Federal Tech Podcast: for innovators, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to increase reach and improve brand awareness

Kenny Rogers once had a popular song where he sand, "There's time enough for countin' when the dealin' is done." Well, there was a lot of spending during Covid and now is the time to reflect on how we could have optimized that spend. In the studio today is Tom Voshell from Coupa.   He will bring a new perspective on how to efficiently allocate resources.   The focus is not on shopping for the best...

Donald Rumsfeld is famous for saying there are "unknown unknowns."   Today's interview with OnSolve takes this concept down a practical road:   once something Is known, how can you quickly inform people of the issue?   When it comes to the federal government, notifications can range an incredible gamut.   A systems administrator needs to know if a server is malfunctioning in a data center; a FEMA...

Artificial intelligence in software development has been top-of-mind for federal technology leaders once ChatGPT was popularized. This concern is documented in the recent "Request for Information on Open-Source Software Security: Areas of Long-term Focus and Prioritization" which was issued in August of 2023.   Their concerns include the Secure Open-Source Software Foundation, incentives to secure...

If you have ever raised teenagers, you know the phrase, "unintended consequences." In today's world of federal technology, this concept can be applied to data storage.   What are the consequences if you do not thoroughly erase data?   It could be an open door for data leakage.   For example, what happens when your agency moves data from one cloud to another?   Is it erased?   How do you know?   Le...

It is always nice to occasionally get out of the trenches to look at the larger issues. Today, we sat down with Michael Mestrovich from Rubrik. He has decades of experience in three letter agencies and has a perspective that is hard to match when it comes to getting a handle on current trends in cybersecurity. Michael gives a quick review of current trends in cybersecurity legislation. He notes th...

This is John Gilroy It is hard to believe that I have done over 1,000 podcast interviews. Some guests get four hundred impressions on LinkedIn, and some get 4,000. How do you explain the difference? -- keep listening . . .. Hit the music, Manny . . .   = = = Ever since Covid, I have been doing lots of in-person interviews – at BBQ places, Fish Shacks, breweries; we have had fantastic success; most...

Traditionally, a cyberattack would be identified, and the remediation process would begin. The effectiveness of this is questionable because not all attacks are discovered. Secondly, even if they were discovered, the malicious actor may have left files in areas for future exploits. Because of this logic, we see a new emphasis on threat detection. In fact, in July of 2023, the Department of Homelan...

Arthur C. Clark once wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This observation certainly applies to Artificial Intelligence.    Unfortunately, there are federal agencies that aren't quite enthralled with "magic", and they do require some information on how AI derives its conclusions.   Kind of like your high school math teacher asking you to show your work on...

Sometimes, you need to pull back and try to separate reality from the shenanigans. During today's interview, world-famous David Linthicum pulls back the curtain on many of the misconceptions of federal cloud technology and puts a focus on reality. In some academic circles, David would be classified as an "iconoclast."   This is quite an impressive word that means a person who attacks or criticizes...

When the history of Covid and federal information technology is written, historians will talk about the amazing ability to transition to remote workers.    As in all history, when time separates incidents, one gets a more nuanced perspective. It is true that massive amounts of effort were expended. That kind of pressure resulted in over provisioning of systems. From today's perspective, it is obvi...

When you use the term "data scientist" you normally think of an inarticulate introvert who is dazzled by numbers and has week social skills.   Well, this interview with Aaron Pujanandez from Excella may change the preconception.   We start off with referencing an article from the Harvard Business Journal from 2012.  This was probably a conceit eleven years ago, but in the last decade we have seen...

Akamai has been a well know partner in many federal technology projects for many years. Some of their activities are obvious – some not as easy to see as it may appear. Rob San Martin is a twenty-year veteran of Akamai and sits down to give a broad overview of some of the ways Akamai is improving federal cybersecurity that may not be obvious to the common observer. One:    Akamai sees one-third of...

In the early days of the networking one could put together a simple diagram of computers, routers, and switches.   The more complex it became, the more detailed was the diagram. When you combine containers, services and virtualization, today's networks make early systems look like child's play.   Containers have proliferated because they can house all the necessary elements to run in any environme...

We begin the interview with statistics on fraud from several organizations, including PBS, AP, and others.   Covid fraud estimates range from $80 to $200 billion.   One way to prevent future abuse is with a robust identity proofing platform.   The miliary likes to talk about "force multipliers."   This can also apply to technology companies who serve the federal government.   Let's take Socure – a...

Covid forced federal organizations to move to the cloud. Federal leaders discovered a confusing world of multi-clouds, public cloud, private cloud, and even hybrid cloud. We have even seen federal systems using cloud tools to manage premises applications and data. There is one constant variable:   an organization must be able to identify users. Years before Covid, this was a small, isolated field...

The Great Lakes used to have iron ore boats running from Minnesota to Ohio. The ship was not very agile but was unstoppable at 12 knots. There is a close parallel with the federal government. It is such a massive entity that it is unstoppable when it sets its sights on a goal. However, when challenged with new threats, it has a difficult job altering course. Right now, the federal government under...

During the interview, Bryan Rosensteel applies his considerable federal experience in identification to help you understand where basic MFA can be applied and when to move on to more appropriate methods of identification. Instead of just a mere six-digit code, you may want to use a physical device like a CAC card to prove your identity. In cases like phone access where cards are not practical, you...

Once upon a time, surveys had meaning. However, today, if you buy a toothbrush, you are sent a five-page survey on customer satisfaction. Let us say you are trying to comply with the December 2021 Executive order to improve citizen experience with your federal website. What kind of feedback do you expect from a typical citizen who cannot take another survey? Today, we sat down with Matt Chong from...

Advances in artificial intelligence are being released every day and being proposed as solutions for federal problems. Anyone who has raised children through their teen aged years is aware of the phrase, "unintended consequences."   We must be careful not to be dazzled by modern technology and not realize what unintended consequences are in store before we understand the ethics of modern technolog...

The federal government has been told to move to the cloud since Vivek Kundra famously coined the phrase "cloud first" fifteen years ago. Unfortunately, somehow the "how" was not included in the prescription. In an attempt to achieve assigned goals, we have seen agencies "lift and shift" on premises applications to the cloud.   There is the checkbox complete. A simile here is you have a broken-down...

Painting with a wide brushstroke, there are three kinds of data:   data at rest; data in transit; and data in use. Today, we speak to the person who pioneered the concept of protecting data in use. Her name is Dr. Ellison Ann Williams and has an impressive background, having an MS in Mathematics, an MS in Computer Science, and a Ph. D. In Mathematics. Additionally, she served at the NSA for ten ye...

Most listeners have heard of Palo Alto Networks. Today, we bring in Eric Trexler to give us an overview of what the venerable Palo Alto Networks has developed to help federal agencies reach their goals. Eric started his career as a U.S. Ranger and has held leadership positions in many companies. He has chosen to work for Palo Alto Networks because he views it as the largest cybersecurity company i...

Definitions are always tough in the world of networking. The initial concept was all hardware: a group of computers connected through cards, routers, and cables. Oh, how things have changed in a mere fifty years! Software virtualization allowed systems administrators to spin up "hard drives" in no time. This was so practical that it was applied to the network itself in something called a Software...

Last year Americans lost $10.3 billion to online crime; contrast that with the estimated $1.3 billion lost to home robberies.   Today's interview with Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan from Aura gives our federal listeners ideas on how to protect your identity. We have learned that when a person's identity gets compromised, it can lead directly to their employer, an especially sensitive problem when considering...

A wise man once said two things can be true at once.   On the one hand, federal law enforcement agencies are being bombarded with data.   Petabytes seem to be leaking in from the roofs and seeping in from the basement. On the other hand, they are being pushed to give analysis quickly while being understaffed. Not a problem to solve for the sight of heart. Into the fray steps Siren. During today's...