Behind the Shield

In this bonus episode of Behind the Shield, we’re breaking down one of the biggest FedRAMP updates of the year: the release of the FedRAMP Consolidated Rules for 2026, also known as CR26. FedRAMP has been moving quickly, and for cloud service providers, agencies, assessors, advisors, and anyone working in the federal cloud ecosystem, CR26 marks an important shift toward a more unified, structured,...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Gary Daemer sits down with Matt Topper, President of UberEther, to discuss identity, FedRAMP, FedRAMP 20x, DoD cloud authorization, AI, and what it takes to build secure platforms for highly regulated environments. Matt shares UberEther’s approach to helping agencies and SaaS providers solve identity and access management challenges while accelerating authoriz...

Rob Hughes returns to Behind the Shield for his second appearance, making him the show’s first returning guest. This episode picks up in the middle of a year defined by rapid change, especially across AI, cybersecurity, identity, and federal compliance. Rob joins the InfusionPoints team for a wide-ranging conversation about how security leaders are thinking through the speed, scale, and uncertaint...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, host Gary Daemer is joined by new co-host Ryan Adcock from the InfusionPoints Cloud Team and special guest SK Bhachech from Riverbed Technology for a candid conversation on what it really takes to navigate federal compliance when the goalposts move mid-flight. Together, they unpack Riverbed’s authorization journey, why FedRAMP is often customer-driven rather t...

What happens when someone who helped shape FedRAMP from inside a federal agency joins the conversation from the industry side? In this episode of Behind the Shield, Gary Daemer sits down with Michael Schroeder, Director of FedRAMP Strategy and Market Development at Excentium, to discuss the evolution of FedRAMP, the impact of FedRAMP 20x, and what the future of cloud security and compliance could...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Gary Daemer sits down with Christian Hyatt, Founder and CEO of risk3sixty, for a conversation that goes far beyond cybersecurity. Together, they explore what it means to build an evergreen company in an industry often driven by venture capital, rapid growth expectations, and short-term outcomes. Christian shares the story behind risk3sixty's culture-first...

What happens when compliance, engineering, cloud operations, and auditing all converge? In this episode of Behind the Shield, Gary Daemer sits down with Eric Beasley, Director of Compliance and Engineering at Earthling Security, for an in-depth conversation on the evolution of FedRAMP, the emergence of GRC engineering, and why automation is becoming a foundational requirement for modern compliance...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Jason Shropshire sits down with Tony Bai, Chief Solutions Officer at RISCPoint, for a wide-ranging conversation on cybersecurity, compliance, emerging technology, and the future of the workforce. Tony shares his journey from serving in the U.S. Air Force and supporting cyber operations at the Pentagon to becoming a leader in the federal cybersecurity and compl...

The Defense Tech market is full of opportunity, but getting into the space is far from simple. In this episode of Behind the Shield, InfusionPoints COO Jason Shropshire and CEO Gary Daemer each share their perspectives on the top 5 challenges companies face when trying to break into the Defense Tech and Department of Defense market. The conversation highlights how technical, operational, and busin...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, InfusionPoints’ Chad Spears and Tanner Bailey break down one of the most important concepts shaping the future of FedRAMP 20x: the Minimum Assessment Scope (MAS). As organizations begin preparing for the transition toward continuous validation and automated security evidence, understanding what actually belongs in scope has become critical. Chad and Tanner unp...

In this episode of Behind the Shield , we sit down with Phil Hickson alongside InfusionPoints’ Jackson Gorman and Jason Shropshire for a deep dive into the evolving world of Defense Tech and federal compliance. Phil shares a behind-the-scenes look at navigating a complex FedRAMP ATO journey during a major divestiture, including standing up a new authorization boundary while maintaining compliance...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, we sit down with Gary Guercio, VP of Operations at Fortreum, for a deep dive into the evolution of cybersecurity auditing and what FedRAMP 20x signals for the future of federal cloud security. From the early days of manual audits filled with printed artifacts, screenshots, and physical binders, to today’s push toward automation, APIs, and machine-readable evid...

What happens when your SOC doesn’t just respond to threats but actively thinks, prioritizes, and takes action? In this episode of Behind the Shield, we break down the rise of the Agentic SOC and what it means for the future of cybersecurity operations. As organizations face an overwhelming volume of alerts, evolving threats, and increasing pressure to move faster, traditional SOC models are being...

In this special announcement episode of Behind the Shield, we’re sharing a major milestone for InfusionPoints and what it signals for the future of federal cloud security. Chad Spears and Tanner Bailey break down our FedRAMP 20x Moderate (Class C) achievement, what it took to get here, and why this moment matters for cloud service providers, agencies, and the broader FedRAMP ecosystem. This isn’t...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Jason Shropshire sits down with cybersecurity founder, author, and industry veteran Andrew Plato for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to build and scale a cybersecurity company. Andrew shares his journey from accidentally discovering one of the earliest SQL injection vulnerabilities in the 90s to founding and growing a cybersecurity...

n this episode of Behind the Shield, hosted by Mike Strohecker, the Cloud Operations team at InfusionPoints dives into the realities of vulnerability management in FedRAMP environments. Mike is joined by Ryan Adcock and James Bolton from the Cloud Operations team, where they support customers operating in FedRAMP High and IL5 environments. Together, they break down what it really takes to maintain...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, we continue our internship series with a real, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s actually like to start a career in cybersecurity. Host Felisha Daemer sits down with Levi Church and Ben Collins, two former interns turned full-time Security Operations Analysts, to talk through their journeys from local students to working hands-on in a 24/7 SOC environment. T...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Jason Shropshire, InfusionPoints COO, sits down with Matt Bruggeman, Director of GTM Federal at A-LIGN, to explore one of the most unique career paths in the compliance space and how it directly shapes the way he approaches FedRAMP today. Starting in engineering, transitioning into improv comedy, and ultimately moving into sales engineering, Matt brings a pers...

What does an internship at InfusionPoints actually look like, and what can it lead to? In this episode of Behind the Shield, Tanner Bailey sits down with former interns Rachael Smith and Aidan Fratcher, who are now full-time members of the InfusionPoints team, to talk about their journey from students to professionals in cybersecurity, compliance, and cloud. They share how they first connected wit...

FedRAMP modernization is moving quickly, and one of the newest developments is the introduction of FedRAMP Public Notices. In this episode of Behind the Shield, the team explains what these notices are, why the FedRAMP PMO created them, and what they reveal about the future direction of FedRAMP 20x. Public Notices serve as a formal communication channel that provides transparency and a chronologic...

Government contracting can feel overwhelming, with complex regulations, countless tools, and uncertainty about where to begin. In this episode of Behind the Shield, host Felisha Daemer is joined by Jeff Bivens of InfusionPoints and Nick Bernardo, President of MyGovWatch.com, to explore how businesses can enter and succeed in the government marketplace without overcomplicating the process. Nick sha...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, Chad Spears (Director of Security Operations at InfusionPoints) sits down with Michael Wingler, VP of IT & Operations / CIO at Wilkes Community College, to talk about a reality more schools are facing: community colleges are targets now. Michael shares what’s changed in the threat landscape, why attacks love nights, weekends, and holidays, and how limited...

Go Behind the Shield with a special 3-segment episode, hosted by Jason Shropshire, featuring members of the InfusionPoints engineering team as they break down what they’re building, how they’re building it, and the lessons learned along the way. Recorded after hours during Hackathon week, this one’s a little less buttoned-up in the best way. Expect real talk, real lessons, and a few laughs as the...

What happens when you treat AWS Marketplace like real commerce, not a static listing page? In this episode of Behind the Shield, Gary Daemer and Jason Shropshire sit down in North Wilkesboro with Trés “Trey” Vance, Executive Chairman of CloudSmart, to talk about the business mechanics behind modern cloud go-to-market: marketplace analytics, private offers, channel partner private offers, and why c...

In this episode of Behind the Shield, host Gary Daemer sits down with Andrea Livero-Scott, Director for Cybersecurity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, to unpack what is changing across FedRAMP and why the shift to FedRAMP 20x is more than a process update. We cover: The biggest FedRAMP pain points from the last 4–5 years (timelines, reviewer interpretation, package churn) The real diffe...