National Laboratories Information Technology(NLIT) Summit 2025:Top 5 Insights on Automation, Cybersecurity and More

Posted on by Mike Adams

Technology enables Government agencies to strengthen security, increase efficiency and collaborate across departments. This year at the National Laboratories Information Technology (NLIT) Summit, representatives from the National Laboratories, Government IT decision-makers and industry and vendor partners gathered to discuss recent advancements in IT across the Department of Energy (DOE) labs, featuring panels, interactive sessions and demonstrations focused on emerging, mission-driven technologies. Carahsoft stood alongside its partners, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Snowflake and GitLab to support the DOE’s mission objectives. Together, we deliver secure, compliant solutions that drive innovation—from MultiCloud strategies and generative AI to streamlined IT procurement.

Here are the top themes discussed at this year’s summit.

Artificial Intelligence Exploration

The National Laboratories are at the forefront of advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and High Performance Computing (HPC) to meet critical mission objectives. Several DOE labs are showcasing this commitment through transformative initiatives. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, the establishment of the National Security AI Office and the deployment of the Venado AI supercomputer reflect a strategic focus on embedding AI into national security operations. Sandia National Laboratories is leading innovation with “vibe coding,” an AI-assisted development methodology that allows developers to generate code based on described functionality, streamlining the software development process.

To further accelerate AI and HPC capabilities, the National Laboratories are leveraging NVIDIA technologies, including GPU-powered infrastructure and AI toolkits, to support high-throughput data analysis, simulation and machine learning applications. This partnership enables scalable performance and energy-efficient computing tailored to complex scientific workloads.

In response to growing cybersecurity threats, labs are also deploying AI-driven automated response systems to detect and neutralize risks in real time. These combined efforts enhance the DOE’s cybersecurity posture while reinforcing the National Laboratories’ leadership in next-generation computing and AI innovation.

Argo: A New Generative AI Platform

As part of its development, Argo incorporates technologies from OpenAI to support advanced natural language processing and generative tasks. By integrating OpenAI models with internal controls and security protocols, Argonne can deliver high-performing language tools tailored to research and mission needs, without compromising data integrity.

Future enhancements to Argo will include:

Document upload for summarization and analysis
Adjustable response styles that range from creative and exploratory to focused and deterministic
Integration of Argonne-specific knowledge and internal documents for contextualized outputs
Onsite deployment of GPU resources to host fine-tuned and open-source LLMs, enabling operational applications such as translation, code generation and scientific research

Through Argo, Argonne is setting a benchmark for secure, mission-aligned AI deployment across the DOE ecosystem.

An Automated Approach to Cybersecurity

Sandia National Laboratories emphasized the critical need to embed security at every stage of the software development lifecycle through a DevSecOps approach. In the session “From DevOps to DevSecOps: ASC DSO at Sandia’s Journey toward Secure Software” Stuart Baxley, a Senior Research & Development Computer Scientist shared how Sandia integrates automated tools and continuous monitoring to enable early threat detection and fast remediation—reducing both risk and cost compared to reactive approaches. Agencies with automation tools, such as GitLab, enable the National Laboratories to manage their unique software development environments.

To enhance cybersecurity posture, Sandia recommends the adoption of key security practices and tools, including. Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and container scanning. Leveraging these capabilities is essential to maintaining resilience in an increasingly complex and dynamic threat environment.

Efficiency Through the Cloud

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has advanced its cloud adoption efforts through the Materials Project initiative, leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) to significantly improve the availability, accessibility and scalability of its data products. This successful deployment offers a strong blueprint for other national laboratories exploring cloud migration.

By transitioning to cloud infrastructure, the lab has unlocked a range of strategic benefits including enhanced collaboration, improved high-performance computing capabilities, robust encryption and data security and accelerated AI-driven research. These advantages position cloud adoption not just as a technical upgrade, but as a critical enabler of research efficiency, data innovation and scientific discovery in today’s increasingly data-intensive environment.

Managing Diverse Data

As datasets across the National Laboratories continue to grow in size and complexity, effective data management becomes increasingly challenging. Oak Ridge National Laboratory advocates for a holistic approach, recognizing that no single tool can address every need. Instead, the focus should be on strengthening data transfer capabilities and adopting integrated strategies to improve overall data mobility and accessibility.

In alignment with federal mandates, laboratories and agencies managing research data must prioritize the following:

Transparency – ensuring data is accessible to the public to support open research
Up-to-date data management practices – implementing current tools and processes
Comprehensive audit trails and metadata documentation – maintaining accountability and traceability

By improving data transfer methods and aligning with these core principles, National Laboratories can enhance collaboration, uphold security standards and maximize the impact of their research.

Through a combination of strong data governance, cloud adoption, AI integration and cybersecurity automation, the National Laboratories remain committed to advancing innovation and IT excellence across the DOE ecosystem.

Through data management, cloud application, AI and cybersecurity automation, the National Laboratories maintain a comprehensive strategy to continually fulfill their mission of advancing IT knowledge and collaboration across the DOE.

To learn more about technologies featured at NLIT, visit Carahsoft’s artificial intelligence portfolio.

Top 3 Trends Enhancing Digital Learning Experience in 2025

Posted on by Alistair Lee, Scott Biegel and Umesh Kanade

The advent of innovative technology and modern learning techniques has opened an array of possibilities for adult and student learning. L&D leaders and educators can customize their training and teaching instruction for employees and students to deliver the best learning experience possible.

With technological advancement, digital learning is no longer confined to static online courses. It has become an interactive and technology-driven space that adapts to the needs of modern learners. With the increasing reliance on digital platforms, it is vital to explore ways to optimize course delivery and improve learner engagement. The focus is no longer just on delivering content but also on making learning more intuitive, practical, and aligned with resolving real-world challenges.

Carahsoft recently conducted a webinar in partnership with Harbinger Group, titled ‘The Digital Learning Experience: Top 3 Trends for 2025’ featuring industry experts, Alistair Lee, Principal Evangelist at Adobe, Scott Biegel, Principal Solution Consultant at Adobe, and Umesh Kanade, Vice President – Capability Development at Harbinger Group. Hosted by Shannon Teel, Partner Sales Leader at Adobe, this webinar discussed the top three trends in the digital learning space for L&D and education leaders to consider.

Adobe Top 3 Trends Enhancing Digital Learning Experience Webinar Blog embedded image 2025

Trend 1: AI and Generative AI

AI simulates human intelligence in machines, while GenAI uses algorithms to autonomously create new content. It is reshaping digital learning by delivering learning experiences tailored to individual needs. This ensures learners receive targeted recommendations that align with their goals and preferred learning styles.

GenAI can provide L&D teams and educators as well as adult learners and students with learning recommendations based on previous course work, content consumed by peers, and the delivery modality from previous content selections. By observing the learning patterns and learner behaviors, GenAI can aid trainers and educators in populating forms from a variety of different mediums. For learners, it can help improve learning results and stay engaged with relevant content.

Beyond personalization, AI-based automated custom content development is accelerating course development, reducing both time and costs while ensuring high-quality, customized learning experiences at scale. AI-based tools can generate course content, including quizzes, assessments, interactive simulations, and multimedia elements.

Some examples include:

Text

Session outlines
Slide structure or speaker notes
Abstracts or introductions
Quiz questions
Polls or group exercises

Images

Backgrounds for virtual rooms or camera
Whiteboard exercises
Slide imagery

Audio

Lobby music
Sound effects
Announcements
Translations

Video

Localized video
Stringer or lobby content

AI can analyze existing graphics and media assets to maintain a consistent style, ensuring newly generated course content aligns seamlessly. This helps prevent generic outputs and avoids copyright issues while enhancing the overall quality of the learning materials.

Tips to Effectively Generate Content Using AI

Apart from learning content, AI can be leveraged to generate teaching instruction plans and L&D workflows. For example, AI tools can be used to create automated leadership coaching plans and analysis, add clarity to session notes, improve lecture structure, or develop targeted employee training framework.

However, L&D leaders, educators, and instructional designers need to implement the right prompt writing techniques to best use AI for generating digital learning content.

“Use AI to help you with AI. A chatbot can help you create a more effective prompt. You can prompt a chatbot to ask you questions to get a better result. So, instead of just producing a result, tell the chatbot to ask you questions related to the topic you’re looking for, and it will do so before producing the result. I think you’ll get much better qualitative content out of that,” shared Alistair.

It’s highly recommended to consider using the ‘CISCO’ prompt structure when interacting with AI chatbots for generating digital learning content.

Context: Explain your role and goal

Intent: Describe the intent of your prompt and what you want to achieve

Style: Consider what tone you want to employ

Commands: List out detailed instructions and rules to follow

Outcome: Outline the specific format you want to receive the results in

Educators with special considerations, such as privacy concerns, should consider retrieval augmented generation (RAG) models or retrieval augmented language models (REALM). These models are trained specifically on your content. This way, rather than asking public AI generators, agencies or organizations can utilize RAG and REALM to ensure accuracy and internally guided content.

Agentic AI is another hot trend in digital learning. It improves learning success and drives business outcomes with next-gen learning environments, intelligent tutoring systems, faster content development, custom learning pathways, automated assessment, and AI-driven gamification. To know how to effectively leverage Agentic AI in eLearning, download this comprehensive practical guide.

Trend 2: Advanced Learning Analytics

Learning is driven by engagement, and therefore, it is vital to ensure learners are listening and are engaged. Advanced learning analytics can help L&D leaders and educators drive engagement and tailor their training and lesson plans.

Traditionally, standard reports only featured data on how much time learners spent in the learning space. Contrastingly, modern digital learning analytics can not only inform L&D teams and educators how long learners were present in the learning space but also how connected they were.

Some key learner engagement indicators include:

Asking questions
Responding to polls
Utilizing chat features
Downloading learning materials
Enabling their microphone
Interacting with emotes

Digital reports can feature data on whether the window was in focus or if the learner was taking notes, chatting, or responding to polls. Each L&D leader or educator should consider how they want to measure engagement to determine the effectiveness of sessions. Indicators of elements that drive interactions can help them optimize and perfect the digital learning experience.

A more engaged learning environment not only enhances knowledge retention but also fosters a stronger connection between learners and instructors, making the experience more interactive and valuable. Engagement is also influenced by the relevance and adaptability of content. When learning materials are updated, personalized, and aligned with learners’ goals, engagement improves. If the content is outdated or disconnected from real-world applications, engagement levels may decline, signaling the need for modifications.

L&D teams and educators should consider continuously monitoring and refining digital learning and engagement strategies through advanced learning analytics. This will help them create a learning experience that feels dynamic, relevant, and impactful.

Apart from advanced analytics, adaptive assessment and predictive analytics are the two other key aspects of digital learning data analytics. Here’s a snapshot of the three types of digital learning data analytics discussed in the webinar:

Trend 3: Hybrid Learning Models

Traditionally, L&D leaders and educators had to consider whether their sessions should be conducted in a synchronous or asynchronous form. With the advent of digital learning, they must now determine whether their learning and training sessions should be conducted in person or virtually, or in hybrid form.

They also need to decide if the sessions must incorporate features such as:

Microlearning
Compliance learning
Collaborative breakouts
Simulations
On-the-job learning

When coming to a decision, it is important to consider the learning objective, and the advantages and weaknesses of each, so learners get the most out of the session. L&D teams and educators should not be afraid to experiment with new modalities, as it may bring out the strength of a session, enhancing the learning experience.

Expanded Modalities in Hybrid Learning

Expanded modalities in hybrid learning are the range of ways in which content is delivered, and learning is experienced, going beyond traditional in-person and online formats. The idea is to enhance flexibility, engagement, and personalization by offering multiple paths for learners to interact with the material, instructors, and peers.

Expanded modalities aim to meet diverse learner needs and preferences while maximizing the strengths of both digital and physical environments. In modern hybrid learning models, this flexibility is key to increasing accessibility, equity, and learner success.

Here are some expanded modalities in hybrid learning:

Parting Thought

With AI, advanced learning analytics, and hybrid learning, the digital learning experience is better than ever. These technologies and models allow L&D leaders and educators to refine their approach, making learning more interactive, responsive, and accessible. They can not only optimize the learning experience but also increase course completion rates, while ensuring learners are well-equipped for the future.

For today’s workforce, learning isn’t just about acquiring new knowledge, it’s about career advancement, staying relevant in their industry, or transitioning to new roles. With smarter learning systems that adapt to individual progress, digital learning helps them build practical skills that directly impact their professional growth.

To learn more about digital learning trends for 2025, watch the webinar, “The Digital Learning Experience: Top 3 Trends for 2025.” To take a deeper dive into Adobe’s eLearning products, contact us to schedule a complimentary one-on-one demonstration today!

Smarter Spending: How State and Local Governments Are Using AI-Powered Procurement Tools to Maximize Cost Savings

Posted on by Briana Crabtree

State and Local Governments are under growing pressure to make every dollar count. From rising costs to increased demand for services, public procurement teams are being called on to do more — and to do it faster, more transparently and with measurable results. The good news? Technology is making that easier than ever.

Today, modern procurement platforms equipped with AI-powered insights are helping agencies move beyond manual processes and limited visibility. These tools are transforming procurement into a strategic driver of fiscal stewardship, surfacing new opportunities for cost savings and improving how governments source, evaluate and manage supplier relationships.

This is the future of smarter public sector spending — and it’s already here.

Procurement as a Strategic Function

Procurement has long played a vital role in public sector operations, but it’s increasingly viewed as a strategic lever for achieving broader goals — from cost savings and compliance to supplier diversity and sustainability. However, traditional methods — including siloed data, spreadsheet tracking and paper-based bid evaluations — can limit visibility and slow down decision-making.

AI-powered procurement platforms change that dynamic. They offer real-time insights into spending trends, identify duplicate vendors or off-contract purchases and help procurement professionals proactively guide smarter buying decisions — all within a secure, cloud-based environment.

Euna, Smarter Spending, Blog, Embedded Image, 2025

How AI-Powered Procurement Tools Drive Smarter Spending

AI isn’t replacing public procurement professionals — it’s augmenting their expertise with data they can act on. Here’s how:

Discover the Best Value, Fast

Procurement platforms allow staff to shop across all approved contracts in one place — making it easy to compare items, vendors, prices and delivery timelines in seconds. This transparency empowers end users to identify the best value quickly, while staying within approved purchasing channels.

Use AI to Maximize Every Cart

AI-powered savings advisors enhance purchasing by automatically surfacing lower-cost alternatives and identifying cost-saving substitutions based on availability and shipping. Real-time recommendations help ensure that every cart is optimized — not just for savings, but for delivery speed, quality and compliance.

Compliance Built In, Not Bolted On

From requisition to checkout, compliance is embedded into every step. Platforms can tailor guardrails based on your agency’s policies, automatically flag off-contract items, enforce justification fields and trigger approval workflows when needed. By reducing friction while maintaining full control, agencies minimize risk without slowing down operations.

Turn Data into Strategy

Interactive dashboards provide procurement teams with visibility into spending patterns, supplier usage and contract performance. Drillable reports help identify high-volume categories, underused contracts or vendor performance issues — enabling strategic decisions grounded in real-time data. The result: more informed planning, more efficient purchasing and greater accountability.

A Positive Path Forward for Procurement Teams

In today’s fiscal environment, smart spending isn’t just about spending less — it’s about spending better. AI-powered procurement platforms support that goal by delivering the right data at the right time, helping procurement teams stay focused on value, compliance and mission outcomes.

By adopting these tools — many of which are available to State and Local Governments through trusted partners like Carahsoft — agencies can reduce cycle times, increase visibility and unlock real savings that benefit their communities.

Conclusion: Empowering Public Procurement Through Insight

Procurement professionals are some of the most resourceful problem-solvers in the Public Sector. With the right technology in place, they’re better equipped than ever to lead their agencies toward smarter, more strategic spending.

AI-powered platforms aren’t just a trend — they’re a practical, proven way to improve decision-making, increase efficiency and ensure every public dollar is working as hard as possible.

To explore how procurement solutions from Euna Solutions, available through Carahsoft, can help your agency maximize value and streamline operations, visit the Euna Procurement page.

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including Euna Solutions we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.

Sea-Air-Space 2025: Top 6 Insights on AI, Readiness and More

Posted on by Mike McCalip

Sea-Air-Space, the premier maritime exposition of the United States, is an educational hub for defense industry leaders, Government leaders and top military decision-makers to network and discuss the latest insights and advancements in the maritime and space domains. 

Joined by over 40 of our technology partners, Carahsoft showcased solutions on cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and more at Sea-Air-Space 2025, providing customers the opportunity to engage with and explore technologies designed to enhance the efficiency of mission objectives. 

This year’s conference featured six key themes for attendees to explore.

1. Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Maritime Missions

The efficiency of AI enhances the speed and accuracy of decision-making, providing real-time insights for Sea Service personnel. Integrating AI and other autonomous systems into military operations can satisfy the critical need for close collaboration between the technology industry and the defense sector. Speakers at Sea-Air-Space discussed the importance of finding practical applications of AI, machine learning (ML) and automation across warfighting, business processes, logistics and readiness. 

Major General of the United States Marine Corps, Matthew Glavy, spoke about the Marine Corps’ strategic use of AI. Presently, there is a “campaign of learning” aimed at aligning training and acquisition with AI capabilities. One goal is integrating algorithm management and scalability into AI training. Another is finding AI that functions in harsh maritime environments to improve warfighter’s abilities. Speakers stressed that AI is not just a tool for the future, but a present-day necessity that enables the Sea Services to significantly enhance the effectiveness, precision and longevity of their platforms and operations. With AI’s ability to detect and respond to cyber threats, the nation can better maintain its strategic defense edge.  

2. Preparing Data for Mission Readiness 

Currently available technology, assets and resources can be used to prepare data for future missions. As data can be used to enhance awareness amongst combat environments, sourcing data from diverse sources is vital to developing logistics systems for operations. 

Autonomous systems can be used to collect and translate data into actionable insights, enabling the Sea Services to improve operational readiness, extend lethality and respond swiftly at the tactical edge. The usability of data is just as important as having a diverse source. 

Technology with visualization tools, such as user-friendly dashboards, make data more accessible and predictive. This readability enables forces to anticipate failures, identify vulnerabilities and make data-driven decisions that impact mission readiness, ensuring personnel are equipped to outpace evolving threats.  

3. Maintenance for Operational Readiness 

Readiness is critical to maintaining a competitive edge. The United States Navy’s aims to achieve and sustain 80 percent combat surge ready posture for ships, submarines and aircraft by 2027. To accomplish this, platforms must be maintained and enhanced with the newest technology to ensure they are up-to-date and at their best capacity. Novel approaches to training, manning, and sustainment can all improve force readiness.  

In the session “Ready Our Platforms,” panelists discussed tips on the path to maintain pace with this goal. 

Sea Service personnel should: 

Engage with maintenance initiatives to strengthen planning, execution and partnerships to improve on-time delivery

Take boats out of public shipyards in a timely fashion to ensure combat readiness

Invest in original equipment manufacturing for maintenance work and quality assurance

Review and update the Navy’s acquisition strategy to better acquire services for systems with diminishing subject matter expertise

Increase the number of structural engineers embedded with maintenance teams to enable faster technical resolution of issues

Create a dedicated force to focus on material ordering and provisioning for major maintenance efforts

By embracing a proactive approach to training, manning, modernization and sustainment, the U.S. Navy can ready and bolster its force to improve combat readiness. 

4. Enhancing Security Through Space Systems 

To maintain its competitive edge, the Sea Services must strategically utilize all available assets, including space. In the session “The Critical Role of Industrial Space Assets in Maritime Security,” speaker John Hill, the assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense (PTDO) at the Department of Defense (DoD), discussed the five foundational space mission areas: generating, processing, storing, transporting and protecting data. By aligning mission objectives across the Space Force, Space Command and other relevant forces, the Sea Services can maintain pace with industry goals. Affordable, proliferated space systems and high-value technology can enhance maritime security by providing resilience and durability against emerging threats. By taking a proactive approach to innovation, the defense sector can leverage industry momentum and accelerate capability development.  

5. Innovation With Enterprise Solutions

To support innovation and experimentation, the Sea Services aim to move from traditional procurement models towards modern, iterative approaches that empower operational commands and developers to co-create solutions in real time. 

The key strategies in this shift include: 

Using agile methodologies and continuous delivery pipelines

Giving operational teams authority to drive mission-specific solutions

Building open, modular systems with interoperability standards that allow for adaptable integration that maintains pace with threats and mission priorities

Involving end users throughout the process, ensuring that the burden of integration at scale does not fall to combatants

Providing consistent funding that supports innovation and experimentation

Fostering a culture that accepts measured risk and supports transformation

By decentralizing development and giving operational teams the authority to drive mission-specific solutions, the Navy aims to collapse development timelines, remove bureaucratic friction and deliver high-impact capabilities faster. The initiative provides persistent, mission-aligned funding streams that support innovation and experimentation without excessive risk aversion, creating pathways for scalable solutions at the pace of technological advancement. 

6. A Dive into Maritime Initiatives with Francis Rose

A special Sea-Air-Space 2025 edition of Francis Rose’s Fed Gov Today explores the critical convergence of maritime security, technology and strategy in today’s evolving global environment. An interview with Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, discussed how the Sea Services have increased presence and coordination along the West Coast to counter maritime border incursions. Melissa Carson, Vice President and General Manager at Iron Mountain Government Solutions, highlights the critical need for structured data governance to enable effective AI-driven defense operations. Dr. Abbie Tingstad, Research Professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, underscores the strategic importance of maintaining multi-domain presence in the Arctic through international partnerships, as environmental shifts and great power competition reshape polar governance. These insights collectively demonstrate how technological modernization, AI literacy, data readiness and strategic partnerships are essential for securing maritime domains against complex threats.

Reliable, adaptable and verifiable technology enables the Sea Services to fulfill mission objectives. By leveraging today’s technologies to meet resource needs, extend the lifecycle of critical assets and enhance mission readiness, the Sea Services continue to outpace evolving threats and uphold its promise to protect the nation. 

To learn more about innovations amongst the Sea Services, visit Carahsoft’s defense portfolio to explore solutions showcased at Sea-Air-Space. For additional research into the key takeaways that industry and Government leaders presented at Sea-Air-Space, view Carahsoft’s full synopsis of key sessions from the tradeshow.

Modernizing Government Workflows: Breaking Down Silos for Faster, Smarter Collaboration

Posted on by Dave Rheaume

State and local government teams are under pressure to do more with less. They’re facing rising demands for digital services, growing cybersecurity threats, and shrinking budgets—but outdated systems slow them down. Siloed tools, manual processes, and limited visibility make it harder to serve communities efficiently.

So how can government teams move faster, work smarter, and improve service delivery?

From silos to seamless collaboration

Many government agencies rely on a patchwork of disconnected tools, legacy systems, and manual workflows to manage critical operations. While these systems may have worked in the past, a lack of modernization and cohesive results leads to wasted time, security risks, and high costs.

Agencies need more than just tools—they need a modern, connected way to work. By modernizing workflows and adopting agile, automated processes, they can:

Deliver services faster with fewer bottlenecks
Boost collaboration across IT, operations, and mission teams
Improve transparency with real-time project tracking
Make smarter decisions with AI-powered insights

How agencies are driving change

Government agencies are moving away from outdated, disconnected systems and adopting modern, integrated workflows to improve efficiency and service delivery. By leveraging automation, cloud-based collaboration, and agile project management, they’re breaking down silos, delivering better citizen services, and increasing productivity.

The California Department of Health Care Services saved $2.2M on one project alone using Atlassian and improved delivery time by 66% with Cloud Enterprise. Read more about how they saved millions.
The State of Utah upgraded to Jira Software and Confluence Cloud, seeing more than 90% faster change reviews after cloud migration and completed migration 2.5 years ahead of schedule. Read more about their cost and time savings.

State and local agencies can apply these same principles to streamline processes, cut costs, and improve citizen services.

Start small, scale fast

Transforming government workflows doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Agencies can start with small, strategic changes that drive immediate impact and scale over time.

Identify bottlenecks. Where are delays slowing things down?
Automate repetitive tasks. Free teams for high-impact work.
Connect teams. Break down silos with transparent workflows.

Government agencies don’t need more tools—they need a smarter, integrated approach to getting work done.

Connecting cloud solutions across an agency with Atlassian’s System of Work

Atlassian Modernizing Government Workflows Blog Embedded Image 2025

Government teams—from California’s Department of Health Care Services to the State of Utah—are accelerating modernization by adopting multiple Atlassian cloud products across their agencies. These solutions aren’t just integrated—they’re connected in a way that creates a shared foundation for how work gets done. That foundation is Atlassian’s System of Work.

Built on the Atlassian Cloud, this System of Work connects tools, teams, and data to provide a unified context across programs and mission goals. It enables agencies to plan, track, and scale work more effectively, creating the clarity and collaboration needed to deliver better outcomes, faster.

Here’s how the Atlassian Cloud System of Work helps agencies work smarter—together:

Align work to goals. Ensuring every task and project is directly connected to strategic objectives enhances visibility and accountability across teams.
Plan and track work collaboratively. Utilizing tools like Jira enables teams to plan, track, and manage work collectively, fostering transparency and coordination.
Harness collective knowledge. Platforms like Confluence facilitate the sharing and organization of information, breaking down silos and promoting informed decision-making.

By adopting Atlassian’s System of Work, agencies can transition from fragmented processes to integrated workflows. With more clarity and collaboration, teams can move faster, collaborate better, and deliver exceptional services.

Ready to cut through the complexity? Learn more about Atlassian’s cloud solutions and join our April 15^th webinar: Smarter Government, Faster Results: How AI & Cloud Are Transforming Citizen Services.

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including Atlassian, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.

Healthcare Program Executive: HIMSS 2025: Top 5 Insights

Posted on by Tim Boltz

At the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Global Health Conference and Exhibition 2025, health IT professionals, healthcare personnel and Government leaders joined to connect on the latest trends in the healthcare industry. As a provider and distributor of health IT solutions, Carahsoft and its partners are equipped to communicate recent trends and connect care providers, agencies and companies with the technology they need to embrace the future of healthcare.

Here are the top 5 insights for the technology industry and Government from this year’s conference. 

1. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Healthcare must ensure all provided tools are safe, effective and ethical to ensure the best outcomes for patients. As the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry is relatively new, providers and public health officials should employ risk management practices, strong governance and transparency with their usage of the tool.

Providers should employ best practices for AI usage:

Understand AI’s risk profile

Ensure that data is representative of patients

Address potential biases

With continuous monitoring, providers can mitigate any potential model drifts and gain better oversight of the dynamic nature of AI systems. By highlighting the areas of risk, the healthcare system can make informed decisions on which tools, solutions and personnel to deploy to mitigate risk.

Carahsoft HIMSS AI Interoperability Tradeshow Recap Blog Embedded Image 2025

There are many opportunities for AI in Healthcare. In the session “HL’s Ride on the AI Train,” the Chief Executive Officer of HL7 International, Charles Jaffe, discussed how AI can enable healthcare providers to promote interoperability. AI can also help providers address industry concerns, such as data provenance and data lineage. In the session “Shaping the Future of healthcare: A Collaborative Care Journey Where Technology and Humanity Coexist,” speakers Seung Woo Park and Meong Hi Son, respectively the President and Chief Medical Information Officer and Associate Professor at Samsung Medical Center (SMC), mentioned that SMC reduced the nurse turnover rate from 9.3% to 5.9% by assisting their workflow with AI and automation. In the session “Disruptive Technologies: Examining the Challenges and Opportunities of Cyber, AI and Beyond,” the Former Commander and U.S. Cyber Command and Former Director at the National Security Agency, Paul Nakasone, noted that AI-driven behavior changes could transform healthcare and prevent chronic diseases. Using AI to get suggestions on sleep, meditation, diet and stress management can all help in between doctor visits to chip away at chronic diseases. Through the collaboration of providers and technology, service in healthcare can be reshaped for the better, providing a gateway into personal medicine.

2. Improving Healthcare Quality through Interoperability

Another point of discussion at HIMSS was the role of digital technology and standards in improving healthcare quality. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has several initiatives, such as the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) data model and the Bulk FHIR Quality Coalition, aimed at enhancing digital quality measurement by enabling end-to-end FHIR data exchanges. Quality measurement has evolved, and standardized clinical data helps accelerate that evolution. With modern computing platforms and technologies, such as Bulk FHIR, healthcare institutions can utilize real-time, continuous data processing, improving data encryption, data security and quality measurement. With comprehensive and timely data sharing among healthcare stakeholders, patients can get results from labs and pharmacies quicker, and can share their data across different healthcare offices, improving the affordability and quality of services.

3. Addressing Veteran Needs in Collaboration with CMS

On average, patients have their medical data located at 5.6 different locations, making interoperability, the ability of information to be exchanged between different health systems or technology systems, instrumental in helping patients and providers alike to improve the healthcare experience.

In the session “A Discussion: Transforming Care Through Interoperability,” members of the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and University of Oklahoma discussed the benefits of interoperability for veterans. Data sharing between the VA and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can address healthcare challenges, such as dementia, suicidal ideation, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and oncology by enabling the two agencies to collaborate to achieve actionable approaches for real-world cases. For example, improving care coordination, optimizing resource utilization and driving better outcomes for veterans and other patients.

Data sharing and collaboration is key to achieving efficient and effective healthcare delivery in the modernized health data infrastructure. In modernizing the infrastructure of the healthcare industry through interoperability, providers and patients can alleviate the work burden and work towards finding solutions at an expedited and swifter rate. The need for remote patient monitoring tools (RPM) is key to assist physicians and clinicians with increased data collection to support real-time treatment of these chronic illnesses for our veterans.

HIMSS_Day 1_Case Study - Missouri Mission to Transform Digital Health

4. Leveraging Data to Improve Service

Digital health increases the speed of learning, helps patients and providers overcome health inequity and increases the effectiveness of virtual care. In the session “Case Study: Missouri’s Mission to Transform Digital Health,” speakers Joshua Wymer, the Chief Health Information and Data Strategy Officer of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and Natasha Ramontal, the Digital Health Strategist in Community Outcomes for HIMSS, discussed the DHSS’ journey to transform digital health. To address the needs of businesses, HIMSS and the DHSS teamed up, eliminating duplicate data sets, reducing volumes of data entry and improving regulatory oversight. Through their collaboration in improving the handling of data, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services became the first state level organization to successfully implement HIMSS’ Digital Health Indicator model.

5. Bolstering Cybersecurity Mitigation with OCR and HIPAA

In the session “Preparing for OCR’s Revived HIPAA Security Audits,” speaker Nadia Faheem Coster, the Executive Vice President of Permit Intelligence Services, discussed the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) 2025 audit program, which applies to fifty entities and business associates. The audit focuses on decreasing hacking and ransomware attacks.

HIMSS_Day 1_Preparing for OCR Revived HIPAA Security Audits

To combat bad actors, Coster recommends:

Maintaining a risk management plan

Conducting annual secure risk assessments

Ensuring all policies and procedures are up to date

Coster also emphasized the need for segmentation and asset inventory under the proposed Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security 2.0 rule. All related health systems and the IT industry should ensure their software and hardware are compliant under the proposed ruling. System resiliency is the gold standard for health systems looking to comply with the HIPAA Security 2.0 ruling.

Data sharing, cybersecurity awareness, interoperability and artificial intelligence all enable cheaper and quicker work, whether it is sharing information between healthcare providers or on internal day-to-day operations, while ensuring quality care. By enabling the latest solutions in healthcare technology, health systems can create a better work environment for providers and a seamless experience for patients.

To learn more about interoperability, legislation, cybersecurity and AI in healthcare, visit Carahsoft’s Healthcare Technology solutions portfolio to explore solutions showcased at HIMSS. For additional research into the key takeaways thought, industry and Government leaders presented at HIMSS, view Carahsoft’s extensive market research brief for a deeper dive.

Strengthening Cybersecurity in the Age of Low-Code and AI: Addressing Emerging Risks

Posted on by Frank Walsh

As new technologies like low-code/no-code development and generative AI (GenAI) revolutionize how we build and interact with software, they also bring about new security challenges—especially for the public sector. Protecting sensitive information and online accounts is more critical than ever, as cybercriminals look to exploit gaps in these emerging systems. Ensuring robust security and threat visibility is now essential for safeguarding against the risks associated with these advancements, especially as traditional safeguards become less effective in the face of evolving threats.

Low-code Development Exposes New Risk

One of the unintended consequences of our shift to a low-code/no-code development paradigm is the delegation of complex development tasks to Large Language Models (LLMs) and GenAI systems, often bypassing seasoned developers and architects. This opens new opportunities for cybercriminals. These systems excel at functional requirements—‘Build me a website that accepts customer checkout requests’—but they rarely infer non-functional needs, like security, unless explicitly instructed.

In traditional software development, security considerations are often implicit, stemming from the experience of developers and architects who’ve spent years learning from real-world failures. GenAI, however, lacks this depth of experience and focuses narrowly on the task at hand. The result? Incomplete or inadequate security measures in software developed through these systems. As organizations lean more heavily on GenAI, we risk creating an insecure software ecosystem ripe for exploitation by threat actors.

The Proliferation of Knowledge-Based Verification Attacks

We’re on the brink of a surge in automated attacks exploiting vulnerabilities in Knowledge-Based Verification (KBV) systems. Large-scale data breaches, like the one that exposed millions of Social Security numbers last year, are eroding the effectiveness of this approach at confirming identity when creating an account or supporting a password reset. These processes often rely on KBV—such as answering questions about your mother’s maiden name or the street you grew up on—but this information is increasingly accessible to malicious actors.

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As these personal details become more widely available through data breaches and online marketplaces, attackers can easily bypass KBV systems. Worse yet, threat actors can now leverage LLMs to develop sophisticated tools to mine personal data at scale and orchestrate automated attacks against these KBV systems. Organizations face an urgent challenge: how to protect accounts in a world where traditional KBV methods are no longer secure or reliable while still offering users a legitimate path to create an account or regain access when needed.

LLM Safeguards Can Be Overridden or Bypassed by Running Models Locally

With the proliferation of local LLM instances and tools like Ollama, we’ll see safeguards embedded in commercial LLMs eroded or bypassed entirely. Running models locally can allow threat actors to fine-tune them, removing restrictions on malicious activity and enabling custom models optimized for cybercrime. This creates a new frontier for scaled attacks that are faster, more targeted, and harder to detect until it’s too late.

Imagine a threat actor fine-tuning a model to craft phishing campaigns, identify vulnerabilities in software, or automate account takeovers. The ability to localize and modify these models fundamentally shifts the balance, empowering attackers with tools tailored to their malicious intent. The guardrails built into commercial LLMs are no match for this growing trend, amplifying the need for robust detection and defense strategies at every level.

As the public sector continues to adopt innovative technologies, staying ahead of emerging cyber threats is crucial. The increasing sophistication of attacks, such as those targeting KBV systems and leveraging GenAI, highlights the need for stronger protections. By prioritizing comprehensive security measures and threat detection, organizations can mitigate the risks of these evolving vulnerabilities and safeguard their sensitive data and online accounts against malicious actors. It is essential to build and maintain resilient security strategies to ensure the integrity of digital infrastructures in this rapidly changing environment.

To learn more about how HUMAN Security helps the public sector protect citizen accounts, sensitive information, and critical infrastructure, click here.

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including HUMAN Security, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.

Protecting Government Benefit Programs from Automated Fraud

Posted on by Katherine Hennessey and Joe Rogers

Nation-states, ransomware gangs, and cyber criminals have a new weapon of choice: AI-powered bots. These systems, which mimic human behavior to automate tasks, have already helped fraudsters siphon hundreds of billions of dollars from federal programs. If left unchecked, this problem will cause taxpayers severe financial harm. The incoming administration will need to move quickly to guard against this rapidly growing threat.

The need to better defend the nation’s technology infrastructure against AI-powered attacks is not a partisan issue, and it is likely our new cyber leaders can build upon some actions taken by the last administration, including the final cybersecurity EO, issued in January 2025, that highlighted the role that stolen or synthetic identities play in defrauding our government programs. While the focus on instituting modernized digital identity methods may be appropriate, we’d like to offer a few additional considerations for our incoming cyber leaders on how to attack this problem.

The Bots Are Here

HUMAN Security NightDragon Protecting Government Benefit Programs Automated Fraud Blog Embedded Image 2025

Bots are increasingly being used by malicious actors to hack into systems, scrape personal data, or submit fake claims for benefits. At its simplest, they can use credentials and identification information purchased or stolen on the dark web to perpetrate fraud against benefit websites. From overwhelming public benefit portals with credential stuffing attacks to manipulating identity verification systems with precision-targeted scams, bots exploit gaps in digital identity systems at a speed, precision, and scale that is incredibly hard to defend against. And with the advancements in AI, they can increasingly mimic legitimate users to bypass security measures faster than most institutions can adapt.

In fact, in 2021, the Department of Labor found that at least $87 billion of the nearly $900 billion in unemployment insurance awarded under the CARES Act in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic were paid improperly, with a significant, but indeterminable portion attributable to fraud. However, in 2023 alone, bots were responsible for 352 billion attacks targeting login portals, credential verification systems, and transaction flows across industries, according to HUMAN’s Quadrillion report.

With 20 percent of login attempts across observed systems linked to account takeover attacks, and 150 million new compromised credential pairs discovered last year, bots are evolving into the ultimate enablers of fraud. If left unchecked, they could amplify the scale of fraud exponentially.

How do we prevent this problem from evolving from merely headline-grabbing to system-crippling?

Our incoming cyber leaders must recognize bots as the major root cause of the fraud problem and refocus attention on deploying cutting-edge new tools on U.S. federal systems to defend the thousands of .gov websites the government administers. This includes deploying applications that can help protect from automated credential stuffing and brute force attempts, block bots from manipulating web applications, prevent data contamination in which bots disseminate fake information to skew metrics, and prevent the unauthorized data harvesting of public websites.

The government must also take the lead in helping private sector entities adopt these tools. The federal government can serve as a catalyst, pushing hold-out organizations to invest in their own fraud defenses. Private businesses are looking for guidance on this issue. Bot detection and counter bot solutions deserve the same level of attention as endpoint detection, patch management, and other fundamental security controls. Proactively embedding bot mitigation into NIST frameworks, for example, will ensure government systems are prepared to defend against automated fraud at scale. Following on this, government guidance relating to how agencies establish Zero Trust architectures should also incorporate bot detection and mitigation.

Finally, we must foster stronger public-private collaboration to advance bot mitigation. Existing bodies for public-private cooperation on cybersecurity must more deliberately include bot intelligence and insight-sharing. We must evolve outdated conceptions of what constitutes cyber threat intelligence (CTI), and endeavor to collect, analyze and report bot intelligence as its own distinct, but highly important category of CTI.

As our incoming cyber leaders in the new administration plan their agenda, it is critical they understand that the root cause of large-scale fraud is not just weak digital identity management methods but AI-powered bots. Bots that undermine the delivery of services and benefits to millions. Combating fraud perpetrated by and with them is a national priority.

To learn more about how HUMAN Security and NightDragon work better together to support Government agencies in their mission to defend against bots, visit our website!

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including HUMAN Security and NightDragon, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.

Navy Customer Executive: WEST 2025: Top 10 Insights on AI, Cybersecurity and More

Posted on by Mike McCalip

Government leaders, military officials and industry professionals gathered at AFCEA’s WEST 2025 conference to discuss the newest technologies, modern networking capabilities and cybersecurity initiatives that enhance operations within the Sea Services. As a technology provider for the Department of Defense (DoD) and industry experts affiliated with the Navy, Carahsoft and its partners are deeply aligned with the goals of the Navy and Sea Services and is committed to providing mission-critical technologies to keep the country safe. Carahsoft and over 90 of our partners, including Adobe, Appgate, Crowdstrike, Docusign, HashiCorp, Hitachi, Qualys and WIZ joined at WEST 2025 to showcase solutions in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Zero Trust and more.

Check out the action from San Diego, California in our West 2025 recap video!

Here are the top ten insights for the technology industry and Government from this year’s conference.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the U.S. Navy

There are many opportunities for AI in the Navy, such as the OpenShip Tool and its usage of OpenAI’s Whisper model to translate incoming communications through the Navy’s Very High Frequency (VHF) radios. Remote monitoring can detect issues with technology and support rapid troubleshooting. AI can also be used to predict turnaround time, helping the workforce choose when to prioritize projects and deliver items on time.

AI can simplify operations. PMS 406 unmanned Maritime Systems runs the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA), whose architecture creates a low barrier of entry for operation. With AI, update 6.0 of the UMAA and the Navy’s “Replicator initiative,” which works to field hundreds of autonomous systems by August 2025,” every soldier could operate a drone.

In the session “Fleet AI Deployment,” Lieutenant Artem Sherbinin, the Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Navy ‘s Task Force Hopper, reviewed the three priority areas for the Navy’s AI usage, which are to:

Outthink adversaries

Enhance administrative work

Maintain goal of keeping 80% of combat surge-ready fleet

By using AI capabilities, the Navy can empower its acquisition force to act efficiently and quickly. Lieutenant Sherbinin also discussed two upcoming projects. Navy warships produce 150TB of data per warship per day. To manage this massive volume of data, the Navy is building a Warfighting Data and AI Ecosystem. This tool’s requirements are being drafted and will be submitted in the upcoming fiscal year, but currently include components such as data extraction, data processing and sensor updates to ships underway. Vendors should keep an eye out for pre-RFPs and RFI opportunities surrounding this capability. The second project is a new Commercial Solutions Offering (CSO), the Surface Lethality CSO. This soon to be released solution will be released through the Defense Innovation Unit on AI for Surface Lethality, and will expedite decision-making and enable the Navy to keep ahead of adversaries.

2. Red Teaming to Improve Cybersecurity

In the session “Leveraging Cloud to Accelerate Unmanned and Autonomous System (UAS) Mission Critical Capabilities,” Allen Mcafee, CTO of Fuse Integration, discussed the desire to increase red teaming—a process for testing cybersecurity by having allied hackers conduct non-threatening breaches—amongst autonomous systems to increase the robust quality of existing programs, especially in the electronic and kinetic fields. Vendors that specialize in cybersecurity solutions for autonomous systems should offer red team services to help solidify UAS security.

3. The Importance of Maritime Trade to Cybersecurity

In the session “Office of Naval Intelligence Brief,” Rear Admiral Mike Brooks, Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), spoke heavily on the criticality of maritime trade and the effect it has on the posture of the Navy. Chokeholds on shipping ports can hinder the economy, and so ONI is placing further emphasis on gathering intelligence in this area to preserve supply chains.

4. DISA’s New Cloud-Based Mission Partner Environment

To address logistic challenges, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) developed a mission partner environment within the cloud. This tool acts as a joint sustainment decision tool and will feature an application hosting platform. DISA will initially host this environment, but is looking for commercial partners to host the platform and ensure its accessibility to all allies and partners.

5. Business Initiatives

The Navy has upgraded its approach to doing business, releasing its Information Superiority Vision (ISV) 2.0. In the initial version, the Navy’s framework for business was “Modernize, Innovate and Defend.” The 2.0 System is:

Optimize – IT teams can integrate new systems and turn off outdated ones

Secure – Personnel should think proactively in the design phase, rather than the more reactive “defend”

Decide – Staff places data into the hands of people who need it

This new system focuses on being proactive and innovative, integrating a focus on the workforce. Vendors should determine how their solutions fit into one or more of these pillars when marketing their technology and solutions.

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The Navy can learn from all types of industries and technology. Former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command and Former Ambassador to the Republic of South Korea Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. recounts an example from the 1930s where the Marine Corps struggled to field a landing craft. The solution came from examining a small civilian craft in the local area, showcasing a “Higgins Boat Moment” where the Marine Corps were able to learn from civilian technologies, highlighting the importance of dual-use technology that is prioritized by the DoD.

Business is fulfilled when employees have bandwidth. In the session “Bringing Enterprise IT to the Edge to Accelerate Innovation,” Captain Kevin White of the PEO C4I PMW/A 170 Navy Communications and GPS Navigation Program discussed how bandwidth can fall into three different categories: morale, business applications and tactical services. When sailors have excellent bandwidth for morale and business applications, they are more efficient tactically.

The DoD is working on a portal that provides information and education on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs. This portal assists in creating effective proposals and understanding language and resources. This page, while accessible, is still in development and will continue to be fleshed out in the upcoming weeks.

6. Renewing Technology

In the session “I’m charged with Putting a Flux Capacitor in a 1995 Mazda,” Brigadier General of the U.S. Marine Corps and Commanding General of the Marine Corps Installations West Nick I. Brown mentions that whether it is power systems or IT, infrastructure needs to be in place to accept new technology. Much of the DoD’s infrastructure is build on legacy systems or is out of date and needs to be replaced or upgraded before advanced solutions can be put in place. The U.S. Marine Corps is looking for vendors to help with new technology instillations and upgrading existing infrastructure, especially on the West coast. The U.S. Navy is allocating funds to achieve similar goals. It aims to improve its outdated infrastructure and systems to carry out technology initiatives by the Program Executive Office Digital and support the Navy’s culture of excellence.

In the session “Why Have a Lambo if You Don’t Have the Road?”, Col. Jared Voneida discussed five major areas that DISA is working on:

Building commercial and Government data centers

Improving theater transport and host nation infrastructure

Fortifying existing cybersecurity infrastructure and Defensive Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defensive Measures (DCO-IDM)

Maintaining command and control of the network

Completing initiatives by 2027

The Colonel also emphasized the need to divest from legacy time division multiplexing (TDM) infrastructure. While AI and machine learning (ML) has a plethora of uses, until AI/ML software divests from TDM infrastructure, DISA cannot utilize it effectively to assist with their network and data. With updated networks and hardware in place, the Navy and DoD can utilize the newest advanced solutions.

7. IT at the Center of the Workforce

To meet the rising demand in recruitment, the Navy has released its new enlisting agent, Robotics Warfare Specialist. With cybersecurity being more at the center of safety, the Navy aims to train more sailors in IT. Additionally, the Navy has released a new enlisted rating, Robotics Warfare Specialist, a new job that helps ensure effective planning and control of autonomous systems.

8. Improving Productivity by Decreasing Troubleshooting

IT and software issues can lead to lost productivity. RAND Corporation, a research and development nonprofit, recently released a report regarding the viral LinkedIn post “Fix Our Computers” that highlighted user experience challenges with IT systems in the DoD. Their report estimated, on the conservative side, $2.5 billion in lost productivity due to IT and software difficulties. The Sea Services aim to increase the user friendliness of software to decrease the time lost to troubleshooting. In the sessions “Bringing Enterprise IT to the Edge to Accelerate Innovation,” Captain White of the U.S. Navy attributed the largest productivity gaps to IT teams relying on command line programing. Captain White encourages industries to develop more user-friendly systems that do not rely on command lines.

9. Compliance is No Longer Enough

In the session “DON CIO Perspective,” Navy CIO Jane Rathbun states that while Authority to Operate (ATO) tells you how secure a system is at that point in time, it does not encourage the readiness mindset that is optimal for protecting cybersecurity. Rathbun encourages switching to continuous monitoring and authorizations of systems, rather than stopping at ATO compliance. Rathbun specifically noted threat analysis and continuous monitoring as areas vendors might be assessed on in the future.

10. DevSecOps Products that Improve Marine Corps Productivity

The Marine Corps showcased 11 different products manufactured by the software factory product line related to development, security and operations (DevSecOps).

Check out details on the products below:

MyCareer – Supports the Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments (MMEA) and aids Marines by monitoring conversations, providing a virtual queue and matching partners based on data on marine preferences

ItemEyes – Provides marine units with a digitized inventory

Sensor Processing Analysis Radar Translation Application (SPARTA) – Hosts data from radar, automatic identification system (AIS) and unmanned systems all in one user-friendly interface

CRUSADER – Controls, processes and detects radar information in one easy to use library

Real-time Alerting, Interference Detection & Electromagnetic Reporting (RAIDER) – Provides real-time alerts for anomalies detected in the electromagnetic spectrum

All-domain Electromagnetic and Radio Organic Trainer (AeroT) – Helps Marines simulate and visualize their electromagnetic signature

EXODUS – Provides evacuees located abroad with personal services, such as mobile passport processing

TAK Design System – Helps Marines navigate and build plugins for Tactical Assault Kit (TAK)

ReserveHub – Enables Marines to find ideal areas when relocating, boosting retention rates

SnapDB – Analyzes pictures taken by unmanned aerial systems (UAS)

J-Series Message Library, Government Open-Source (JSML) – Translates code into J-Series

Through the developing partnerships between the technology industry and Government as well as Carahsoft and our partners, the DoD can streamline in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, compliance and more. These insights from West 2025 illustrate the Navy and Sea Service’s commitment to continual innovation and maintaining the safety of the nation.

To learn more about cybersecurity and the defense industry, visit Carahsoft’s defense portfolio to explore solutions showcased at AFCEA’s WEST 2025. For additional research into the key takeaways industry and Government leaders presented at WEST, view Carahsoft’s extensive market research brief for a recap.

The Top 10 AI Events for Government in 2025

Posted on by Mike Adams

Artificial intelligence (AI) has grown from simple automation and robotics in the mid-20^th century to modern-day advanced technology, experiencing major evolution within the last several years. The power of AI and increased usage across many Public Sector markets has sparked a new wave of innovation surrounding development of tools, solutions, policy, ethics and more. Whether showcasing new technologies or networking with AI tech industry experts, dive into Carahsoft’s recommendations below for the top upcoming AI events to attend this year as we explore all these topics and what is to come for AI.

Ai4 

August 11 – 13 | Las Vegas, NV | In-Person Event 

Ai4 2025 is North America’s premier artificial intelligence conference, scheduled for August 11–13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The event is set to host over 8,000 attendees, 600+ speakers, and 250+ exhibitors, offering a comprehensive platform for exploring AI advancements across various industries, including the public sector.

Ai4 2025 features a dedicated Government Track that delves into how AI transforms public services, enhancing operational efficiency and improving decision-making within Government agencies.

Key Themes and Sessions Include:

AI in Public Infrastructure: Insights from leaders like Dr. Mike Horton, Chief AI Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, on integrating AI into transportation systems while navigating regulatory landscapes.

Healthcare Innovations: Discussions on how the Veterans Health Administration is leveraging AI to enhance patient care through proactive and personalized solutions.

Ethical AI and Governance: Exploration of AI ethics, data governance and compliance, crucial for public sector implementations.

Join and connect with Carahsoft partners at Ai4, including: Dataiku, Dell Technologies, Google Cloud, IBM, MongoDB, Oracle, Red Hat, Anaconda, Lilt, NetApp, Snorkel, ZLTech, Weights & Biases, Yurts and Domino.

Public Sector Low-Code App Engine Innovation Workshop

August 13 – 14 | Vienna, VA | In-Person Event

This two-day, hands-on Low-Code App Engine Innovation Workshop will show how agencies are reimagining their approach to automation and app development with ServiceNow’s Creator Workflows and Generative AI. Learn how to boost productivity at scale by building high-value, low-code mission apps with App Engine.

During this workshop, attendees will learn:

How to identify the right problems to solve in your agency with Low-Code tools.

Successful examples of how other agencies are driving rapid innovation at scale with ServiceNow’s Low-Code App Engine.

Practice ideation and rapid Low-Code app creation techniques that focus on making the world of work, work better.

Carahsoft is the proud host of this event and is please to offer 16.6 continuing professional education (CPE) credits to those that attend the event through NASBA.

State & Local Government AI Summit

August 14 | Boston, MA | In-Person Event

The Center for Public Sector AI and the Center for Digital Government are building on the momentum of their AI Summit by bringing together state and local CIOs, AI leaders, and private sector partners to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping Government. As agencies work to unlock AI’s potential while addressing trust, ethics, privacy and workforce challenges, this event offers a dynamic space to connect with peers and innovators who are driving real transformation across Government.

Connect with Carahsoft partners AWS, Dataminr and Dell Technologies at the State and Local AI Summit.

AI For Defense Summit

September 3-4 | National Harbor, MD | In-Person Event

The 4th Annual AI for Defense Summit will bring together leaders from the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal agencies, industry, academia and the intelligence community to explore the strategic integration of artificial intelligence in defense operations. This year’s event will showcase advancements in generative AI, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, and operational AI, while addressing key topics like software acquisition reform, human-machine integration, and safeguarding critical infrastructure. Through panels, keynote sessions, and networking, attendees will gain insights into how AI is reshaping warfighting capabilities, accelerating decision-making, and strengthening national security across all domains.

Connect with Carahsoft partners, including OpenAI, Ask Sage, Fiddler, Everfox, Seekr, AutogenAI and Scale AI.

Billington Cybersecurity Summit

September 9-12 | Washington, D.C. | In-Person Event

A long-standing and experienced event, the Billington Cybersecurity Summit features an extensive array of cyber topics, speakers, sessions, and interactive breakouts for attendees to truly immerse themselves in the world of today’s emerging cybersecurity solutions and trends. In its 16th year, this leading Government cybersecurity summit promises an exceptional lineup of Government presenters, an invaluable leadership luncheon, an all-attendee networking reception and over 100 vendor booths featuring strategy development and technology demos.

For a sneak peek into what you can expect at the summit, topics covered during last year’s event included:

Zero Trust

Ransomware

Advancing cyber diplomacy

Learning how to use proactive defenses

Engineering AI into cybersecurity platforms

Implementing an effective risk management approach

Protecting critical infrastructure

Stay tuned to the website for announcements around the speaker lineup and further summit information.

Carahsoft is looking forward to sponsoring this year’s event and will feature a booth to engage with attendees throughout the week. We will also be hosting a large partner pavilion and encourage attendees to stop by and learn more about our partners and their technology solutions! Check out the events tab on our website for more details closer to the event!

ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit

September 17 | Reston, VA | In-Person Event

Digital transformation is reshaping how Government, industry and academia operate by leveraging new and evolving technologies to streamline business processes, reduce manual work through automation and expand access by overcoming geographic limitations. It enhances efficiency, agility and scalability, while delivering greater value and satisfaction to staff, customers and stakeholders. Often described as “reimagining how we do business,” successful digital transformation requires strong leadership, a clear vision, staff buy-in, and a solid understanding of how to maximize the impact of technology investments.

Sessions to Look Out for: Breaking Ground: Real-World Implementation of AI and Next-Gen Technologies and Workforce Management in the Digital Age: AI-Driven Strategies for Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement of Government Employees

This Summit is being planned and hosted by ACT-IAC and Carahsoft and will focus on where Digital Transformation is today, how it has been used to transition to new innovative technologies and how it has improved overall performance. This event will also include an international element to hear how other countries have utilized digital technologies successfully.

Dreamforce

October 14 – 16 | San Francisco, CA | In-Person Event

Dreamforce 2025, Salesforce’s flagship technology conference emphasizes AI-driven transformation, with a particular focus on the public sector. A central theme is “Agentforce,” Salesforce’s AI-powered digital labor platform designed to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery. For public sector organizations, Agentforce offers tools to automate tasks, improve constituent services, and streamline workflows. Sessions will showcase real-world applications, such as AI-powered virtual assistants, automated case management, and advanced analytics through Tableau Next, all aimed at modernizing government operations

Sessions to Look Out for: Public Sector Product Roadmap: Future-Proof Your Mission and Elevate Every Education Journey with AI, Data, and Action.

Carahsoft partner, Salesforce, returns with the most impactful event of the year. Carahsoft is looking forward to hosting a Public Sector networking reception at Dreamforce again in 2025. Stay tuned for more details to attend or participate alongside us as a sponsor! Check out the events tab on our website for more details closer to the event!

GovAI Summit

October 27 – 29 | Arlington, VA | In-Person Event

The GovAI Summit 2025, scheduled for October 27–29 in Arlington, Virginia, is a premier event focused on the integration of artificial intelligence within the public sector. Organized by Modev, the summit aims to bring together government officials, policymakers, technologists, and industry leaders to explore the transformative potential of AI in governance.

Discussions will emphasize the importance of ethical, non-discriminatory, and responsible AI governance, aligning with the mission of the GovAI Coalition to promote AI for social good.

SC25: International Conference for High Performance Computing

Carahsoft Top 10 AI Events Carahsoft Blog Embedded Image 2025

November 16-21 | St. Louis, MO | Hybrid Event

Supercomputing25 (SC25) is the premier global conference for high-performance computing (HPC), networking, storage and analysis, tailored to address the needs of Government, defense and research organizations. This year’s event explores the transformative impact of HPC technologies on solving critical challenges, advancing national security and driving innovation across scientific and governmental missions.

At SC25, there will be a wide array of programming including presentations on new research, showcasing innovative work or practices and teaching and guiding the next generation of HPC students and professionals.

Carahsoft will once again host a large pavilion space and is an exhibiting sponsor of SC25 along with many of our partners at the forefront of high-powered computing, including AWS, Broadcom, Cloudian, Dell, Google, Groq, HPE, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Microway, NVIDIA, Oracle, Red Hat and VAST Data.

DODIIS Worldwide

December 7 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | In-Person Event

The DoDIIS Worldwide Conference 2025, scheduled for December 7–10 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will spotlight the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within defense and intelligence operations. Hosted by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), this event gathers leaders from the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), industry and academia to discuss mission-critical technologies and strategies.

Carahsoft will host an expansive Partner Pavilion highlighting cutting-edge technologies that support artificial intelligence. Within this space, our AI booth—located in the Vertical Alley—will feature demos from our AI solution partners.

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To learn more or get involved in any of the above events please contact us at AITeam@carahsoft.com. For more information on Carahsoft and our industry leading AI technology partners’ events, visit our AI solutions portfolio and AI Events page.