Feds at the Edge

FedInsider
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Technology
  • Biweekly

The federal government is changing the way it handles data. It is transitioning from an on premises data center approach to the cloud. Further, it is getting data from a wide ranging number of sensors. Feds at the Edge is a podcast that addresses those concerns

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 272 Orchestrate AI for Greatest Impact

    AI holds immense potential to revolutionize government service delivery, but real transformation begins by starting with the end in mind.  In this week's episode of Feds at the Edge, our experts explore how agencies can orchestrate AI with human oversight to modernize workflows, cut through operational friction, and manage risk responsibly.  Pamela Fusting of Tennessee kicks off the discussion by emphasizing that leaders must first pinpoint administrative pain points, target repetitive tasks backed by solid data, and refine core business practices before scaling. ServiceNow's Chris Dilley highlights practical starting points like case summarization—low-risk, highly reversible applications where humans retain ultimate quality control over AI outputs. Weighing in from his federal experience, ServiceNow's Jonathan Alboum warns against tool sprawl, advocating instead for streamlined processes, reduced complexity, and a laser focus on high-value workflows that deliver immediate, demonstrable results.   By prioritizing clear ROI metrics, iterative expansion, and cross-agency knowledge sharing, government leaders can turn early AI wins into a lasting foundation for modern public service.  Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear how the path to successful AI adoption starts with solving real problems, proving value and building on what works.

  2. Oct 21

    Ep. 271 Modernizing your SOC

    A Secure Operations Center (SOC) is a central nerve for federal agencies, and because of its critical role, updates must be handled with extreme care. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, we discuss how federal agencies can modernize SOCs to improve threat detection, response, and mission resilience. Thomas Schankweiler from CMS emphasizes starting with adversaries and identifying gaps in detection, eliminating overlapping tool redundancies, and prioritizing targeted defenses, while Palo Alto Networks' Rob Sherry highlights the importance of correlating tools and putting threats in context. NGA's Michael Ryan extends that discussion to Zero Trust, where understanding cloud environments, data, and users is essential to assessing risk.  Throughout the conversation, one message stands out: AI can take on repetitive tasks, giving analysts more time to focus on analysis, strategy, and informed decisions. Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear how agencies can help analysts find the right threats, understand their significance, and respond with confidence

  3. Oct 14

    Ep. 270 Breaking the Silos: Building a Secure Foundation for Government AI

    AI can help government agencies turn data into better services, but getting there takes more than simply making data available. In this week's episode of Feds at the Edge, we take a look at how agencies can uncover data buried in legacy systems, manage the cost of that discovery, and how to prevent AI from exposing sensitive data along the way. Rudolph Rojas of the USDA discusses the challenge of tracking down reporting applications created across an organization of more than 70,000 employees. Finding the data is one thing, but using AI to process it can introduce new risks, including potential data leaks. Tony Batalla of Oakland, California, takes a practical look at the next challenge: even when agencies can collect their data, can they afford to manage and use all of it? With limited resources, organizations need to focus on the information that can deliver the greatest value. And Alejandro Losa of Broadcom looks at how federal guidance, including OMB M-25-21 and the NIST Risk Management Framework, can help agencies establish accountability, assess impact, and maintain oversight as they adopt AI. Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear how government organizations can make smarter use of their data while balancing cost, security, and responsible AI adoption.

  4. Oct 7

    Ep. 269 Segmentation in the Age of AI: When Environments Move Faster than Humans.

    AI is moving faster than the rules designed to secure it. How can government leaders keep pace without creating new vulnerabilities?  In this week's episode of Feds at the Edge, we explore how public sector leaders are adapting data security, workload, and identity controls for the age of AI.  Kris Pennete from the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency discusses why AI's speed makes deliberate security design more important and why controls should extend beyond the traditional network.  Akamai's Brian Dennis explores how microsegmentation can limit the impact of a breach by restricting access to smaller, isolated areas and how AI-powered automation can help agencies deploy these protections more effectively.  The conversation also examines why automation is a powerful tool, not a replacement for human oversight.    Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to learn how government leaders can navigate outdated security rules, leverage microsegmentation, and apply human-supervised automation to safely harness the power of AI.

  5. Sep 30

    Ep. 268 AI at the Edge Turning Promise into Mission Advancement

    Today, we sat down with a group of experts who have experience taking AI out of the data center and putting it into the field. This enables fast, resilient decision-making in disconnected, bandwidth-constrained, contested, and high-consequence environments. Charles Ritter from Idaho National Labs provides an excellent use case. He begins by outlining the growing popularity of local LLMs and the quality gains products from Nvidia can deliver. Ritter's use case is managing a nuclear facility. When humans must make laboratory decisions, it can take years; an autonomous laboratory system can drastically reduce that time. Remote military situations have high demands that AI can meet. During the interview Dan Folliard from Astra AI details how AI can address restrictions on size, weight, and power. All participants agree that trust in AI must be a primary consideration. Folliard  details several methods to gain trust from stakeholders. Open architecture, modularity, model registries, experimentation, and small initial wins can accelerate adoption and build trust. Another way to encourage AI adoption at the edge is to use experimentation and small wins to build trust before scaling.

  6. Sep 23

    Ep. 267 Can AI Deliver Better Processes, Less Spending for Cities and Counties?

    Still tasked with doing more with less, agencies everywhere are focused on how to get more "bang for the buck," especially when it comes to AI.   In this week's episode of Feds at the Edge, technology leaders share how they are staying ahead in the era of AI without breaking their limited budgets.   Lorain County, Ohio's Todd Sharkey opens with some concepts that may not be obvious. Because most county staffs are, by definition, small, he suggests looking beyond your own organization for help and learning from others facing the same challenges. Khaled Twafik expands on the value of collaboration, particularly when it comes to sharing resources, setting standards and making the case for AI investments.   Priorities also matter when deciding where to invest. Kate May from Granicus discusses how organizations can identify the processes and workflows where AI may have the greatest impact, and how understanding true constraints can help set realistic goals.   Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear practical perspectives on making AI more approachable, affordable and useful, even when budgets and resources are limited.

  7. Sep 16

    Ep. 266 Post Quantum Cryptography in the Federal Government

    Is your agency ready for the quantum revolution? Quantum computing promises incredible breakthroughs, but it also brings new challenges to federal cybersecurity. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, we explore how agencies can proactively prepare for the quantum future and protect sensitive data today. While a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC) may still be on the horizon, adversary tactics like "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) make quantum readiness an immediate priority. U.S. GAO's Marisol Cruz Cain and Leidos' Joe Kovba, along with Rosa Underwood from GSA and Richu Channakeshava of Palo Alto Networks, break down the timeline, discussing how advances in quantum processing will challenge current RSA and Elliptic Curve asymmetric encryption standards. More importantly, our experts share actionable insights on migrating networks to post-quantum standards - such as FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205 - and strategies for balancing this vital operational shift with limited resources and competing cyber demands. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to hear how agencies can begin preparing today for the cybersecurity challenges and opportunities of the quantum era.

  8. Sep 10

    Ep. 265 Data Ready Architecture: Operationalizing AI, HPC Trusted Science at Scale

    While we all know AI can boost productivity, agencies everywhere are trying to figure out how that will relate to the government workload. In this episode of Feds At The Edge, experts familiar with the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission unpack what it takes to move from AI experimentation to secure, scalable, mission-ready infrastructure across national laboratories and research environments. Dana Grisham of Sandia National Laboratories explores a fundamental architecture question: how do you balance centralized control with the flexibility of a federated model, especially when innovation is moving fast and compliance can't take a back seat? David Henderson takes the conversation deeper into data governance, examining how agencies can maintain control and visibility as information moves from databases to data lakes, warehouses, and beyond. A common data catalog, he argues, can help create the consistency and accountability these environments demand. Frank Reyes of Maximus looks at architecture as more than infrastructure. Done well, it becomes a set of guardrails, helping federal organizations optimize performance while operating within demanding security, governance, and mission constraints. The conversation also tackles some of the toughest realities of AI modernization: technical debt, data-sharing agreements, cross-organizational collaboration, and the security requirements that can determine whether innovation scales, or stalls. For agencies working to turn AI ambition into operational capability, this is where the real work begins. Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform today.

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About

The federal government is changing the way it handles data. It is transitioning from an on premises data center approach to the cloud. Further, it is getting data from a wide ranging number of sensors. Feds at the Edge is a podcast that addresses those concerns

Information

  • Creator
    FedInsider
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © FedInsider 2020
  • Show Website
    Feds at the Edge