Feds at the Edge

Hosted by FedInsider

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

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

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60 recent

August 19, 20261 hr 3 min

Ep. 262 Mission Success Through Zero Trust: Securing the Fourth Estate's Mission Networks

According to Greg Touhill, the first CISO of the United States, complexity is the bane of IT security. Today, that lesson remains especially relevant. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, several thought leaders share how agencies can reduce complexity, integrate legacy systems, balance usability with security, and build a Zero Trust environment that continues to improve over time. Robert Skinner of Skinner's Strategic Solutions, explores the power of reducing system complexity and data flows to unlock clearer analytics. David Klink of Leidos explains the challenge agencies face when they try to "shoehorn legacy identity methods" into modern enterprise compliance. Continuous monitoring and tools that identify systems operating outside enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management requirements can help bridge that gap. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to hear practical, actionable ideas for managing out-of-compliance infrastructure, maintaining continuous evaluation, and driving modern security compliance without sacrificing user experience.

August 12, 20261 hr 2 min

Ep. 261 Reassessing Modernization Priorities

Listeners may be familiar with a quote from Frederick the Great, "He who defends everything, defends nothing." Federal leaders understand this all too well. As they are deluged with data, attacks, and new technology on a daily basis, it can be confusing what to prioritize and in trying to defend everything, agencies can be left vulnerable to attack. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, several thought leaders share how they set priorities, leverage existing tools, and experiment with new solutions to enhance efficiency and security. Bridget Carper-Arnone of the Department of Energy discusses how Enterprise License Agreements and centralized governance can reduce costs and streamline compliance across multiple systems. SEC's Jeff King emphasizes the value of understanding existing tools, noting that a deeper dive with vendors can uncover capabilities agencies may already have. While Emilio Escobar from DataDog highlights observability and AI as keys to modernization, explaining how greater visibility into the technology environment can help agencies deploy resources more effectively. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to hear f ederal technology leaders share practical strategies for prioritizing investments, maximizing existing tools, and modernizing with greater efficiency and security.

August 5, 202659 min

Ep. 260 Using AI for the Heavy Lifting for CMMC Compliance: A Practical Blueprint for FSIs

History shows that nations often enter new conflicts relying on old, familiar tactics. It's only after those tactics fail that they adapt to something new. Today, thousands of defense contractors and companies are making the exact same mistake with Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). By applying outdated, static compliance tools to a modern, dynamic regulatory landscape, organizations face mounting delays, incomplete visibility, and soaring costs. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, we sit down with leading experts from GDIT, Axonius Federal, Red River and ComplAi, who have successfully navigated these pitfalls to streamline the journey to certification. They highlight why traditional governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) tools built for commercial frameworks fail under CMMC standards, why continuous monitoring must replace periodic rule-checking, and how essential a complete data inventory is for long-term success.

July 30, 20261 hr 0 min

Ep. 259 Stopping Fraud and Improper Payments

E veryone has heard about fraud, waste, and abuse, but building an effective fraud prevention program requires more than identifying problems after they occur. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, government and industry experts share practical strategies for helping federal agencies stop improper payments before funds go out the door. Kim Brandt of CMS underscores the scale of the challenge, noting the agency processes roughly $1 million in claims every day. Justin Marisco from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service share how tapping into shared resources, such as Treasury's Do Not Pay list, the Social Security Death Index, and DHS databases can help validate individuals before funds are ever disbursed. Diligent's Jason Venner highlights why preventing improper payments is infinitely better than the traditional "pay and chase" approach and how the era of Big Data introduced agencies to analyzing massive datasets, while today's AI makes it possible to analyze entire datasets, rather than samples, to identify fraud risks. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to learn how modern technology and cross-agency data sharing are shifting federal fraud prevention from reactive damage control to proactive defense.

July 22, 202659 min

Ep. 258 Cutting the Permitting Backlog in Canadian Housing Construction

Permitting delays can increase construction costs, frustrate applicants and slow the delivery of much-needed housing. But modernizing the process requires more than simply replacing paper with technology. In this week's episode of Feds At The Edge, we explore how government and industry leaders are combining policy reform, digital workflows, cloud technology and AI to reduce permitting backlogs and improve the building approval process. John W. Lane of the Town of Caledon examines outdated bylaws, inconsistent processes and ways to accelerate reviews without sacrificing safety. Philip Mosher of the Municipality of North Grenville shares how updated zoning rules, integrated workflows and dashboards can help expose bottlenecks and move applications forward. James Nyhus of the District of Sechelt discusses moving from paper files to cloud-based permitting and tablet inspections, while Salesforce's Nadia Hansen explores how AI could support document processing, workload planning and routine applicant questions. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform for a practical look at how government can connect people, processes and technology to deliver faster, more responsive services.

July 15, 20261 hr 0 min

Ep. 257 The Importance of Zero Trust Architecture

Identity is central to Zero Trust, making it one of the most attractive targets for cyber attackers. While multi-factor authentication has long been a reliable way to ensure identity, traditional MFA has critical gaps. This week on Feds At the Edge, Mark Brennan from the New Jersey Department of Health, and YubiKey's Jeff Frederick, explore how phishing-resistant cryptography and hardware security keys provide stronger protection against modern identity-based threats while improving the user experience. The panel also examines why hardware-backed authentication is recognized in NIST SP 800-63 Revision 4 as a highly secure approach to cryptographic MFA and shares practical guidance for implementation, including starting with a phased rollout, engaging executive leadership early, and continuously refining the program to build user confidence and support long-term Zero Trust success. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to discover how hardware-backed authentication can help agencies reduce identity-based attacks, strengthen security, and simplify the path to phishing-resistant MFA

July 8, 202659 min

Ep. 256 Maintaining Supply Side Risk

Supply chain risk is about more than software and compliance checklists; it's about making informed decisions that strengthen security and support mission success. This week on Feds At the Edge , Ryan Lewis of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology joins us to unpack the practical realities of managing supply-side risk in the public sector. Rather than getting bogged down in software bills of materials or endless certifications right out of the gate, Lewis advocates for a broader view of risk assessment, one that starts with developing vendor risk profiles and building genuine personal relationships with vendor representatives. He shares his strategy for balancing tight budget constraints with strict security requirements, urging organizations to evaluate the actual value of their data before deciding how to protect it and to thoroughly examine their existing tools before wasting resources on yet another solution. Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform today as Lewis highlights that securing the supply chain isn't just about compliance and technology. It's also about fostering an organizational culture of collaboration, integrity, and openness.

July 2, 202659 min

Ep. 255 Responding to Ransomware

Ransomware has become a far more serious threat to government than many organizations realize, and it's no longer just about paying a ransom. This week on Feds At the Edge, cybersecurity experts explore what agencies can do to strengthen their defenses, including adopting Zero Trust principles, improving network segmentation, and planning for recovery before an attack occurs. Cesar Gamez from City of Roseville, CA explains how ransomware attacks have evolved, from encrypting files for financial gain to tactics that threaten to expose sensitive data or target victims' customers if demands aren't met. And Travis Rosiek of Rubrik Public Sector, introduces an even more alarming trend: "wiper" attacks. Unlike traditional ransomware, these attacks - often associated with nation-state actors - are designed to permanently destroy or corrupt data, leaving organizations with nothing to recover even if they were willing to pay. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform as our guests also examine the security challenges of hybrid and cloud environments and explain why collaboration and information sharing are essential to staying ahead of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

June 24, 20261 hr 1 min

Ep. 254 The Future of 6G

Technology is advancing at an astonishing pace. The number of connected devices per square kilometer is expected to grow from one million to ten million, and the transition to 6G is paving the way with dazzling new levels of speed and capability. This week on Feds At the Edge , Arup Bhuyan from Idaho National Laboratory, Eric Freer from Sterling, and Jorge Escobar from Nokia explore how download speeds could increase from 1 GB per second to 100 GB per second, dramatically reducing latency and making it possible for federal agencies to monitor networks in real time and respond more quickly to cyber threats. We'll also explore Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) and its potential to transform everything from drone defense to intelligent network management. Hear why experts believe agencies will need creative approaches that leverage AI, advanced encryption, and zero-energy sensors to secure the next generation of networks. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform as government and industry thought leaders discuss the need for international collaboration, significant investments in research and development, and the integration of AI to build faster, smarter, and more secure networks.

June 17, 20261 hr 1 min

Ep. 253 Meeting the AI Implementation Challenge – Securely

Artificial intelligence is evolving so quickly that agencies often find it difficult to plan for future implementations. This week on Feds At The Edge , we dive into the importance of flexible infrastructure, realistic budgets, and thoughtful planning to successfully adapt to continuously evolving AI models. Sumit Puri, CSO and Co-Founder of Liqid, shares that while 86% of data resides on-premises, leaders also need to understand how the other 14% is being managed. He breaks down the key security, privacy, compliance, and performance considerations organizations should keep in mind. Ariana Tifft, Chief Data Scientist with the DoD Cyber Crime Center, explains how understanding existing resources and future requirements enables real-time planning and improved workload efficiency. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to hear their insights, along with perspectives from experts at Optiv + ClearShark, on balancing what you have, knowing what you need, and maximizing results.