"This Is Fine" with Hunter Strategy

Hunter Strategy
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Technology
  • Weekly

Welcome to "This Is Fine" with Hunter Strategy, because who doesn't need another podcast, right? But hold on, this isn't your typical corporate spiel. "This Is Fine" dives deep into topics like Cloud security and agile methods, but with a twist of humor, sarcasm, and a sprinkle of dad jokes. Instead of boring PDFs, we bring lively discussions to life, offering a peek behind the curtain at our quirky team. Join us for a roller coaster ride through tech talk and more. Trust us, it's going to be fine... probably!

  1. 2d ago

    Beyond the Set-Aside: Making the Case for Small Business in Federal Tech

    Why would a federal agency choose a small business for technology work when it isn’t required to? Host Matt Triner sits down with Kevin Belanga, Chief Growth Officer, and Roman Zhelenko, Director of Federal Capture, both of Hunter Strategy, to make that case from inside a small contractor. They talk through how a smaller company hires faster and adapts benefits to keep good people. They also cover why fixed-price contracts with loosely written requirements can turn small changes into contract modifications, and how a small firm’s reputation shapes the way it treats customers. Kevin and Matt each share an example of Hunter adjusting course when a program’s plans changed partway through. The conversation then turns to how cloud lowered the cost of entry for small firms, what agencies could change in their solicitations, and why HUBZone sole-source authority goes almost unused. Chapters 00:00 Intro02:16 Matt sets up the episode and introduces Kevin and Roman04:03 Why small businesses move faster on hiring and decisions06:11 Flexible benefits: the co-working space example09:21 Customer service and the spirit of the contract12:35 Fixed-price contracts and the “that needs a mod” problem14:29 Why reputation shapes how small firms treat customers17:12 Adapting a program through the JEDI-to-JWCC transition20:03 Redirecting obligated funds after a product acquisition derailed a program23:54 How cloud changed the economics for small businesses28:47 Leveling the field: key personnel requirements and coding challenges33:17 Advisory down-selects and HUBZone sole-source authority36:03 Why acquisition staff overlook HUBZone firms41:15 Getting more from small business events and program office timeWrap-upOutro

  2. Oct 21

    DevSecOps on the DoD’s Terms

    This week, host Matt Triner has 2 Senior DevOps engineers unpack the realities of building software in DoD environment - from cloud lock-in, ATOs, and infrastructure as code to the documentation gaps that force teams to reinvent solutions. A candid look at why government modernization is often less about the technology and more about the systems around it. Catch show notes and more for this and previous episodes on the Hunter Strategy blog. Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:28 The Impact of Outdated Computer Systems 07:17 Challenges of Migrating to Cloud 10:40 Bureaucratic Hurdles and Cultural Resistance 19:21 The Use of Kubernetes in DoD 26:03 The Role of DoD Hosting Providers 30:40 Recommendations for Improvement 30:57 Improving Acquisition and Workforce Training 35:34 Explaining Cloud Concepts and Compliance 39:27 Sharing Knowledge and Best Practices 40:55 Rethinking Legacy Systems 43:15 Closing Remarks

  3. Oct 14

    Why ATOs Suck

    The Authority to Operate (ATO) process is meant to show that a federal system is secure enough to run. In practice it’s usually months of checklists, interpretation, and debate with assessors. Matt talks with Chris Sowers, CEO of Watchtower Security Consultants, about why ATOs are so hard: governance lags behind technology, agencies interpret the same rules differently, and vendors get caught between FedRAMP, impact levels, and their customers’ expectations. They also cover how to get through it anyway. Chapters 00:00 Intro00:34 Matt sets up the episode and introduces Chris01:18 An ATO explained as a yearly car registration03:09 California vs. Michigan: which agencies have the strictest ATOs05:30 SolarWinds and how public scrutiny shapes security posture06:02 FISMA’s ambiguity and why governance can’t keep pace with cloud07:54 Not applicable vs. non-compliant: the MongoDB Community Edition example11:01 Mitigating controls and alternate implementations12:44 Working with assessors: honesty, education, and trust14:36 Advice for a company facing its first ATO17:14 On-prem software in the stack: NIST 800-161, 800-171, and ITAR19:25 Why impact levels apply to cloud offerings, not software20:27 DocuSign vs. Salesforce: the gap in how agencies use FedRAMP21:55 Customer responsibility matrices and transitive trust26:26 The Jira-on-EC2 workaround29:45 How agency sponsorship speeds up FedRAMP authorization30:43 Wrap-up31:00 Outro

  4. Oct 7

    Procurement Theater

    Summary: In this episode, Kevin Long, Jeff Segal, and Kevin Belanga explore the nuances of federal procurement challenges, including code challenges, oral assessments, and alternative procurement methods. They discuss how these approaches impact vendor evaluation, government decision-making, and the importance of aligning evaluation methods with project scope and complexity. Key Topics: Differences between in-room and take-home code challenges The value and limitations of oral assessments The role of external evaluators and source selection boards Balancing cost, complexity, and procurement methods The importance of aligning evaluation methods with project scope Challenges of evaluating technical competence remotely Innovative approaches to vendor vetting, including pair programming The impact of procurement methods on small and large businesses Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Federal Procurement Challenges 02:01 Different Types of Code Challenges in RFPs 03:55 Evaluating Technical Competence Remotely 05:53 The Role of External Evaluators and Source Boards 07:56 Balancing Cost and Complexity in Procurement 09:48 Innovative Vetting Methods: Pair Programming 11:47 The Value of Oral Assessments 13:57 The Theater of In-Person and Virtual Challenges 16:01 Challenges for Small Businesses in Procurement 18:14 Alternative Approaches to Traditional RFPs 19:58 Simplifying Vendor Vetting with Pair Programming 22:06 The Cost and Time of Code Challenges 24:00 The Utility of Oral Presentations 26:11 Media and Video in Vendor Evaluation 28:13 Guarding Against Bait and Switch 30:09 The Future of Federal Procurement Strategies

  5. Oct 1

    Effective PMOs

    Matt Triner talks with PMO leaders Monique Williams and Tom Arnold about what separates a project management office that actually helps from one that's just overhead in government IT. They dig into the gap between mission goals and what the systems can really do, how to deal with tech debt, and what happens when siloed stakeholders keep stalling delivery. Later in the episode they get into agility, earning buy-in, and building trust on hybrid teams. Worth a listen if you're standing up a new PMO or trying to fix the one you've got. Episode Chapters: 00:00 The Role of PMOs in IT Initiatives 01:14 Critical Competencies of Effective PMOs 06:09 Understanding Technical Aspects in PMOs 10:45 Balancing Stakeholder Needs and Project Goals 16:20 Measuring PMO Effectiveness 20:58 Evaluating Good vs. Bad PMOs 23:45 Agility in Project Management 28:11 Engagement in a Hybrid Workforce 34:38 Trends in PMO Operations 41:06 Key Recommendations for Establishing a PMO

  6. Sep 24

    Secure Software Development

    Cloud and code don't sit in separate lanes anymore, and neither do their vulnerabilities. Dan Beller (Director of Cloud Solutions) and Greg Vanore (Director of Software Development) join This Is Fine to dig into what secure software development actually demands once the checklist runs out. They cover the widening blast radius of cloud misconfigurations, the quiet risk of open source dependencies that lose their maintainers, and why "shift left" stays a slogan until contracts actually fund it. A detour through JavaScript's messy history makes the case that unchecked abstraction is its own security problem, tooling included. They also dig into why government agile adoption keeps colliding with government security posture, and what the NIST SSDF gets right about treating security as a mindset rather than a gate. It's a candid, occasionally cursed (RIP JScript) conversation about building software that survives contact with reality.Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Production 00:44 Exploring Secure Software Development 01:43 The Changing Threat Landscape 03:05 Impact of Open Source Software 04:55 Infrastructure Security and Open Frameworks 05:57 Balancing Tooling and Understanding 06:53 The Evolution and Challenges of JavaScript 10:22 The Stabilization of UI Frameworks 12:18 Challenges in Government Cloud Environments 15:01 Agility and Security in Government 16:40 Reconciling Agile Processes with Security 22:35 Embedding Security in the Development Process 24:55 The Scope of Secure Software Development

  7. Sep 17

    QA and Automated Testing

    Everyone claims their testing tool does AI now, and Jay Newlin (Director of Quality Assurance) has the flooded inbox to prove it. He and Greg Vanore (Director of Software Engineering) join host Matt Triner to talk about cutting through that noise, why customers still don't believe automation is worth paying for, and the readable, declarative test frameworks that actually change their minds. Then things get personal with the two worst legacy code handoff stories you'll hear this year, one on burned CDs, one on three-ring binders of printed source code, and what disciplined test automation looks like when you inherit either one.Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:07 Automated Quality Assurance Testing in Software Development 01:22 Challenges in Assessing Tools for Automation Testing 02:42 The Importance of Automation in Testing 03:50 Educating Customers on the Value of Automation Testing 04:41 Expanding Testing Techniques Beyond Traditional Methods 05:48 Customer Perception of Automated Testing 07:09 The Future of Automated Testing 15:57 Balancing Rapid Deployment and Quality 16:58 The Importance of Unit Test Coverage 17:56 Maintaining Test Automation During Rapid Deployment 20:41 The Role of Tooling in Government Environments 22:56 Deliverables and Documentation in Government Contracts 25:12 Testing Legacy Systems 27:56 Considerations for Legacy Systems in Test Automation 34:43 The Future State of Automated Testing

  8. Sep 10

    Applied Cyber Threat Intelligence

    Ask 5 people to define threat intelligence and you'll get 5 different answers, and that's exactly where this episode starts. Will Elchert (Senior CTI Analyst, Hunter Strategy) and Jake Williams (VP of R&D, Hunter Strategy) join host Matt Triner alongside two clients living this from the buyer's side: Keith McCartney, SVP of Security and IT at DNA Nexus, and Billy Martin, CTSO at Vigor. Together, they break down what separates a threat intel program that actually drives decisions from one that's just, as Jake puts it, "cyber story time with the CTI team." The conversation covers where AI genuinely helps in CTI workflows and where it falls flat, how red and blue teams each get value out of the same intelligence, and what metrics actually prove a security program's worth to leadership. Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Cyber Threat Intelligence 02:51 Defining Threat Intelligence 05:41 Stakeholder Engagement in Cybersecurity 08:34 Risk Management and Cyber Threat Intelligence 11:36 Industry-Specific Approaches to Threat Intelligence 14:25 The Importance of Context in Threat Intelligence 17:07 Integrating Cybersecurity Functions 19:51 Actionability of Threat Intelligence 25:24 The Evolution of Cyber Threat Intelligence 28:58 AI's Role in Cybersecurity 32:19 Data Analysis and AI Integration 37:14 Challenges and Opportunities with AI 41:27 Human Element in Cyber Threat Intelligence 49:57 Red Team vs Blue Team Dynamics 52:28 Red Team vs Blue Team: Who Leverages CTI Better? 55:02 Funding and Capability Development in Cybersecurity 58:11 The Importance of Communication and Collaboration 01:01:14 Metrics for Measuring Threat Intelligence Effectiveness 01:09:45 Building a Cybersecurity Program from Scratch

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About

Welcome to "This Is Fine" with Hunter Strategy, because who doesn't need another podcast, right? But hold on, this isn't your typical corporate spiel. "This Is Fine" dives deep into topics like Cloud security and agile methods, but with a twist of humor, sarcasm, and a sprinkle of dad jokes. Instead of boring PDFs, we bring lively discussions to life, offering a peek behind the curtain at our quirky team. Join us for a roller coaster ride through tech talk and more. Trust us, it's going to be fine... probably!

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