Feds at the Edge

With cyberthreats on constant rise, Federal Leaders consider what role automation can play in managing cloud involvement and best practices to ensure their commitment to securing the nation's data.

This week on Feds At the Edge, we explore the role of AI, governance, and collaboration in strengthening security and improving capabilities and data security.

Joseph Ronzio, Deputy Chief Health Technology Officer, Veterans Health Administration, talks about the risks of blind patching and the benefits of a hybrid approach—combining automation with manual oversight.

Brian "Stretch" Meyer, Sr. Director of Engineering, Axonius Federal, sheds light on compliance challenges, the importance of visibility and control in cloud security, and the disconnect between regulations and engineering teams.

Tune in now on your favorite podcasting platform for actionable insights on modernizing federal cloud security.

Despite federal mandates requiring every agency to have a disaster recovery plan, 6% of the federal government still lacks one entirely.

This week on Feds At the Edge, we explore proven strategies for building effective backup plans and provide timely advice for organizations with basic or intermediary recovery plans looking to enhance their preparedness. We'll focus on the key pillars of disaster recovery- planning, communication, and continuous updates.

Tommy Baril, Assistant Director, Defense Capabilities and Management Team, for GAO, highlights the need for synchronized disaster recovery plans across federal agencies, stressing strategic communication and role clarity.

Kashif Ansari, Senior Director of Sales Engineering, Commvault, discusses the role of AI in accelerating system recovery, helping identify compromised segments faster than human intervention.

Tune in now on your favorite podcasting platform to uncover the critical distinction between IT disaster recovery and cyber resilience, and gain actionable insights to strengthen your organization's readiness.

While the ability to transfer records between hospitals and other medical systems offers significant benefits, it also introduces unique challenges and risk for safeguarding Healthcare IT.

This week on Feds At the Edge, federal leaders examine three areas of concern:

>>interoperability

>>unique aspects of the attack surface

>>the impact of IoT devices.

Jennifer Franks, Director, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity for GAO, highlights reports of rising cyber threats due to medical data interconnectivity and the need to secure legacy systems, especially since medical data remains unchanged over time.

Joe Ronzio, Deputy Chief Health Technology Officer, Veterans Health Administration, shares the difficulties of managing medical device inventories across 170+ hospitals and highlights how upgrading encryption systems, like FIPS 140, can introduce vulnerabilities.

Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform now to learn about how healthcare organizations can navigate these challenges and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

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When the cloud was first introduced to the Federal Government, their implementation had a "lift and shift" approach, essentially moving servers from one location to another. But cloud technology has matured into a complex ecosystem spanning public, private, and hybrid environments – creating distinct management challenges.

This week on Feds At the Edge, federal leaders offer their suggestions on managing this ever-evolving and complex landscape, with a focus on training, understanding data and leveraging cloud functions.

Dr. Gregg Bailey, Deputy Chief Information Officer in the Office of the CIO for the US Census Bureau underscores the importance of recognizing data management in a hybrid cloud is different, and suggests training on native cloud functions to leverage the new technologies may be a path of success.

Kristin Ruiz, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy CIO for TSA, keeps us focused on security implementation with zero trust principles and strong data governance.

Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform now to hear what they have to say, and how with the proper security controls, AI has the potential to enable improved management of these complex cloud environments.

Protecting operational technology (OT) environments is more complex than ever, requiring precise inventory, continuous monitoring, and strong IT-OT collaboration.

This week on Feds At the Edge, our expert panel unpacks the key cybersecurity challenges operators face in securing their OT systems.

Anthony J. DiPietro, Technical Director, Defense Critical Infrastructure Division for NSA, underscores the importance of maintaining an accurate inventory, especially in remote environments where "ghost" assets can appear unnoticed.

We'll discuss how continuous monitoring helps mitigate these risks and why traditional IT security methods, like sandboxes and automatic updates, don't always work for OT systems.

We also explore the evolving role of AI and Machine learning in OT security, workforce development, and the ever-growing threats posed by interconnected IoT and OT networks.

Tune in on your favorite podcast platform for expert insights on fortifying OT environments against emerging cyber threats.

Here is our final. Playing on the drama a bit.

In healthcare, every second counts, and Artificial Intelligence is transforming how data is analyzed to save lives. But when critical decisions hinge on AI, ethics, accountability, and trust become non-negotiable.

This week on Feds At the Edge, dive into the complexities for applying AI in healthcare.

Joe Ronzio, Deputy Chief Health Technology Officer for Veterans Health Administration, shares insights on the importance of rigorous human oversight, traceable training data, and recognizing bias in AI systems.

We also tackle the tough questions:

>> How do we secure medical data?

>> What role does encryption and governance play?

Don't miss this compelling conversation.

In an era marked by economic uncertainty, political shifts, and the rise of remote work, federal agencies face new challenges in maintaining a thriving workforce. Balancing productivity with employee well-being is no longer optional—it's essential.

This week on Feds At the Edge, we dive into how federal leaders can create scalable, personalized, and sustainable strategies to support their teams' growth and mental health.

Our guest, Matisha Montgomery, Chief Learning Officer at HUD, shares groundbreaking insights on career development. She challenges the traditional "climbing the ladder" mindset, encouraging professionals to leverage transferable skills for lateral moves that lead to long-term success.

We also explore the importance of durable skills—adaptability, empathy, and leadership—that are critical in today's workforce. Hear why it's time to rethink conventional leadership methods and embrace new approaches to foster a resilient, connected, and effective team.

Tune in on your favorite podcast platform for actionable insights from our experts, and discover how federal leaders can navigate the complexities of the modern workplace.

This week on Feds At the Edge, we dive into the evolution of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency's Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program in addressing the growing cyber-attack surface.

Hemant Baidwan, CISO for DHS, OCIO, noted that Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation is a comprehensive suite of tools and policies, with a key focus on understanding the attack surface and ensuring high data quality during deployment.

John Schneider, Senior Systems Engineer, Axonius Federal, discussed the challenges inherent in managing IoT and OT devices for federal agencies, stressing interoperability and automation as best practices.

Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform as we discuss the critical role of partnerships and inter-agency collaboration to enhance cybersecurity postures.

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The U.S. healthcare system, which includes roughly 200 federal hospitals, are constantly at risk for or under cyber-attack.

This week on Feds-At-The Edge we explore ways to improve security through basic controls like software updates and patching, with the conversation quickly turning to the importance of practical strategy.

>> Developing a good data inventory: Full of IoT devices? Learn what to include for your expanded attack surface

>> Human Interaction: Learn the critical role humans play amid the new promises of AI

>> Contingency Plans: If your agency was attacked today with ransomware, would you be able to identify your critical data?

Managing vast amounts of data, reducing alert fatigue, and improving threat detection can all be accomplished with automation.

This week on Feds At the Edge, we have three experts in automating cybersecurity response to provide guidance on best practices to deploy automation. They highlighted the need to establish a valid baseline for expected network behavior to identify deviations effectively, reducing false positives.

Bob Costello, CIO at CISA, stressed keeping humans involved in the process, citing a recent incident where AI breached an organization, bypassed security features by defeating automation.

Richard LaTulip, Field Chief Information Security Officer, Recorded Future, addressed resistance to AI in cybersecurity, warning that the overwhelming volume of attacks makes proper automation essential for staying competitive.

Tune in on your favorite podcasting platform as we discuss how automation is essential but must be applied with caution and human oversight to ensure robust defense mechanisms.