and the Future of Federal Software Integration
Release Date: 10/23/2025
Ep. 290 AI + Zero Trust: The New Line of Defense for Federal Data
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? We are at the point where AI is almost expected in any technology offering. Today, we sat down with John Kindervag from Illumio to learn how AI can be applied to the world of federal Zero Trust. Some have characterized today’s current cybersecurity situation as an arms race; some call it a whack-a-mole game. An innovative technology, such as AI, becomes popularized, and adversaries use it to improve attacks. As a result, the defenders of data must bolster their response, and they, in turn, use AI to...
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Ep. 289 How Microsegmentation and Zero Trust Protect Federal Data from Modern Threats
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? It is rare to see AI applied to federal cybersecurity mandates. However, today, we will sit down with Louis Echenbaum from Color Tokens. He will unpack the concept of using AI to help federal leaders improve their ability to implement microsegmentation. We all know about Executive Order 14028 and the OMNB Memo M-22-09, which are forcing federal agencies to deploy a robust Zero Trust framework. The key components include identity and access management, asset management, continuous monitoring, and micro...
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Ep. 288 Is Federal Data Ready for the Post-Quantum Era?
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? In the world of federal technology we are being deluged with so much information about Artificial Intelligence that we may not see what some of other technologies that may have as great an impact as AI. The White House, the OMB (M-23-02), the Office of the National Cyber Director have made it clear that the time to prepare for post-quantum cryptography is now. Agencies are required to inventory cryptographic systems, prioritize high-value assets, and build migration plans in line with NIST...
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Ep. 287 Protecting Federal Data with Zero Trust Architecture and the Enterprise Browser
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? John Kindervag began the concept of Zero Trust; he probably did not realize the impact it would have on the technological community. Today, we look at the federal government and Zero Trust implementation from 40,000 feet. Kindervag will opine on topics such as browser security, the importance of data, and operational technology. Instead of using his technical knowledge as a cudgel, Kindervag reinforces the importance of a balanced approach in which federal leaders consider both technological and behavioral...
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Ep. 286 Securing Federal Systems: The Power of Continuous Monitoring
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? A quick review of malicious activity shows large-scale cyberattacks being run without any human intervention. That means traditional penetration testing, which occurs once a year, can be easily defeated by massive, systematic attacks. During the interview with Snehal Antani, CEO of Horizon Three, he highlights the importance of continuous autonomous penetration. He suggests that it may be the only response to a non-human automated attack. Horizon3 has recently collaborated with the NSA’s Cybersecurity...
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Ep. 285 Securing the Federal Workplace: Why Enterprise Browsers are the Next Cybersecurity Frontier for Government Software Teams
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? The good news is that federal security measures are preventing successful attacks; the bad news is that adversaries are examining every nook and cranny of a federal system and increasingly targeting the browser itself as an attack vector. During the interview, Scott “Monty” Montgomery gives a quick overview of Enterprise Browsers and Secure Enterprise Browsers. After all, browsers have been around since 1994. It may be the only application ubiquitous on home-based machines and in enterprise...
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Ep. 284 Automation That Keeps Agencies Running: Continuity Strategies for the Next Federal Shutdown
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? Every federal agency prepares a backup strategy to protect data. This is a rigorous endeavor in which teams practice what to do in the event of a breach or system failure. However, nobody really has a plan for a temporary federal shutdown. Any political pundit worth his salt knows there will be another federal shutdown sometime in the future. It is reasonable to consider automation to see how it can be used to bridge services during a temporary shutdown. David Grundy is the Public Sector CTO for Tines. He...
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Ep. 282 the Hidden Cyber Gaps Threatening America’s Digital Infrastructure
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? In a recent report from Microsoft, they share that foreign adversaries are increasing attacks on American infrastructure. One variation is that they will not penetrate systems and attack, but they will steal credentials and install code to act in stealth mode. This code can hide for years and be deployed when the antagonist wants. Today, we sat down with Travis Roseik from Rubrik to try to find some options for defending against this hidden attack. Let us say an agency has improved its resistance to foreign...
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Ep. 283 Smarter, Scalable Threat Hunting to Protect Federal Data
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? The federal government recognizes that threats are multiplying at an exponential level. In fact, in October 2025, CISA released a free vulnerability scanner, and 10,000 organizations have signed up. Today, CISA is at its current capacity. Today, we examine solutions from a successful startup called CrunchAtlas. One of the co-founders, Ben Fabrelle, will share with the audience his experience in threat hunting in the federal government and why he combined with another veteran to form a company that can assist...
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Ep. 280 How Zero Trust Automation Helps Federal Agencies do More with Less
Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
Ep. 281 How Zero Trust Automation Helps Federal Agencies do More with Less Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? As this interview was recorded, the federal government was in the middle of a shutdown. Hundreds of pundits have given interviews about the politics of the situation; very few have looked at the impact on cybersecurity during a phase of workforce reduction. Today, we sat down with Gary Barlet, the Public Sector CTO at Illumio, to see whether Zero Trust can help the federal government bridge this short personnel gap. Barlet begins by...
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Many listeners have become so familiar with AI that they may have assumed it has been around for decades. Today, we sat down with Will Angel from Excella to explore the application of AI to federal technology from a more nuanced perspective.
We dive into three main aspects of AI: challenges of integrating AI services, Model Context Protocol, and security considerations with agentic systems.
Challenges:
No company has grown as fast as ChatGPT; in fact, it is the fastest-adopted consumer application in history. Today, it has an estimated eight hundred million weekly users. This has attracted developers who work on federal projects.
Wil Angel recommends careful consideration of people arbitrarily porting data to or from products like ChatGPT because it can compromise data security.
MCP
In certain circles, the term “Model Context Protocol” is used constantly. It has become so popular that people do not realize it was just coined by Anthropic in November of 2024. During the interview, Angel presents variations on MCP for software development and warns about the hype surrounding the relatively new standard for AI systems.
Agentic AI
Autonomous systems have been the holy grail for every software developer. The promise of Agentic AI is so powerful that some have jumped into applications without a more prudent approach.
When a series of tasks is assembled, unintended consequences can come into play. It is one thing in the commercial world to reveal essential data; it is a completely different situation when the DoD is dealing with life and death situations.
Angel predicts significant changes in AI over the next few years, with large language models revolutionizing software systems.