The Government Technology Insider Podcast | Podcast on RSS.com

The Government Technology Insider Podcast

The Government Technology Insider Podcast

by Government Technology Insider

Government Technology

Season 2

Modernizing FOIA: How AI is Reshaping the Essentials of eDiscovery

Federal agencies are facing a growing FOIA challenge: request volumes have surged dramatically over the past decade, while the requests themselves have become increasingly complex, often involving large volumes of electronic records, multiple custodians, and sensitive data sources. At the same time, many agencies are trying to meet statutory response deadlines with reduced staffing, and processes that still rely heavily on manual review and disconnected legacy systems. As agencies attempt to fulfill these requests and comply with the 20-day turnaround time required by law, the legacy technology and systems that form the backbone of eDiscovery in the federal government are showing their age. These challenges increase security and litigation risks, contribute to a growing backlog of requests, and undermine public trust in an open and transparent government. Addressing these challenges and modernizing FOIA processes and eDiscovery systems relies on a foundation of next-generation technology, powered by artificial intelligence. In this episode of the Government Technology Insider Podcast, Victoria Cash, Product Director, Open Government Solutions, and Kelly Swank, Vice President of Business Development, from Casepoint joined host, Lucas Hunsicker, to explore developments in eDiscovery technology and imagine a more sustainable, integrated, and secure FOIA platform that will support federal agencies for years to come.

Protecting Critical Infrastructure with Network Edge Intelligence

Federal network edge infrastructure is expanding, creating a more efficient and effective government but also inviting opportunities for novel and varied cyber threats. Artificial intelligence, cloud, remote access, and other technologies face constant targeting that threatens critical infrastructure and essential services. Today’s episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast features Shawn Smagh, Principal Intelligence Liaison at GreyNoise, sharing his expertise in the early warning signals of upcoming cyberattacks, practical steps to identify and mitigate threats, and how collaboration is key to a stronger cybersecurity posture. The threat landscape facing government agencies is defined by compressing timelines. Average times to exploit—the time it takes a malicious actor to exploit a vulnerability—have collapsed, shrinking from over two years to a mere two days at most. Defending federal data in this environment requires both a strong defensive posture, bolstered by frameworks such as Zero Trust, and the agility to adapt to new technologies and tactics faster than adversaries. Smagh shared that internet telemetry data can provide early warning signals that agencies can use to quickly identify and mitigate threats.

CMMC Readiness Can’t Pause Just Because Phase 2 of the Program Did

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker discussed the practical implications of the CMMC 2.0 pause with Doug Barbin, President and National Managing Principal at Schellman. Barbin explained why the announcement, despite its abruptness, wasn’t entirely unexpected, why identifying and tracking CUI as it moves from primes down through layers of subcontractors continues to be the biggest ongoing challenge, and why the majority of Schellman clients are still moving forward with the certification. He also looked ahead to the DoW’s 60-day review, the significance of responding to the Request for Information (RFI), and where he sees emerging solutions helping smaller contractors shrink their compliance footprint.

Connecting the National Guard in Austere Environments

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host, Matt Lagan, discussed the National Guard’s connectivity challenges and the strategies needed to maintain personnel connections across diverse operating environments with Luis Delgado, Senior Client Partner at Verizon, and Dale Butterworth, former Senior Solutions Partner at Verizon. They discussed the value of layered communications, interoperability with federal, state, and local agencies, and how technologies like satellite communications, 5G, fixed wireless, and AI are strengthening mission resilience.

Speed to Contracting, Speed to Mission for Air Force Connectivity

To support operations worldwide, the U.S. Air Force relies on a secure and resilient network infrastructure, but delivering Air Force-grade connectivity is rarely a quick process. According to the Government Accountability Office, major federal acquisitions can take years to go from requirement development to implementation, which creates challenges for organizations trying to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and mission demands. In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with Verizon experts Luis Delgado, Senior Client Partner, and Cung Nguyen, Senior Sales Engineer, about the procurement challenges that can delay critical network modernization efforts across the Air Force. Additionally, they discussed how agencies can better align acquisition timelines with operational requirements, when more flexible approaches like Other Transaction Authority (OTA) may be appropriate, and where traditional contracting vehicles like Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) can support mission needs.

Identity is the New Tier-0

For many years, strengthening the network perimeter through more robust defenses, faster patching, and improved threat detection has been the gold standard. However, today’s threat landscape has fundamentally changed and as a result defenses must change too. Federal agencies are now recognizing that identity has become the new Tier-0 as attackers increasingly use compromised credentials and identity systems to bypass traditional security measures. Building cyber resilience is no longer just about preventing intrusions. It requires protecting and rapidly recovering the identity infrastructure that supports every mission. Jimmy McNary, Deputy Federal CTO at Semperis, joins the Government Technology Insider podcast to discuss why identity has become the new Tier-0 and what agencies need to do to build resilience against identity-based attacks. McNary and host, Lucas Hunsicker, explore how identity infrastructure and Active Directory are being targeted by today’s threat actors, why recovery planning is just as crucial as prevention, and how AI is reshaping cyber defense and identity-focused attacks.

Mobile Military Recruitment is Meeting Prospects Where They Are

Military recruiting has become a lot more mobile in recent years, evolving to meet a generation that expects information and opportunities to come to them. Today’s recruiters are spending less time behind a desk and more time connecting with prospective service members at high schools, college career fairs, and community events. While recruiting offices still play an important role, they are now just one part of a much broader mobile military recruitment strategy. In the latest Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with Dale Butterworth, Senior Solutions Partner at Verizon, about why connectivity has quietly become one of the most valuable tools recruiters carry into the field. Beyond simple internet access, recruiters need secure, reliable access to application information, the ability to validate application information on the spot, deliver immersive demonstrations using emerging technologies, and maintain the same level of capability in the field as they’d expect inside a secure facility.

AI-Driven Acquisition: Keeping Humans at the Center

With accelerating technology refresh cycles, evolving policy expectations, and the pressure to reduce waste and fraud while delivering mission outcomes faster, are transforming government acquisition from a transactional procurement function to a strategic capability. AI-driven acquisition offers agencies a way to address these pressures. Agencies are beginning to integrate AI directly into acquisition systems to streamline the requirements development process, automate research, and reduce administrative burden. These tools can help accelerate timelines and improve efficiency. However, agencies must also support common-sense workforce adoption to keep humans in the loop and avoid the risks of “cognitive surrender,” where users put too much trust into AI-generated outputs. Ben Allen, Vice President of Public Sector Solutions at Appian, joins our host, Lucas Hunsicker, in this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast to talk about how acquisition modernization is evolving. They explore how the future of AI-enabled acquisition relies on embedding intelligent capabilities into procurement workflows in a way that keeps humans actively involved rather than replacing them.

Building a Cyber-Ready Workforce in the Readiness Revolution

The continual rapid evolution of the cyber threat landscape is making building a cyber workforce more important—and more difficult—than ever. As new cyber threats emerge more quickly and frequently, the “readiness revolution” is pushing cybersecurity readiness toward more active education and the ability to demonstrate skills before a crisis. In today’s episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, Dan Magnotta, Senior Federal Business Development Manager at Hack The Box, explains how the readiness revolution is changing public sector cyber preparedness and what organizations can do to build a cyber-ready workforce. Artificial intelligence (AI), bring your own device policies, and new applications and devices are all expanding the government’s already massive attack surface. The Department of War’s (DoW) cyber workforce needs the skills to defend critical cyber terrain, but they also need the flexibility to shift priorities as threats, targets, and missions evolve.

AI Governance Defines the Next Stage of Federal AI Adoption

In a year defined by acceleration and transformation, 2025 will be remembered across the federal government as the start of artificial intelligence moving from pilot projects to production reality. Agencies are no longer debating whether to use AI; the conversation has shifted decisively to how to deploy it safely, effectively, responsibly, and at scale. On the most recent episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host, Lucas Hunsicker, spoke with Steve Boone, Director of Product Marketing at Checkmarx, about what this reframing has meant for government IT teams and what it signals as we move through 2026 and beyond.

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