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.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, Kevin Bohan, Director of Product Marketing at Denodo, discussed how zero-copy delivery can help agencies rethink how they provide data to AI. Bohan explained why operational AI requires current information, especially for use cases such as asset readiness, logistics, and operational planning, where yesterday’s accurate data can quickly lead to a poor decision today. He also discussed how agencies can provide live data access through a governed layer that maintains security controls, and how an AI data layer can minimize unnecessary data movement.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan discussed the challenges of delivering secure edge connectivity for special operations environments with Robert Conway, Senior Client Partner at Verizon. Their conversation covered how private 5G, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), and virtual mobility solutions work together to create secure, uncontested communications bubbles that can be set up anywhere, how technologies that mask or obfuscate cellular location help protect a unit's digital exhaust, and how low Earth orbit satellite architectures and rapid acquisition cycles help units field low-signature equipment that stays ahead of adversarial tracking.

Agencies are confronting a challenge as federal AI initiatives continue to scale. The success of this ever-growing list of initiatives relies less on the AI model itself and more on connecting to distributed enterprise data scattered across legacy systems, cloud platforms, and SaaS applications. The traditional solution has been to centralize and consolidate that data, but this approach is more difficult sustain as AI demands real-time access to constantly changing mission data, and every new pipeline also adds cost and complexity. Universal connectivity – a foundation that enables secure, reusable access across distributed systems to deliver context without the need to rebuilt architecture each time - is emerging as a viable alternative.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Lucas Hunsicker spoke with Kevin Bohan, Director of Product Marketing at Denodo, about what it takes to build an AI data layer. Bohan explained why treating consolidation as the default answer for every new AI initiative doesn’t solve the underlying problem, and how legacy infrastructure and fragmented systems leave AI with only a partial view of people, assets, and missions. He also discussed how reusable, secure connectivity, rather than one-off point-to-point integrations, gives AI the operational context it needs to deliver accurate, cost-effective results, and why this AI data layer is what allows evolving AI technologies reach distributed enterprise data without constant rebuilding.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan discussed the limitations of traditional redundancy models and how wireless is becoming a critical layer of network resilience for the Department of War with Verizon experts Dave Stepp, Associate Director of Federal Sales Engineering, and Chris Ru​s​sell, Distinguished Architect. They discussed how the PACE framework fits into modern network architecture with 5G, private wireless, and low earth orbit satellites as alternate and contingency options. Additionally, they also dove into the hidden single points of failure that often undermine redundant networks, including shared power infrastructure and wholesale middle-mile providers.

​Federal agencies are facing a growing FOIA challenge: request volumes have surged dramatically over the past decade, while the requests themselves have become increasingly complex, often involving large volumes of electronic records, multiple custodians, and sensitive data sources. At the same time, many agencies are trying to meet statutory response deadlines with reduced staffing, and processes that still rely heavily on manual review and disconnected legacy systems. As agencies attempt to fulfill these requests and comply with the 20-day turnaround time required by law, the legacy technology and systems that form the backbone of eDiscovery in the federal government are showing their age. These challenges increase security and litigation risks, contribute to a growing backlog of requests, and undermine public trust in an open and transparent government.

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​Addressing these challenges and modernizing FOIA processes and eDiscovery systems relies on a foundation of next-generation technology, powered by artificial intelligence. In this episode of the Government Technology Insider Podcast, Victoria Cash, Product Director, Open Government Solutions, and Kelly Swank, Vice President of Business Development, from Casepoint joined host, Lucas Hunsicker, to explore developments in eDiscovery technology and imagine a more sustainable, integrated, and secure FOIA platform that will support federal agencies for years to come.

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