Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness
The federal government spends $90 billion on technology every year. If you are a tech innovator and want to expand your share of the market, this is the podcast for you to find new opportunities for growth. Every week, Federal Tech Podcast sits down with successful innovators who have solved complex computer system problems for federal agencies. They cover topics like Artificial Intelligence, Zero Trust, and the Hybrid Cloud. You can listen to the technical issues that concern federal agencies to see if you company’s capabilities can fit. The moderator, John Gilroy, is an award-winning lecturer at Georgetown University and has recorded over 1,000 interviews. His interviews are humorous and entertaining despite handing a serious topic. The podcast answers questions like . . . How can software companies work with the federal government? What are federal business opportunities? Who are the cloud providers who work with the federal government? Should I partner with a federal technology contractor? What is a federal reseller? Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com
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Ep. 347 How Fake Job Applicants Threaten Federal Cybersecurity Today
09/16/2026
Ep. 347 How Fake Job Applicants Threaten Federal Cybersecurity Today
When most federal technology leaders look at preventing cybersecurity attacks, they rarely go beyond the network. Today we are looking at a new breach vector: the resume. Patricia Titus from Abnormal AI begins the interview with a shocking story about a recently discovered exploit. In the summer of 2026, the FBI confirmed that a North Korean operative spent months working inside a federal agency as an authorized employee. Because of this incident, Titus makes the case for why the security perimeter must extend upstream to the resume. During the interview, she details how VOIP numbers are used to mask origins. Beyond that, advances in voice duplication (vishing) allow HR personnel to be duped. Not only that, but today’s AI technology allows a single actor to manage several accounts. In other words, today we have a scenario playing out where a naïve hiring manager can have several fake resumes from the same individual competing for the same position. Once a system is compromised, lateral movements are enabled to gain access to sensitive areas of the network. There are attempts to block this system, commonly called Application Tracking Systems (ATS). Gaps in the ability of this system can be addressed by establishing a formal partnership between the cybersecurity team and the HR department. From there, behavioral patterns can be used to detect abnormal patterns. The conclusion is obvious; can public sector leaders effectively validate identity without relying solely on automated systems that may be deceived by high-quality synthetic data?
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Ep. 350 Elastic and Google Distributed Cloud: AI-Powered Cyber Defense in Air-Gapped Environments
09/14/2026
Ep. 350 Elastic and Google Distributed Cloud: AI-Powered Cyber Defense in Air-Gapped Environments
Today, we sat down with leaders from Elastic and Google Distributed Cloud to discuss how their unique combination of skills can address cybersecurity, AI operations, and resilience in sovereign air-gapped environments. Most listeners hear the phrase “air-gapped” and think absolute safety. Sean MacKirdy from Elastic offers insight into air-gapped environments. He reminds the audience that, by definition, an air-gapped system cannot get updates from the Internet. That means they are vulnerable to attacks. Further, data transfers, cross-domain guards, patching cycles, supply chains, USB devices, and insiders remain potential entry points. Google’s TJ Banasik's solution is to consolidate tools. For example, common tools include capabilities like endpoint detection, user behavior analytics, and vulnerability management. Elastic Security can be combined with Google Distributed Cloud. For example, Elastic uses specialized, self-managed platforms to provide unified security for air-gapped environments. This automation reduces fatigue, staffing requirements, response time, and integration complexity in a SOC. This interview provides a brief overview of the concepts discussed. For more details, please attend the Google Public Sector Summit on October 20, 2026, at the Reagan Center in Washington, DC. You'll see how Elastic and Google Distributed Cloud work together, with subject matter experts in the room with you. Federal agencies must consider how to protect air-gapped networks amid regulatory authorization, data sovereignty, and operational risk. That is why it is important to meet face-to-face with developers from Elastic and Google to determine the optimized solution for your agency. The Google Public Sector Summit presents the perfect opportunity to accomplish that task.
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Ep. 345 How AI Is Transforming Federal Cognitive Operations
09/03/2026
Ep. 345 How AI Is Transforming Federal Cognitive Operations
Here is the from Federal Tech Podcast The explosion in sensors and remote devices has led to many discussions in the federal tech community. In fact, there is a podcast called Feds at the Edge. Today, we look at how an AI native startup can help the military make accurate and speedy decisions at the tactical edge. Our guest is Carrick Longley, the CEO of ZenithFlow. He came to understand the problem of operating in a contested environment while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He begins the discussion by examining decision-making in a remote environment. Traditionally, one may use the well-known OODA loop. That is to say: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. This concept may have had application in earlier environments. However, today, a warfighter may lose communication in the first few minutes in a contested environment. They could be in a world where disinformation is present, and decisions are extremely difficult. During the interview, Longley discusses circumstances in which a warfighter may be deluged with information yet lack a way to filter the most important data. Longley expands upon a concept called “cognitive domain.” From his perspective, data is not the problem. He states that the way we process the information makes sense. That way, we can make better decisions off that data. For Longley, speed in decision-making is accomplished by moving the human’s decision earlier. He emphasizes the importance of early detection and pre-bunking of adversarial narratives, as well as the need for synthetic audiences to test messaging effectiveness. Listen to the interview to learn how a network must be able to operate in isolation and still inform military leaders to make decisions that are rapid, accurate, and effective.
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Ep. 344 Why Cybersecurity Must Shift from Compliance to Resilience
09/01/2026
Ep. 344 Why Cybersecurity Must Shift from Compliance to Resilience
Here is the from Federal Tech Podcast John Gilroy and Snehal Antani, CEO of Horizon Three AI, discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, emphasizing the need for a shift from compliance to resilience and defense. The discussion began with taking a look a common list of vulnerabilities. Back in 2021, CISA could develop a list of common vulnerabilities, and they called it the Known Exploited Vulnerability Catalog. It was an authoritative list of specific software flaws and security bugs that had been verified in the wild. Today, malicious actors have overwhelmed us with vulnerabilities. We have reported 1600 software and hardware vulnerability entries, making it almost impossible to address each issue. Antani argues that what is important it to patch the critical vulnerabilities, not the complete list. He states, “I’d rather patch the right few things quickly than everything slowly.” During the interview, Antani refers to a couple of federal initiatives that reinforce his approach. For example, BOD 26-04 is an initiative from CISA that signals a move from vulnerability identification to real world exposure. This concern is beyond the federal government. The European Central Bank has looked at threats and is telling bank CEOs that AI is shortening the time from discovery to exploitation Antani also predicts that small and medium-sized companies will be prime targets for cyber-attacks in the coming months. From small businesses to federal governments to banks, it looks like we are in the middle of a drastic change in the way organizations handle vulnerabilities
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Ep.343 Building Trustworthy Agentic AI for Federal Mission Success
08/25/2026
Ep.343 Building Trustworthy Agentic AI for Federal Mission Success
Today we hear what James Rebsco from Striveworks has to say about solving this problem for the federal government. Rebesco suggests beginning with a deep understanding of the problem. Once you make sure the solution makes sense, then look at AI opportunities that can help solve the problem. Applying the solution to real-world situations can be difficult. One may produce a model that behaves flawlessly in a clean, air-conditioned environment. In the real world, the situation is changing daily, commonly called a contested environment. The defense community must deliver and manage production-grade machines that operate in austere, disconnected, and high-stakes environments. Some in the academic community would like to put a stop to AI progress. The idea is to produce ethical and moral guidelines before proceeding. That certainly sounds nice when debating on a campus. Rebesco points out that we do not have the luxury of this approach. In today’s geopolitical environment, we have adversaries who are very smart, capable, and well-resourced. History has shown us the results of appeasement and delay. He emphasizes the importance of embedding AI in real-world scenarios and ensuring models can adapt and learn. Robesco also discusses the concept of "situational awareness" in AI and the need for continuous testing and evaluation. During the interview, he mentions StriveWorks' platform, Chariots, which aims to provide dependable, mission-critical AI solutions.
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Ep. 342 Making Zero Trust Practical With Modern Identity Security
08/18/2026
Ep. 342 Making Zero Trust Practical With Modern Identity Security
John Gilroy and Danelle Osworth discuss Delinea's privileged access management (PAM) solutions on the Federal Tech Podcast. Delinea's unique selling points include delivering just-in-time access, a hybrid platform for on-premises and cloud environments, and continuous verification of identities. During the interview, Ginelle has an insightful comment about Zero Trust and the federal government. She looks at Zero Trust as an opportunity for the government to take cybersecurity steps in the right direction. The key concept is to begin the Zero Trust journey, not necessarily where they begin. Oswroth goes on to say that identity security is the foundation for everything in cyber. In the future, standing privilege will feel as outdated as passwords on a sticky note. But today’s threat is unyielding. This means that an identity solution must be able to continuously monitor access as well as credentials. Osworth emphasizes the importance of zero trust principles and the practical application of identity management. Delinea's platform supports 99.995% uptime and encrypted vaulting for machine and AI identities. They highlight the need for continuous authentication and authorization to manage the influx of non-human identities. The conversation also touches on the challenges of balancing security with innovation in the federal government.
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Ep. 341 The Future of Government Fraud Prevention with AI
08/13/2026
Ep. 341 The Future of Government Fraud Prevention with AI
In the summer of 2026, the SAS Innovate Tour arrived in Washington, DC, at Convene Hamilton Square. 50 years have gone by since SAS launched a contract from the Department of Agriculture just down the street. It seemed appropriate to sit down with Stu Bradley, VP, Fraud, Risk & Compliance, SAS, to discuss how SAS delivers trusted AI for the federal government. In a recent interview, Kim Brand from CMS stated they disburse one billion dollars a day in claims. If you have just a 1% fraud rate, that means $10 million a day of waste. Today, we asked how SAS can help. The discussion focused on the importance of robust fraud prevention in government programs, emphasizing the need for efficient data ingestion and decision-making. SaaS has a 50-year record of regulating $300 billion in transactions and saving $500 million in fraud. The conversation highlighted the significance of governance in AI, with organizations that prioritize trustworthy innovation generating 60% higher returns on AI initiatives. During the interview, Bradley details the importance of preventing fraud. Today, federal organizations should be asking “What do I need to do to be ready for whatever comes next?” The cost for a typical “pay and chase” approach is high, and the results are paltry. The speakers also discussed the critical role of data integration and real-time analysis in preventing fraud, noting that 5% of payments involve fraud. The importance of partnerships between federal and state agencies to combat fraud was also underscored.
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Ep.340 How SAS Delivers Trusted AI for Federal Mission Success.
08/12/2026
Ep.340 How SAS Delivers Trusted AI for Federal Mission Success.
In the summer of 2026, the SAS Innovate Tour arrived in Washington, DC, at Convene Hamilton Square. 50 years have gone by since SAS launched with a contract from the Department of Agriculture just down the street. It seemed appropriate to sit down with Caroline Baldwin, the Director, SAS Federal, to discuss how SAS delivers trusted AI for the federal government. Everybody reading this has seen reports of AI giving hallucinations. It is one thing to have a bad response for a doughnut company in Chicago; quite another to have the Department of War base decisions on bad data. Caroline Baldwin brings a refreshing splash of reality to the talk of applied AI to the federal government. Instead of evaluating the nuances of AI harnessing, she makes a blunt statement, “If government can’t apply AI to outcomes for an agency or improve American lives, it’s just a science project.” Finally, we have a practical opinion. SAS has been working with sensitive federal data for fifty years and has the experience to ingest accurate data and use it to produce practical results for federal agencies. We have heard of the “black box” of AI. Don’t ask for sources. In Baldwin’s experience, an AI system must be able to produce sources for decisions that will be held up in court. During the interview, she mentioned that SAS can leverage synthetic data to produce more accurate models. She also describes how SAS partners with federal agencies to solve complex problems, adapt commercial innovations, and accelerate adoption. As AI evolves, agencies must balance enterprise strategies with mission-level needs while continuously updating models and maintaining trust.
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Ep. 338 Federal AI Readiness Starts with Mission Outcomes
08/11/2026
Ep. 338 Federal AI Readiness Starts with Mission Outcomes
Everyone has read about how much productivity AI can have for federal applications. That allure can lead you into a situation where you may not be as prudent as you should be. Today, we sat down with Jamie Holcomb, COO of Electrosoft, and Steve Riley, VP and Field CTO of Netskope, to better understand how to balance the promise of AIAI with practical application in the federal government. Steve Riley has looked at federal technology projects, and he thinks that the government must get out of their pilots and into operations, measuring results and impact that is meaningful to the taxpayer. They highlight the rapid advancements in AI, noting that government agencies struggle to keep pace with commercial innovation. Riley thinks agents are great for gathering, assimilating, and assessing information. It is probably not time for them to have independent agency. A survey reveals that 78% of federal leaders believe AI tools should be managed like users or devices within zero trust frameworks. Only 31% of federal IT leaders have high visibility into public AI tools. Because of Jamie Holcomb’s experience at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, he thinks success comes down to action, not architecture. From his view, agencies need timely intelligence connected directly to operational decisions. The conversation emphasizes the need for federal agencies to balance innovation with security, particularly in predictive AI and zero trust strategies, and to prioritize AI discovery and integration.
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Ep. 339 Securing Federal Software Factories with GitLab
08/06/2026
Ep. 339 Securing Federal Software Factories with GitLab
For decades, software was “bespoke.” Each application was carefully crafted to solve a specific problem. When this was applied to the federal government, they discovered that this process was slow and unpredictable. The solution: a software factory. From custom-built software to software that could be created in an organization that had a “bubble” that could standardize on federal security guidelines. From there, they could deliver safer, higher-quality software much faster. Today, we sit down with Jorge Lopez, Vice President of Security Operations and Trust and Safety at GitLab, to discuss the concept of software factories in the federal government. Lopez admits the importance of visibility, collaboration, and compliance in these factories. However, during the interview, he notes that gaps in DevSecOps often stem from organizational issues, such as miscommunication between security and development teams. He emphasizes the need for proper monitoring, incident response, and managing secrets to mitigate risks. Digging deeper, he states that if a federal organization does not have monitoring in place, they will only discover a problem after it happens. One approach is to go to the people responsible for defending the software. Lopez has seen success when security operations teams and software factory teams talk to each other. Lopes also discusses the impact of AI on code production and the importance of proactive measures to ensure software factory security.
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Ep. 337 40% Faster Contract Awards with AI
07/30/2026
Ep. 337 40% Faster Contract Awards with AI
Today, we sat down with Rajan Venkatachalam from Icertis to discuss the evolution of federal contract lifecycle management. The main takeaway is that contract management is becoming harder to ignore, even though many organizations still overlook it. Perhaps it is too difficult; perhaps changing management with compliance is too complex. Rajan begins the interview by putting AI into perspective. He coins a great phrase when he states that AI has gone from “Buzzword to Backbone.” In other words, the value of AI is so clear that it should be applied across all aspects of running a federal agency. If you are asking for specifics, he gives them. Rajan states that agencies, contractors, and Icertis have seen up to 40% faster proposal-to-award cycles. Icertis has been in the contract management world since 2009. Building on that experience, they have honed their commercial skills to the point where they can examine every sentence in a contract to assess its limitations and strengths. If you sell to the federal government, Icertis can monitor rapid changes in compliance requirements and ensure your offering stays current. They highlight the shift from paper-based to automated and digital processes, driven by AI and compliance frameworks like FAR, DFAR, and CMMC. Finally, Rajan sees the future as autonomous contracting. He can see a future where a solicitation is reviewed and a proposal is generated. This increase in speed allows humans to review the process before submittal. This points to faster, more predictable, and compliant-friendly contracting, which is crucial for agencies under pressure to deliver quickly.
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Ep. 336 Securing Federal Critical Infrastructure with AI
07/28/2026
Ep. 336 Securing Federal Critical Infrastructure with AI
IT modernization carries unanticipated risks. Take operational technology, or OT, as an example. As modernization has increased the number of OT and IoT assets across many federal locations, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities. Federal leaders are warning that the situation has reached a tipping point. CISA maintains a growing list of vulnerabilities, and the NSA has issued warnings about OT and IoT risks. A recent SANS report indicated a 20% increase in confirmed OT attacks. To explore these challenges, we sit down with Chris Grove, Director of Cybersecurity Strategy at Nozomi Networks, to discuss the cyber-physical security challenges facing the federal government, particularly the modernization of older OT systems. He highlighted the difficulties in maintaining asset inventories, the impact of AI in both attacks and defenses, and the complexities of implementing zero trust in OT environments. During the interview, Grove addresses topics such as remote access, older technology not designed for updates, and OT devices that move around on ships and planes. Thirty years ago, “unified communication” was introduced by technology like VoIP. With the proliferation of OT devices, Grove recommends a unified security architecture. Grove emphasized the importance of resilience and the need for AI-enhanced tools to manage alerts and anomalies effectively. He also noted growing concerns about drone security and the significant workload expected to result from AI-discovered vulnerabilities.
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Ep. 335 Building Secure Research for Federal AI Innovation
07/21/2026
Ep. 335 Building Secure Research for Federal AI Innovation
Taylor Johnston, President of the Institute of Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida, discussed a secure research environment developed with AWS and the federal government. This initiative allows researchers to work with classified information, progressing from unclassified to top-secret levels. The partnership uses AWS GovCloud for multi-domain, multi-accessible research. Many organizations train models on unclassified data, but classified data has different nuances. Analysts need to build that model in IL6 using those data sets. Johnston highlighted the university's proximity to key military commands and its results-based research, emphasizing the importance of human performance and AI in military applications. During the interview, Johnston observed that AI is an enabler for productivity, not a job stealer. The university aims to bridge gaps among academia, the defense industrial base, and venture capital, helping enhance operational capabilities.
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Ep. 334 Modernizing Federal Security for the AI Era
07/14/2026
Ep. 334 Modernizing Federal Security for the AI Era
At one time, reacting to a cyber threat was enough; signatures and blocklists could cope. But AI is now amplifying every aspect of cyberwarfare, including speed and scope, leaving these traditional defenses in the dust. Today’s threats can be numerous and personalized, making old approaches worthless. Patricia Titus, Chief Information Security Officer at Abnormal AI, discussed the challenges of transitioning from legacy to modern AI-driven security architectures at the AWS Public Sector Show. During the interview, she advised focusing on asset visibility, decision-making platforms, and non-human identities to enhance cybersecurity. So many federal organizations are deploying tools that it is difficult to get a baseline or inventory of what is on a system. Titus recommends starting with an accurate inventory to establish a “normal” baseline and detect abnormalities. She also stressed the necessity of modernizing security architecture in parallel with cloud migration and the dangers of relying on outdated tools.
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Ep. 333 CMMC 2.0: Why Compliance Is Now a Business Issue
07/09/2026
Ep. 333 CMMC 2.0: Why Compliance Is Now a Business Issue
The Department of War realized it was dealing with a supply chain risk of vulnerable vendors; back in 2019 they launched the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. The goal was to ensure defense contractors protected sensitive unclassified information. Over the years it has transitioned from being a “checkbox” compliance to moving way beyond the minimum to pass. During today’s interview with Travis Goldbach from Coalfire Federal, he gives us overview of how CMMC has made the transition to building a security program that protects the mission, supports growth, and earns trust. Goldbach continue by stating the cybersecurity is going to impact just about everybody – from sales, to legal, to operations, to finance and even executive leadership. Travis highlights the importance of CMMC for acquisition, noting that many defense contractors are unprepared. CMMC 2.0, implemented in November 2025, simplified the framework from five levels to three, focusing on basic cyber hygiene, CUI protection, and advanced protection. He also discusses the impact of remote work and AI on CMMC readiness and the importance of a robust ecosystem of trusted partners for sustained compliance. Rather than detailing the number of controls in the varying levels of CMMC, the discussion moved on to the concept of documentation. The challenge Goldbach sees is the conflation of documentation with readiness. More must be added to documentation to make it viable. For example, companies need ownership, governance, and accountability in a repeatable process.
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Ep. 332 Why Compliance Alone Won’t Protect Federal Agencies
07/07/2026
Ep. 332 Why Compliance Alone Won’t Protect Federal Agencies
In this episode of the Federal Tech Podcast, Robert Salvia of Fortress Information Security explains why agencies must move beyond a compliance mindset and adopt continuous risk management. One key insight stands out: "It's not what you find, it's what you fix," showing that mission impact should guide vulnerability priorities rather than compliance boxes. One insightful observation Salvia makes concerns observability. Many companies pride themselves on being able to see network details, including potentially unknown vulnerabilities. Salvia says the ability to find is important, but the ability to fix that problem is more valuable. He suggests that AI can assist in that endeavor, but it is a force multiplier, not an answer to everything. His main theme is to move from compliance to continuous risk management. Salvia explores the complexities of supply chain risk management (SCRM), emphasizing the need for comprehensive, enterprise-level solutions that address both hardware and software vulnerabilities. Salvia highlights the importance of collaboration, continuous monitoring, and adapting to new threats and regulations. He also discusses the role of AI, such as Mythos, in increasing the scale of vulnerability detection and the necessity of integrating AI with human expertise for effective risk management and remediation.
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Ep 331 Autonomous AI and Observability in Federal IT
06/30/2026
Ep 331 Autonomous AI and Observability in Federal IT
In this episode of the Federal Tech Podcast, John Gilroy interviews Justin Fessler, Vice President of Public Sector at LogicMonitor, about the growing role of autonomous AI and observability in federal government IT operations. Fessler explains that autonomous AI is not about replacing people but about automating repetitive operational tasks, correlating complex system events, and helping IT teams make faster, better-informed decisions. Rather than allowing AI to operate without oversight, LogicMonitor focuses on keeping humans "in the loop" while AI handles time-consuming analysis and routine remediation. A central theme is the importance of complete visibility across increasingly complex federal environments. LogicMonitor's agentless monitoring technology discovers devices, cloud resources, applications, and shadow IT without requiring software agents on every endpoint. This broad visibility enables agencies to identify unmanaged assets, reduce blind spots, optimize cloud costs, and strengthen security. The discussion also highlights observability's critical role in Zero Trust. Fessler notes that agencies cannot secure or verify assets they cannot see. By discovering everything connected to the network—including servers, cloud services, IoT devices, cameras, badge readers, and physical infrastructure—LogicMonitor helps agencies build a stronger Zero Trust foundation. Gilroy and Fessler examine the challenges of managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments, emphasizing that agencies require a single operational view regardless of where workloads reside. LogicMonitor integrates information across cloud providers and third-party platforms, including ServiceNow, Splunk, Dynatrace, Datadog, and IBM Watsonx, enabling AI-driven event correlation and faster incident response. The conversation concludes with the future of autonomous IT. Fessler predicts increased automation, AI-assisted self-healing infrastructure, and significantly reduced mean time to identify and resolve incidents. Rather than replacing IT professionals, autonomous AI will eliminate repetitive work, allowing skilled personnel to focus on higher-value mission objectives while improving operational resilience, reducing alert fatigue, and delivering better digital services to citizens. For more information, visit www.logicmonitor.com/solutions/federal-government.
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Ep. 330 Lessons from Ukraine on Defending Against Cyberattacks
06/25/2026
Ep. 330 Lessons from Ukraine on Defending Against Cyberattacks
Craig Bowman, Senior Vice President at Trellix, discussed Trellix's project to secure Ukraine's cyber environment against nation-state attacks, highlighting the rapid evolution of attack vectors from Ukraine to the U.S. He emphasized the importance of AI in cybersecurity, noting Trellix's use of AI to autonomously mitigate attacks, as seen during the 2025 cyber espionage campaign. Bowman also explained Trellix's detonation chamber technology, which isolates and analyzes threats without affecting live data, and its Agentic AI, which operates on-premises without data movement to provide real-time cybersecurity insights. Ukraine has become the world's most concentrated cyber battlefield, giving security teams unprecedented visibility into emerging attack techniques. In this interview, Trellix's Craig Bowman revealed that attack patterns once took six months to reach the U.S. after appearing in Ukraine—today, that gap can be as short as six seconds —highlighting why AI-powered cyber defense is becoming essential for federal agencies. It is essential because a human simply cannot fight an autonomous machine by clicking through alerts. It is time to use AI to fight AI.
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Ep. 329 How Federal Agencies Can Unlock Hidden Workforce Skills
06/23/2026
Ep. 329 How Federal Agencies Can Unlock Hidden Workforce Skills
Today, we examine the strategy for filling technology roles in the federal government. Everyone reading this sentence knows that the federal government is competing with commercial organizations for tech talent. Combining that with an arduous federal hiring process, a reduced budget, and a drastic increase in cyberattacks heightens this concern. We sat down with Nav Singh, the Chief Marketing Officer at Eightfold.ai, to discuss the company’s mission to match job candidates with roles based on skills. For example, Eightfold has analyzed 1.6 million skills and 1.6 billion career trajectories, enabling it to identify and upskill employees for roles like cybersecurity. Singh emphasizes the importance of reducing bias in hiring and leveraging AI to discover hidden talents within organizations. During the interview, he reviews the idea of training people who you already have on staff for cybersecurity positions. It is possible to assess talent and identify which candidates can make this transition. This “hidden talent” theme makes even more sense for the federal government. One may need a specific kind of security clearance. It may be easier to assign an existing employee with that clearance and train them rather than go through the whole vetting process again. Singh also mentions introducing an AI interviewer to enhance hiring consistency and efficiency. He states that the future workforce will be a combination of humans and agents. This is a scenario in which agents perform repeatable tasks, while humans set the strategy and exercise judgment.
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Ep. 328 How LMI Is Accelerating Defense AI for the Modern Army
06/16/2026
Ep. 328 How LMI Is Accelerating Defense AI for the Modern Army
John Gilroy and Josh Wilson, CEO of LMI, discussed the shift from traditional defense technology development cycles to rapid deployment, emphasizing the need for integrated hardware-software systems. For decades, the military would assemble detailed requirements, solicit bids, select a winner, and wait years for the contract to be completed. This approach can work with some hardware systems, but today’s combat requires maximum flexibility and adaptability. This approach prompts the question of whether a company is judged by how perfect its product is on day one. What about day two? What about the pace? Can they figure it out based on what they learn? Wilson suggests a more flexible approach in which a combat system is proposed, evaluated quickly, defects are identified and replaced, and the system is then reassessed. He highlights LMI's approach, which combines software, hardware, services, data, and AI to deliver outcomes, citing examples like asset management in shipyards and the He stresses the importance of trust, earned through demonstrable solutions, and the cultural shift towards outcomes over ownership and the SHPRD program. Wilson also notes the success of the Ivy Sting exercises, which prioritize user feedback, and the potential for scaling rapid development models across the Army and other federal agencies. You can read the press release here:
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Ep. 327 Is Cybersecurity a Data Problem? Elastic Explains Why
06/11/2026
Ep. 327 Is Cybersecurity a Data Problem? Elastic Explains Why
Finding a needle in a haystack would seem like a minor endeavor compared to what today’s federal systems managers must face. Let’s take a stab at a correct farmyard analogy – the haystacks double in size every day and are moving. That sounds like an exaggeration, but recent reports show that nine million zero-day exploits are released every day. AI is putting malicious actors on steroids. Chris Townsend, Global Vice President of Public Sector at Elastic, discussed the company's role in federal cybersecurity and data management. His argument is, essentially, that cybersecurity is a data problem. If threats are viewed from that perspective, the more data you can bring into your security environment, the more effective you are at defending it. Elastic enables security operations analysts who are responsible for detecting threats to keep up with today’s tlandscape and cyber-attack velocity. Elastic’s platform and tools can reduce false positives and help federal security operations centers (SOCs) prioritize valid threats. Townsend highlighted Elastic's agentic AI tools, which help SOC operators prioritize and remediate threats, reducing mean time to detect and respond. Elastic's partnership with CISA for a managed Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) as-a- service was also mentioned, emphasizing the importance of standardizing data for effective AI-driven cybersecurity. Townsend goes on to articulate Elastic’s launch of a SIEM-as-a-Service offering for federal civilian agencies, featuring Elastic Security on Elastic Cloud. SIEMaaS delivers a cloud-based platform for next-generation, AI-powered threat analytics, incident response, and open-standards-based cybersecurity data ingestion. Here is a describing CISA’s SIEMaaS offering and how it supports federal agencies’ cybersecurity posture while reducing costs
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Ep. 326 Kong Explains the Future of Federal API Security
06/03/2026
Ep. 326 Kong Explains the Future of Federal API Security
John Gilroy hosts Dennis Woo, Director of Federal Sales at Kong, to discuss the rise of API management in federal security. API management has been a slowly growing concern for the past decade. Cloud adoption has driven API adoption; now we see cheap storage and AI systems making many API connections. Voilà, API security is now a topic for federal security leaders. During the interview, Dennis Woo discusses the origin of Kong and brings up topics of major concern for cybersecurity: The perimeter is disappearing. Before the cloud, a perimeter might have been the walls of a data center. APIs caused that to increase dramatically. Today, we see agents talking to APIs, APIs talking to models, and models consuming MCP tools. Woo remarks that the last thing a federal agency wants is token consumption at enterprise scale. Kong offers an API and AI management tool to ensure compliance, avoid vendor lock-in, and reduce cost. If we fast-forward five years, Woo predicts systems that are semantically aware, systems that can understand intent and detail, and systems that can manage risk. This can extend to semantic guardrails, semantic compression, and even token management. Listen to the podcast to understand how to manage an AI environment that can get out of control
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Ep. 325 Federal Cyber Leaders Face the AI Vulnerability Wave
05/29/2026
Ep. 325 Federal Cyber Leaders Face the AI Vulnerability Wave
Today, we sat down with Snehal Attani from Horizon3.ai to discuss the impact of large language models (LLMs) like Mythos on federal cybersecurity. He makes a range of startling statements. First, he admits that AI tools like Mythos can find bugs in code. In fact, he claims that the effort to find it may drop to zero. He also warns of the potential for AI-generated exploits to overwhelm security operations centers. Attani predicts a surge in vulnerabilities, what some call a Vulnpocalypse, and stresses the importance of prioritizing remediation and building muscle memory for incident response. However, that does not mean the effort to exploit the vulnerability is also zero. Knowing vulnerability does not guarantee a successful attack. Second, this new information can overwhelm a system administrator. His call to prioritization can yield effectiveness. He makes statements like, “The hardest part of the job is deciding what not to fix.” Finally, in a twist on the cybersecurity business, Attani admits that the attacker will get in. The best perspective is to see yourself as in the business of blast radius management. Attani advocates focusing on core cybersecurity fundamentals and cautions against chasing headlines to avoid organizational distraction. Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn
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Ep. 323 AI Threat Detection and Federal Cybersecurity Trends
05/21/2026
Ep. 323 AI Threat Detection and Federal Cybersecurity Trends
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Everyone seems to have an opinion on AI. Today, we interviewed Levi Gundert, the Chief Security and Intelligence Officer for Recorded Future. He thinks that AI gives federal leaders an opportunity to fight back. For example, one aspect of cybersecurity is velocity; the number of attacks has expanded exponentially. Gundert thinks this is an opportunity to match this attack's velocity. Many will balk at this opinion. They will describe federal data as challenged in cross-domain sharing, data labeling, and data trapped in PDFs or legacy systems. During the interview, in a refreshing observation, Gundert observes that defenders have always been on the back foot. Always in defense. Finally, AI can give tools that level the playing field. One application of AI is the ingestion of the data provided to federal systems. AI can be used to provide actionable intelligence. In some systems, this deluge can result in false alerts. When used properly, AI can filter through the signal and identify what is critical. Gundert emphasizes the need for automation and decision advantages in threat intelligence, the challenges of data fragmentation and legacy systems, and the urgency of upgrading systems to address vulnerabilities. They also touch on the role of AI in insider threats, the potential of Mythos to increase vulnerabilities, and the importance of sharing threat information to enhance cybersecurity.
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Ep. 322 Mattermost Secures Mission Critical Federal Collaboration
05/19/2026
Ep. 322 Mattermost Secures Mission Critical Federal Collaboration
Ep. 322 Mattermost Secures Mission Critical Federal Collaboration Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? The federal government has an unbelievably wide network. We all know about the IRS citizen-facing websites. We log in from our homes, the server is in the cloud somewhere, and we file our taxes. At the other end of the spectrum is the military and intelligence community. The military talks about a “contested” environment. This can be in Low Earth Orbit or can be underwater in a submarine. There are no simple connections in that world. Yet users demand security in a world constantly under attack and disconnected. Resilience means they must not lose packets of information. Also, just to make it interesting, this can be a life-or-death situation. Into this demanding world steps Corey Hulen, founder and CTO of Mattermost. Their mission is to provide collaboration software designed for high-trust, high-risk environments, including even air-gapped network components. The software emphasizes resilience in contested environments, ensuring collaboration continues even when network connections are lost. Hulin highlights the importance of both security and compliance, noting the challenges of meeting multiple regulatory standards. He also addresses the need for AI to support human decision-making in mission-critical scenarios, ensuring quick, informed responses.
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Ep. 321 Skills-Based Hiring and AI in Federal Government HR
05/12/2026
Ep. 321 Skills-Based Hiring and AI in Federal Government HR
Want to listen to other episodes? Today we sit down with an HR company, Workday, to see if it can transfer the success it has had in the commercial world into helping federal agencies reach ambitious goals. Matthew Cornelius works for Workday, but he has spent mor than a decade working in a wider variety of federal agencies. The interview covers topics like the shift towards skills-based hiring, the challenges of outdated HR systems, and the need for comprehensive workforce data. One concern is that the applicant can report skills. One candidate’s Python experience may differ greatly from another’s. Presidential administrations have encouraged the concept of skills-based hiring. However, this is a subject that is difficult to implement. For example, it can clash with the standard GSA classification system. Today’s AI skills are changing so rapidly, it would be almost impossible for an HR person to understand what skill sets are important. Cornelius has firsthand experience in federal HR systems that are dated. He references using Excel spreadsheets that can have issues with version control and backup. One great place to start is to use a system than can give an HR manager a “birds eye” view of the skills of their current employees. He emphasizes the importance of communication, empathy, and leveraging modern HR technology to improve federal HR processes and outcomes.
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Ep. 320 How to Mean Time to Resolution for Federal Systems
05/07/2026
Ep. 320 How to Mean Time to Resolution for Federal Systems
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? Two of the least well-known, but most important acronyms in federal technology are ITSM and ITOM. IT Service Management focuses on services and user experience, while IT Operations Management focuses on technical performance and monitoring. These two concepts are the backbone for maintaining the massive federal IT systems we see everywhere. Today, we sat down with Seth Gardner from BMC Helix, who details how BMC Helix can provide insights for service management. He starts with the importance of visibility and generating clean, reusable data for AI. Gardner maintains AI is only as good as the data behind it—and most federal agencies are still “re-wrangling” fragmented systems. In this episode, BMC Helix explains how correlating incidents across 12+ tools can pinpoint root cause and dramatically reduce mean time to resolution. He also touches on the importance of data sovereignty and security in multi-tenant environments. The conversation concludes with Seth outlining BMC Helix's differentiator in adapting to rapid technological changes.
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Ep. 319 Data Control Is Redefining Federal Security Strategy Now
05/05/2026
Ep. 319 Data Control Is Redefining Federal Security Strategy Now
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? Angel Smith, President of Global Public Sector at Virtru, discussed the challenges of data interoperability in federal agencies, emphasizing that trust and policy issues often hinder data sharing more than technology. It took several years, but the federal government has realized that its defenses are not perfect and has had to adopt a zero-trust approach to limit access to important information. Zero Trust is Missing the Point During the interview, Angel Smith argues that Zero Trust seems to focus on the network and identity, rather than on data. While intended to secure infrastructure, these changes can create new attack vectors. Data Sovereignty is broken. Traditionally, a data set would reside in a hard drive in a server room down the hall. Because of this, thinking about security can be focused on the physical location of the data or its sovereignty. Sometimes, a strategic approach is necessary to protect data. This is an outdated approach because data can be protected by the data object itself, which can carry control. Security vs. Speed is a False Tradeoff. This legacy thinking also applies to security. Some will exist to control data because it has been viewed as too time-consuming. Smith also stressed the need for modern data governance to enable AI and other advanced technologies, advocating for a rethinking of legacy practices to enhance data security and usability without compromising mission speed.
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Ep 318 Securing Millions of Federal Endpoints in the AI Era
04/28/2026
Ep 318 Securing Millions of Federal Endpoints in the AI Era
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? There is a popular podcast in the Washington, D.C. area called “Feds at the Edge.” The title alone acknowledges the importance of edge devices for the sprawling federal government. Today, we sat down with Tommy Gardner from HP to discuss the challenges of securing millions of endpoints in the federal government, including legacy systems and operational technology (OT). When it comes to OT, Gardner makes a shocking observation: if you take an endpoint, like a sensor in a boiler, and it gets compromised, it could shut down the refinery, and people could get hurt. That is why HP has developed a system called the Workforce Experience Platform (WXP), which manages diverse devices and applies updates remotely. One little-known fact Gardner brings up is that, when malicious actors assess vulnerabilities, the easiest way to get into a network is through the printer. In fact, HP now offers printers with defenses against post-quantum encryption. Given that a company like HP has thousands of products, the supply chain is a major consideration. During the interview, Gardner mentions that HP has over 10,000 vendors in its supply chain. He addresses the complexities of supply chain security, emphasizing the need for rigorous vendor verification and compliance with the Trade Act. He concludes by advocating for AI at the edge for real-time decision-making and cost efficiency.
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Ep 317 Mission-Driven AI Modernization in Federal Health Systems
04/24/2026
Ep 317 Mission-Driven AI Modernization in Federal Health Systems
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn Want to listen to other episodes? The Veterans Administration is a system with nine million enrolled veterans across 1,300 facilities. In a system like that, downtime is not an option. Today, we look at how a company successfully reduced documentation time, increasing adoption in one part of this massive system. We sat down with Nilanjan Sengupta from Thoughtworks to learn which methods proved successful. He began by stating the focus must not be on bits and bytes, but on mission outcomes. For example, for years, clinicians spent 10–20 minutes per patient on documentation, often taking 2 or more hours to leave their shift. Sengupta highlights a successful pilot of AI ambient scribe technology at the VA to address this issue. It was so successful that it achieved an 86% adoption rate among primary care providers. During the interview, Sengupta outlined topics such as the importance of data governance, trust infrastructure, and a responsible AI strategy. He emphasized the need for a well-governed data discovery process and a cultural shift towards treating data as a mission-critical product.
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