For a long time, enterprise data was secured by catalogs, static permissions, and access controls that were set once and rarely revisited. However, as agencies move beyond AI pilots and into mission-critical environments, that model breaks down. Because AI systems can request and act on information at a speed and scale that no human user could ever match, governance can no longer live in a policy document; instead, it must be enforced as soon as data is requested. Agencies are increasingly recognizing that governed access, rather than just secured access, determines whether AI can be trusted with broader, more sensitive information without introducing risk.

Kevin Bohan, Director of Product Marketing at Denodo, joined the Government Technology Insider podcast to unpack why governed access is essential as AI adoption grows. Bohan and host Lucas Hunsicker discussed how governance applied at the point of access, utilizing identity, role, purpose, and contextual attributes like data sovereignty, allowing agencies to share information with mission partners without losing control over it. They also explored how an AI data layer that sits between AI agents and enterprise systems allows security to scale in step with AI rather than lag behind, and why reusable, centrally managed policies actually accelerate AI adoption, rather than slow it down.

Wireless networks have traditionally been designed to connect people, devices, and systems, but that same infrastructure is increasingly helping organizations understand what is happening around them. Using radio frequency signals and techniques like signal processing and AI, Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) brings sensing capabilities into existing wireless networks. Although 6G is anticipated to increase ISAC capabilities, the technology can already be explored through current 5G networks, giving ​​the federal government ​​​​the chance to build new forms of situational awareness without the need for specialized sensing infrastructure.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with John Macias, Associate Fellow Systems Architect at Verizon, and Amitav Mukherjee, Founder and CEO at Tiami Networks, about how ISAC could transform sensing in defense and homeland security. ​​The discussion touched on​​​​ how passive, monostatic, and bistatic sensing models can support various operational requirements and how existing 5G transmissions can be used to detect and track objects, including drones that might otherwise be difficult to identify. Their conversation also explored how ISAC could extend beyond drone detection to other applications like crowd monitoring, digital twins, and eventually longer-range sensing.​ ​

Executive Order (EO) 14412, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks,” signed by President Donald Trump in June 2026, directed federal agencies to accelerate their transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). By December 31, 2030, agencies must move their high-value assets and high-impact systems to PQC for key establishment. Digital signatures must follow by the end of 2031, and the EO extends similar obligations to federal contractors. As agencies work to meet these post-quantum deadlines, network and cybersecurity leaders are under increasing pressure to reconsider how they procure, deploy, and manage infrastructure that can withstand the impending quantum threat while also protecting against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks that are already underway.

Lamont Copeland, Senior Director of Solutions Architecture at Verizon, and Jim Westdorp, Principal Technologist at Ciena Government Solutions, joined host Matt Langan in this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast and unpacked what the 2027 and 2030 PQC milestones truly require of federal agencies. Copeland and Westdorp also discussed how to prioritize networks and systems for migration, why crypto agility is crucial to protecting today’s infrastructure investments, and how leaders can partner with industry to meet these deadlines without interfering with vital operations.