MeriTalking

Hosted by MeriTalk

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Episodes

Latest episode

Sep 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Improving the Outcomes of Government IT

Listen to episodes

30 recent

September 9, 202625 min

Podcast: Building Cyber Resilience Through Better Data Management

In this episode of MeriTalking, MeriTalk’s Gail Emery sits down with Katherine Hennessey of Everpure to examine how agencies can strengthen cyber resilience as data continues to expand across legacy infrastructure, cloud platforms, hybrid environments, and edge locations. They discuss how better data management can help agencies reduce operational risk, recover faster, keep critical services running during disruption, and support future priorities, including AI.

September 4, 202620 min

Podcast: Governing AI in Real Time

As AI becomes part of federal workflows, applications, and mission systems, agencies need a security operating model that can adjust as quickly as the technology and its uses evolve. Models change, data connections expand, and agents may perform thousands of actions in the time it takes a person to complete one. Agencies therefore need to complement formal authorization with continuous evidence and live enforcement. In this podcast, Anish Patel, head of federal at Cloudflare , will discuss how agencies can progress from point-in-time approvals toward continuous, risk-informed AI security. The discussion will explore how agencies can adjust oversight as AI systems, permissions, and risks change, and how security, technology, data, and mission teams can support the new security operating model together. Patel will also discuss how consistent visibility and policy enforcement can help agencies accelerate appropriate uses of AI while strengthening accountability and resilience.

August 25, 2026

Podcast: From Data Strategy to Mission Outcomes

Federal agencies are working to turn growing volumes of data into trusted insights that can inform decisions and advance mission outcomes. In this episode of MeriTalking, Gail Emery sits down with Patrick McGarry , federal chief data officer at ServiceNow, and Paula Osborn , deputy chief data and AI officer at the U.S. Department of State, to discuss how agencies can connect data strategy to execution. They explore how agencies can build trusted data foundations, embed governance into workflows, address organizational barriers, and put data where it can better inform mission decisions.

July 23, 202626 min

Podcast: Extending Zero Trust Across the Mission

The next phase of zero trust modernization requires agencies to think beyond a single network, environment, or use case. Enterprise users, cloud applications, tactical operations, IoT devices, OT systems, and physical security infrastructure are all part of the mission fabric, and all require secure, resilient connectivity. In this episode of MeriTalking, Gail Emery sits down with Rodney Butcher, account manager at ThunderCat Technology, and John McDonald, vice president for federal sales at Versa Networks, to explore how agencies can extend zero trust and modern network security across enterprise, tactical, and operational environments.

April 19, 20269 min

Podcast: Mission edge: AI at the endpoint

In this episode of MeriTalking, MeriTalk’s Gail Emery sits down with Antonella O’Brien , Consultant, CSG Federal Systems Integrators and Channel, Dell Technologies, to discuss what it really takes to enable AI at the desktop in federal environments where agencies are working to boost productivity, speed decisions, and turn AI pilots into repeatable mission outcomes. The conversation explores the workforce use cases that are best suited for on-device AI, how agencies can build trust through security and governance, and what a practical path from pilot to scale can look like.

April 7, 202620 min

Podcast: Fiscal Resilience Under Pressure: Planning for Uncertainty and Disruption

The biggest threat to state and local governments isn’t one budget gap, it’s compounding uncertainty: shifting funding rules, rising compliance demands, and disruptions that trigger spending now and reimbursement later. In this episode of MeriTalking, Gail Emery sits down with Melissa Moore , chief financial officer of Buncombe County, North Carolina, and James Harris , senior manager at Workday, to unpack what fiscal resilience looks like in practice.

March 11, 202616 min

Podcast: Cyber Deception: A New Preemptive Approach to Cyber Defense

MeriTalk’s Gail Emery speaks with Suril Desai, vice president of engineering at Acalvio, and Ralph Kahn, general manager for federal at Acalvio, about how cyber deception helps agencies detect adversaries earlier. They discuss how deception produces high-fidelity alerts, reduces security operations center alert fatigue, and strengthens zero trust by improving visibility into attacker activity.

January 5, 202617 min

Podcast: From Demo to Delivery: How Agencies Are Operationalizing AI

In this episode of MeriTalking, Nicole Burdette sits down with ICF’s Kyle Tuberson to discuss how agencies can go from lab to live, supported by a consistent delivery approach in ICF’s Fathom, which bakes in security, governance, and integration with existing systems. They’ll also address the drivers for AI, from efficiency pressures to practical technology maturity, and the common barriers leaders face, from talent to infrastructure and security.

December 15, 202513 min

Podcast: From shadow agents to accountability: Governing AI in the public sector with an identity security fabric

In this episode of MeriTalking, Nicole Burdette sits down with LaRel Rogers, staff product marketing manager for federal at Okta, to discuss the rise of agentic AI and its impact across government. Together, they explore how autonomous AI agents are transforming mission delivery, along with strategies for protecting critical access points and data flows between human users, AI agents, and sensitive government systems.

November 11, 2025

Podcast: Where Advanced Security Meets Efficiency

In this episode of MeriTalking, Gail Emery sits down with Cisco’s JT Clay and Norman St. Laurent to discuss how federal agencies can meet the modernization mandate while improving security and efficiency. Gail and her guests explore how agencies are blocking cyber threats, accelerating mission workflows, and trimming tool sprawl, plus smart tactics for measuring success and staying ahead of evolving mandates.