<p>State and local governments face growing ransomware threats, but with robust cybersecurity frameworks and advanced data protection, agencies can strengthen their defenses and safeguard critical operations.</p>
<p>The United States Department of Defense (DOD) is tasked with ensuring our nation’s security, and recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) is a critical tool helping to fulfill that mission. As AI technology evolves, our armed forces continue to evaluate the best ways to deploy it — while addressing challenges to securing AI systems and ensuring that personnel know how to leverage the technology effectively.</p>
<p>In “AI for Defense”, the sixth episode in Google Public Sector’s “What’s Next in AI and Security?” TV series, experts from the Marines, NASA and Google Public Sector came together to discuss AI’s integration into our nation’s defense efforts.</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a massive opportunity for organizations to increase operational efficiency, so federal agencies of every stripe are evaluating how to best leverage the technology. And with the proliferation of digital sensors and other technologies, agencies must effectively manage more data from more sources than ever before in order to fulfill their missions.</p>
<p>AI has a central role to play in managing and contextualizing big datasets, and combining AI with edge computing is key to efficiently extracting actionable insights from those data flows.</p>
<p>In “AI at the Edge”, the fifth episode in the GovExec TV series, “What’s Next in AI and Security?”, experts from government and Google Public Sector discussed how AI and edge computing are helping to improve their operations.</p>
<p>Rapid advancements in AI and autonomy have changed the way the military works, expanding the realm of "possible" while also raising difficult ethical questions. Learn more about the challenges and promise of these new technologies.</p>
<p>The Government spends more than $1 trillion on healthcare every year through large programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and through the Department of Veterans Affairs.</p>
<p>Ensuring those dollars aren’t wasted — or misused due to fraud or abuse — is an ongoing challenge.</p>
<p>For more than 20 years, Optum Serve has partnered with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal agencies to establish and maintain program integrity initiatives. Building on successes achieved working with commercial and state government clients, we deliver a deep knowledge of the health care industry and extensive IT capabilities to government agencies. We invest in innovation and development resources to ensure our commercial best practices align with the federal program integrity objectives while allowing for flexibility and scalability in program design based on clients’ needs. The following three case study briefs explain how Optum Serve makes a difference in mitigating and recovering money by detecting fraud, waste and abuse (FWA).</p>
<p>State and local organizations are actively working to modernize their technology stacks and data management practices. They’re shifting from legacy systems to cloud, adopting Zero Trust security, segmenting networks and implementing AI-powered cyber exposure management solutions. In this environment, SLED agencies depend increasingly on data to drive constituent engagements and to make government run effectively. That means they need access to data anywhere, anytime, in real time.</p>
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Defense One provides in-depth coverage of the Pentagon’s attempt to create one network to rule them all.</p>
<p>Implementing an ERP system can be overwhelming. The technical challenges are high, and managing a project with limited staff and resources requires meticulous planning. But a robust ERP implementation plan will help you overcome cost overruns that can overwhelm a project — and reap the cost benefits of transitioning to more modern, efficient technologies. Review our 10 best practices for a winning result. </p>
<p>In recent years, cyber threats against educational institutions have rapidly escalated. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, the education sector experienced 1,780 security incidents in a span of just one year, with 1,537 resulting in confirmed data disclosures. In 83% of those attacks, threat actors compromised personal data using methods such as hacking, social engineering and malware. But, as organizations grapple with budget constraints and an ever-growing IT talent shortage, many simply don’t have the resources necessary to mature or modernize defenses, leaving them vulnerable to these increasingly sophisticated attacks. </p>
<p>Download this case study to learn about the innovative approach Louisiana State University’s chief information officer, Craig Woolley, is taking to meet these challenges head on.</p>
<p>Data-centric security is an approach to information security that emphasizes protecting the data itself rather than focusing solely on securing the underlying systems or network infrastructure. Traditional security approaches typically focus on securing the perimeter of the network and the endpoints, relying on technologies like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and antivirus software. Although these measures are crucial, they often fall short of adequately protecting sensitive data from various threats.</p>
<p>As leaders in digital innovation and resilience, Splunk and Optiv + ClearShark know how important it is for agencies to keep their business up, running, and safe from threat. That’s why Splunk offers an array of solutions that provide the safety, reliability, and customized intelligence agencies need. </p>
<p>Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Assured Controls Plus help Defense Industrial Base (DIB) organizations meet CMMC compliance requirements for email, calendar, document repository, video conferencing, chat, collaboration, eDiscovery, archiving, and more. This is done at a significantly lower cost than other vendors with solutions that are FedRAMP High and IL4 authorized, on a single cloud environment. Additionally, Google Workspace offers comprehensive migration support, including potential subsidies and expert assistance. Download our one-pager to learn more.</p>
<p>This whitepaper examines the integration of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) and Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) to secure multilevel cyberspace for government and defense. CDS enables secure data flow and access between isolated networks, while Zero Trust enforces identity, device, and data-centric security. Together, they address challenges like insider threats, multilevel data consolidation, and compliance with federal mandates, ensuring a robust, scalable framework for protecting sensitive systems and fostering secure digital transformation.</p>
<p>A group of Federal experts recently came together for an off-the-record discussion to explore the opportunities and challenges of safeguarding DoD infrastructure against rapidly evolving threats. Discussion centered around the need for increased collaboration between the DoD and industry, as well as the need for significant cultural change within the DoD to effectively safeguard military infrastructure in the future.</p>
<p>In a recent roundtable, experts from the DoD and industry discussed the various challenges facing cybersecurity frameworks and infrastructure posed by rapid technological advancements. Discussion centered around strategies to secure legacy systems in advance of quantum computing, including improving visibility into assets, consolidating disparate tools, and increasing collaboration between government and industry.</p>