Join Carahsoft at Agentforce World Tour D.C.

Posted on by Bethany Blackwell

Are you ready to explore the future of AI-powered CRM and connect with industry leaders? Join Carahsoft at the Agentforce World Tour D.C. on March 19 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center! At this year’s event, experience exciting and informative demos, expert-led sessions and innovative speakers informing on the latest industry trends and products available. Explore virtual, hands-on trainings to learn how Salesforce can support your organization’s productivity and delivering modernized solutions.

Why Attend?

As a proud Groundbreaker sponsor, Carahsoft is excited to showcase how we are helping Public Sector organizations leverage Salesforce’s innovative solutions. Visit our booth #102 in the Campground (exhibit hall) to gain insights on:

How AI is revolutionizing government service delivery

Success stories from federal agencies leveraging Salesforce

Ways to maximize your existing Salesforce investments

Featured Government Sessions

Do not miss these insightful sessions focused on Public Sector innovation:

AI for Government: Responsible Implementation Strategies

FedRAMP and Compliance: Navigating Security in the Cloud

Digital Service Transformation: Agency Success Stories

Meet Our Leadership Team

Connect in person with Carahsoft’s onsite Salesforce leadership team members:

Bethany Blackwell, Kate McDonald, Victoria Ritter, Tyler Miller, Stephen Dickerson, Allison Mackin, Brian Mays, Kathryn Rodriguez, Terra Fawley, Kelsey Hall, Giovanni Rodriguez, Laura Howton, Sebastian Pagliarello and Tayo Akinduro.

The #1 Networking Event: Public Sector Reception

Continue the conversation at the anticipated after-party of Agentforce World Tour D.C.!

Details:

Date: March 19

Location: Planet Word Museum, Washington, D.C.

Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Join Government leaders, Salesforce experts and industry partners at our annual reception that brings together the entire Public Sector Salesforce ecosystem for an evening of networking and collaboration.

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Event Sponsors

We thank our reception sponsors who make this premier networking event possible:

Slalom, Brite Systems, S-Docs, IBM, Booz Allen, Southpoint Consulting, Sprout Social, Flosum, Odaseva, MB&A/Gridmate, ThunderYard, Higher Echelon, V3 Gate, Second Front, Copado, Provar and Accenture.

Cannot Make It to D.C.?

The Agentforce World Tour is coming to a city near you! Contact Salesforcemarketing@carahsoft.com to learn how we can partner at upcoming events:

April 14: Denver

April 24: Minneapolis

May 21: NYC

June 26: Boston

October 14-16: San Francisco at Dreamforce

Additionally, join us one of our collaborative Innovation Days events featuring Salesforce, tailored specifically for State, Local and Education agencies within the Public Sector. Check out the full line up of cities and dates coming up soon!

With the rise of AI in business, agencies and organizations must ensure they are modernizing to utilize the unlimited potential of AI in the Public Sector. Whether you are new to Salesforce or familiar with all Agentforce World Tour has to offer, join us to engage in a full day of innovation and pursuing the advantages AI and other technologies.

Register with Carahsoft now and secure your spot at Agentforce World Tour D.C. to learn more about how Salesforce can help your agency modernize and improve efficiency!

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.

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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 Steven Ahlberg

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.

Better Together: How HPE, AMD and Nutanix Empower Modern Enterprises

Posted on by Amy Hansen, Ron Pizzimenti and Pritish Nilangi

The rapid evolution of enterprise technology has made modernization an urgent priority. Businesses today face challenges ranging from complex infrastructure and escalating costs to the rising demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and hybrid cloud environments. Together, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nutanix provide unified solutions that simplify operations, strengthen security and deliver unmatched performance, empowering organizations to navigate current demands and prepare for the future.

Addressing Market Challenges with Innovation

In a dynamic market where infrastructure complexity and cost pressures are top concerns, the combined expertise of HPE, AMD and Nutanix is driving transformative solutions. Nutanix’s hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) simplifies multicloud management, enabling organizations to run workloads across on-premises, public and private clouds or colocation sites. With intuitive tools like Prism, Nutanix delivers flexibility, cost efficiency and robust security.

On the hardware side, AMD’s EPYC Central Processing Units (CPUs) have revolutionized the data center market, achieving a 34% market share through scalability (i.e. higher core count options that help reduce server footprint). Designed for diverse workloads, including analytics and hybrid workforce applications, AMD solutions like the 4th Gen EPYC CPUs provide outstanding performance while optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO).

Meanwhile, HPE’s ProLiant DX Gen 11 servers offer fast deployment, tailored configurations and scalable options for diverse business needs. Supported by OpEx models like GreenLake, HPE ensures financial flexibility, making modernization accessible for organizations of all sizes.

Unlocking the Potential of AI

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AI is reshaping industries, and the HPE, AMD and Nutanix partnership enables enterprises to meet these infrastructure demands. Nutanix’s HCI platform, paired with AMD’s EPYC CPUs, deliver optimized performance for AI and machine learning (ML) workloads. The Nutanix DX 385 model supports up to four double-wide Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), providing accelerated compute for AI-driven environments. With features like network microsegmentation and automated lifecycle management, Nutanix ensures secure, optimized environments for AI applications.

AMD’s EPYC processors are tailored for AI applications, from small-scale enterprise large language models (LLMs) to large-scale generative AI. High core density and features like Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) ensure robust performance and security. HPE complements this with ProLiant DX servers designed for AI workloads, including their “GPU in a Box” model, which simplifies deployment and scales with demand, making it easier for businesses to meet the demands of AI-driven applications. Together, these technologies provide enterprises with the computational power and flexibility to unlock AI’s potential within hybrid cloud environments.

Simplifying Modernization Across Infrastructure

Modernization is no longer optional—it is a necessity for businesses navigating an evolving IT landscape. Businesses face the dual challenge of balancing legacy infrastructure needs with the demands of the future. HPE, AMD and Nutanix simplify this transition by addressing performance, security, management and integration, ensuring organizations modernize effectively while maintaining operational continuity.

Performance

Nutanix software on AMD EPYC-powered HPE ProLiant DX servers handles workloads like virtualization, analytics, big data and AI/ML with exceptional performance. The 4th Gen EPYC CPUs deliver high performance across metrics including per core and per server, reducing infrastructure costs. High-frequency CPU options enable the provisioning of more virtual machines and workloads without increasing physical cores, ensuring businesses can scale seamlessly as demands evolve. HPE delivers two high-performance NVMe storage options, designed to boost data center performance while ensuring reliability and security. HPE NVMe Mixed Use (MU) SSDs use Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Gen4 to boost performance for Big Data, high-performance computing (HPC) and virtualization with fast transfers and low latency. HPE NVMe Read Intensive (RI) SSDs optimize read-heavy workloads like web servers, storage and caching with high-speed PCIe Gen3 and Gen4.

Security

Nutanix integrates features like automatic auditing, encryption and network microsegmentation to ensure compliance and safeguard IT environments. AMD EPYC processors add another layer of protection with SEV, isolating virtual machines with memory encryption for silicon-level protection. HPE’s Silicon Root of Trust protects firmware from the boot process and continuously monitors the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), ensuring server integrity and preventing breaches.

Management

Managing modern IT environments is simplified with Nutanix’s one-click updates and lifecycle management capabilities, which integrate seamlessly with HPE’s Service Pack for ProLiant. Nutanix Prism offers a unified management plane, enabling centralized control for clusters, applications and data. The intuitive management interface reduces complexity, empowering IT teams to handle hybrid cloud environments with ease and efficiency.

Integration

Pre-installed with Nutanix Acropolis OS (AOS), HPE ProLiant DX servers offer out-of-the-box solutions optimized for AMD EPYC processors. These systems support diverse hypervisors, including Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) and third-party options, giving businesses the flexibility to tailor infrastructure setups to specific needs. This collaboration ensures workload-specific performance and seamless integration across various deployment environments, helping businesses modernize without disruption.

HPE, AMD and Nutanix demonstrate the power of collaboration by offering a unified approach to modernization. By combining high performance, robust security, streamlined management and flexible integration, their solutions provide businesses with the tools they need to meet today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s demands. Collectively, they simplify the journey to modernization, proving that they truly are better together.

Discover how HPE, AMD and Nutanix are better together in delivering powerful, secure and scalable solutions for modern enterprises. Watch our webinar, “Modernize Your Infrastructure with HPE & Nutanix – Powered by AMD,” to explore cutting-edge innovations and actionable strategies that transform IT environments.

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 HPE, AMD and Nutanix, 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.

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.

Defense IT Summit

February 27 | Arlington, VA | In-Person Event

The Defense IT Summit serves as a critical forum for Federal and industry leaders to collaborate on the transformative power of IT modernization in defense operations. Key priorities and agency initiatives will be outlined by leadership, focusing on critical areas like AI in defense operations, CJADC2 and multi and hybrid cloud security. Featured speakers at the Summit will include officials from the Department of Defense (DoD), Army, Navy, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Air Force Research Lab.

Sessions to Look Out for: AI and the Defense Mission

Carahsoft frequently works with GovCIO on programs targeting the Government audience. Join our partners Snowflake, Gitlab, HP, AMD and Pryon, at this event as they discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping the defense landscape.

NVIDIA GTC 2025

March 17-20 | San Jose, CA | Hybrid Event

NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025 is a premier event showcasing the latest advancements in AI and accelerated computing. For Government agencies, attending GTC 2025 offers a unique opportunity to explore cutting-edge AI technologies that can enhance public services, improve cybersecurity and drive innovation in various sectors. The conference provides a platform to engage with industry experts, participate in specialized sessions tailored for the Public Sector and gain insights into AI applications that address complex governmental challenges.

Sessions to Look Out for:

Efficient Large Language Model (LLM) Customization

Deploying RAG Pipelines for Production at Scale

Carahsoft is honored to be the premier host of the Public Sector Reception at NVIDIA GTC 2025 on Monday, March 17 at Blanco Urban. Join us at our reception and stop by our booth on the show floor to learn about the latest AI capabilities within the Government.

2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit

March 20 | McLean, VA | In-Person Event

Carahsoft Top 10 AI Events Carahsoft Blog Embedded Image 2025

The rapid acceleration of AI is transforming the landscape of national security, public services and defense. To maintain our nation’s edge, Government leaders must stay ahead of these advancements and strategically integrate AI into their organizations. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit offers an unparalleled opportunity to gain critical insights from top Government decision-makers and AI experts. This event will provide actionable strategies to implement AI effectively, explore best practices for organizational integration and connect with industry pioneers shaping the future of AI.

Sessions to Look Out for:

The Impact of AI on National Security and Economic Growth

Acquisitions in the Age of AI

As a gold sponsor of the 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit, Carahsoft, along with our partners EmpowerAI, Primer, Oracle, Coursera and Percipient.AI are excited to participate in the 6th year running of this great event.

Convening to Act: Managing High Impact AI National Security Applications

March 27 | Reston, VA | In-Person Event

The National Cryptologic Foundation (NCF) is hosting a comprehensive, multidisciplinary dialogue uniting Government and industry leaders to explore “Managing High-Impact AI National Security Applications” for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and beyond. This event is designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities AI presents, including its implementation by small and medium-sized businesses. This two-day program features engaging sessions on critical topics, including legal frameworks, policy development, compliance strategies, security challenges, equality considerations and privacy implications.

Attendees also have the option to participate in an onsite dinner and fireside chat on the first evening, providing an opportunity to network and exchange ideas in a more informal setting.

Sessions to Look Out for: Responsible AI Officers Panel on DoD/USIC with Lakshimi Raman, Director of Artificial Intelligence for the CIA.

As the hosting organization, Carahsoft is proud to sponsor Convening to Act with NSF. Join us at the Carahsoft Conference & Collaboration Center for two days of important discussions around managing high-impact AI National Security Applications.

AI Week Presented by AI Scoop

April 21-25 | Washington D.C. | Hybrid Event

AI has the potential to transform our world, and at AI Week 2025, attendees will get to experience this shift firsthand. Join thousands of C-suite leaders from the Government, tech industry and education communities across the country online and in-person for a week-long festival celebrating present modernization and future innovations of AI. Participate in lightning talks, networking opportunities, interactive sessions and community events to gain valuable insights on the latest in AI.

Sessions to Look Out for: AI TALKS: Explore the Transformative Potential of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector Space

Carahsoft partner, Salesforce, is the Underwriting Sponsor for AI Week. Join them along with our other partners Broadcom, Microsoft and Red Hat as sponsors of AI Talks for discussions around sustaining and enhancing the nation’s leadership in AI “to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.”

GovCIO AI FedLab

May 13 | Reston, VA | In-Person Event

The GovCIO AI FedLab is a unique event, bringing together Government and industry in a workshop environment to learn about AI challenges that span across all agencies. Attendees of over 50 senior-level Federal IT executives will participate in working sessions on problem-solving, brainstorming and creating meaningful engagement for participants and speakers.

Carahsoft is the leading sponsor and host of GovCIO’s AI FedLab. Join us at the Carahsoft Conference & Collaboration Center for the second year running of this cutting-edge collaborative workshop.

Carahsoft AI for Government Summit

May 15 | Reston, VA | In-Person Event

Carahsoft’s AI for Government Summit is the premier event for exploring how AI is revolutionizing the Public Sector. This summit brings together Federal, State and Local Government leaders, industry innovators and technology experts to discuss the transformative potential of AI in addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Attendees will gain actionable insight into how Generative AI is transforming Government operations, how AI can streamline public services, cybersecurity and data protection, and how to leverage AI for predictive analytics and decision-making, as well as tackling ethical, privacy and compliance challenges.

Sessions to Look Out for:

Government Progress on White House Executive Order 14110 and the NSM on AI

How the Trump Administration is Handling Prior White House EO’s on AI

Update on Government Modernization through the Data Center and AI Infrastructure

What Efficiencies Government Has Gained Using Generative AI and Where it is Headed

Enhancing Customer Experience (CX) in the Public Sector with AI

What Use-Cases are in Production Today

Carahsoft is the proud host of the AI for Government Summit. This was a milestone event in 2024 with speakers from NVIDIA, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, AWS, Dell, HPE and others. Join us at the Carahsoft Conference & Collaboration Center to learn about all things AI within the Public Sector.

GEOINT 2025

May 18-21 | St. Louis, MO | In-Person Event

The GEOINT Symposium explores the critical role of geospatial intelligence in building a secure future. Engage with Government leaders, industry pioneers and thought leaders to uncover how GEOINT is addressing pressing challenges and opportunities in today’s complex global environment. From land and sea to cyberspace and outer space, geospatial intelligence is revolutionizing every domain, empowering decision-makers to respond effectively to critical needs.

As an annual sponsor of the GEOINT Symposium, Carahsoft will be joined by more than 70 of our technology providers on the tradeshow floor in our pavilion space. Additionally, Carahsoft will be hosting a partner-sponsored networking reception at the Post Building. Carahsoft is also the exclusive lanyard sponsor of GEOINT 2025 and attendees will have a front seat to more than 200 speakers across a variety of educational sessions, meaningful networking opportunities and technology demonstrations showcasing modern solutions to present day challenges.

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 in the world of today’s emerging cybersecurity solutions and trends. In its 16th year running, this leading Government cybersecurity summit promises an exceptional line up 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!

SC25: International Conference for High Performance Computing

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.

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As technology and the Public Sector’s adoption of AI advance, the topic remains at the forefront. Our partners are making significant strides in AI, and you are invited to join the conversation. Attend these revolutionary events and help shape the future of AI.

Tableau Conference

April 9 – 11, San Diego, CA, Hybrid Event

Alteryx Inspire

May 12 – 15, Las Vegas, NV, In-Person Event

Informatica World

May 13, Las Vegas, NV, In-Person Event

Adobe Government Forum 2025

May 14, Washington D.C., Hybrid Event

Dell Technologies World

May 19, San Francisco, CA, Hybrid Event

Databricks Data + AI Summit

June 9, San Francisco, CA, Hybrid Event

AWS re:Inforce 2025

June 16 – 18, Philadelphia, PA, In-Person Event

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.

How AI Models are Advancing Weather Predictions and Forecasting

Posted on by Mike Adams

AI models have revolutionized weather forecasting, achieving levels of accuracy unimaginable just a few years ago. Today, a four-day forecast is as reliable as a one-day forecast was in the past, allowing meteorologists to predict weather further in advance with increased precision. This has practical benefits for everyday planning, like deciding whether to grill over the weekend or preparing for outdoor activities. More critically, improved forecasting is a game-changer for disaster preparedness in areas where timely and accurate predictions can save lives and reduce economic losses. Carahsoft, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider™, leads in AI innovation, addressing Government challenges and unlocking AI’s potential to accelerate operations. Partnering with top AI companies, Carahsoft delivers advanced, accurate weather models to support Government agencies.

The Power of AI and Data

Ground-level stations and satellite sensors generate a massive influx of information daily, which AI excels at processing. By analyzing real-time observations alongside decades of historical weather records, AI tools identify patterns and deliver accurate predictions. This capability is particularly valuable during extreme weather events.

Carahsoft AI Models Advancing Weather Forecasting Blog Embedded Image 2025

Innovative AI models like Google DeepMind’s GenCast push the boundaries of what is possible in forecasting. GenCast delivers highly detailed forecasts with a resolution of about 16 miles, capturing localized weather patterns often missed by traditional methods. In addition to precision, these models offer unprecedented speed, processing vast amounts of high-quality data in minutes. This efficiency empowers emergency responders and decision-makers to act with confidence, reducing the impact of extreme weather on communities.

The integration of AI into weather forecasting has also significantly enhanced disaster preparedness. AI enables more precise identification of regions of concern, helping meteorologists and emergency teams allocate resources more effectively and reduce unnecessary efforts elsewhere. This targeted approach ensures critical areas receive the attention they need, while also preventing burnout among professionals tasked with monitoring weather events.

Moreover, meteorologists are expanding their roles to include emergency management skills. By combining AI insights with a deep understanding of societal and infrastructure impacts, they ensure forecasts translate into actionable strategies that protect lives and property. The combination of AI’s processing power and human expertise enables more effective evacuations, resource alignment and response efforts.

Challenges and Sustainability in AI Operations

While AI offers transformative benefits, it also presents challenges. The risk of misinformation from AI-generated weather models or images remains a concern, as untrained individuals may spread false predictions, causing unnecessary panic. This places an additional burden on professionals to correct misinformation and redirect resources. Maintaining a “human-in-the-loop” is essential for all AI deployments, ensuring that expert oversight validates outputs and mitigates potential errors. Furthermore, improving model training to recognize complex atmospheric dynamics, such as interactions with continental systems that can alter hurricane paths, is essential to enhancing forecasting accuracy. Weather forecasting is uniquely suited for early AI adoption because it generates massive amounts of data and benefits from high-quality datasets provided by organizations like the National Weather Service and NASA, ensuring models are trained on reliable information.

Sustainability is another critical consideration. Data centers and AI facilities consume significant amounts of energy and water, often in regions susceptible to drought or extreme heat. Expanding such operations across multiple sites could strain local resources. A lack of water for cooling systems, coupled with increasing heat waves, poses risks to operations and the energy grid, potentially leading to rolling blackouts.

Infrastructure capable of withstanding extreme weather is crucial. Facilities like the Salesforce Tower in California exemplify climate-resilient design by incorporating renewable energy, black water recycling and the ability to export energy to the city during optimal periods. More facilities of this kind are needed—those that not only minimize environmental impact but also contribute positively to surrounding communities. Strategic planning for site locations and designs, informed by accurate climate data, will be essential for ensuring sustainability and resilience.

How Government Agencies are Preparing for the Future

As Government agencies embrace an AI-driven future, they are modernizing infrastructure, curating large datasets and upskilling their workforce to harness AI’s potential. These efforts go beyond technological enhancements, focusing on using AI to address critical challenges such as refining weather predictions and mitigating the impacts of extreme weather. By integrating AI into disaster preparedness and emergency management, agencies are building a more resilient framework that protects lives, safeguards jobs and fosters innovative solutions for future challenges.

How Carahsoft Can Help

Carahsoft works with a robust and growing ecosystem of thousands of IT solutions providers, including Google, NVIDIA and Microsoft, who have developed AI weather models that are predicting hurricane landfall faster and more accurately than traditional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. Carahsoft removes barriers around the AI adoption process by providing the infrastructure, data management and cybersecurity solutions required to safely and securely deploy innovative technology in your agency. As Government agencies continue to navigate the complexities of the modern landscape, Carahsoft’s AI partners stand ready to empower them with the tools and technologies needed to thrive in an era of unprecedented change.

Discover solutions tailored to your needs in Carahsoft’s Artificial Intelligence Solutions Portfolio and gain valuable insights with the AI Buyer’s Guide for Government.

Cyberattack Trends Impacting Local Government and Education Sectors

Posted on by Jeffrey Wheat

Today’s cybercriminals are no longer driven solely by financial gain, the geopolitical impact of attacks has shifted with nation-state actors now targeting critical infrastructure. While Local Governments have long been a part of this, schools have also become key targets, especially after COVID-19. The pandemic’s disruption to education has left a lasting impact, making attacks on schools and Local Governments both physically and psychologically significant. These institutions, essential to society, are under siege not just for their sensitive data but for their societal importance. With advanced capabilities and financial backing, nation-state actors are accelerating their efforts, heightening the urgency for robust cybersecurity.

Why Threat Actors Target Local Government and Education

Local Governments are frequent cyberattack targets due to their political significance and the essential services they provide. When one city is attacked, neighboring cities often become hyper-vigilant, particularly smaller municipalities managing critical services like water supply. These vital functions make them high-value targets. While financial institutions are seen as obvious targets for their direct connection to money, Government agencies hold more financial value than many realize. The stakes are even higher when political positions are involved, making Local Governments attractive to financially motivated attackers and nation-state actors seeking leverage.

Lumu Technologies SLED Cyberattack Trends Blog Embedded Image 2024

Education has also become increasingly vulnerable. Schools were initially targeted for geopolitical reasons, with attackers seeking to influence the “hearts and minds” of society by disrupting education. However, cybercriminals discovered the financial value of student records, which are worth more on the dark web than credit card or healthcare information due to students not checking their credit scores. This extended window for identity theft, combined with the vast amount of data schools hold, makes educational institutions prime targets for cybercriminals.

Both Local Governments and schools face shared challenges in defending their systems. For Governments, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks that manage infrastructure are often isolated but still present large attack surfaces due to their distributed nature. Schools, on the other hand, struggle with the complexity of students bringing their own devices, which introduces uncontrolled entry points into the network. These vulnerabilities make Local Government and education uniquely attractive and susceptible targets in the cyber landscape.

Two Main Attack Vectors: Phishing and Infostealers

Cybercriminals use various tactics to infiltrate Local Governments and schools, exploiting both technological weaknesses and human behavior. People are often the weakest link, making them prime targets for attackers. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has further advanced these attacks, making them more difficult to detect. While agencies and schools cannot fully eliminate the risk through training alone, understanding these evolving threats can significantly reduce the chances of successful attacks.

Phishing and information stealing are two of the most prevalent methods used by cybercriminals. Research from Lumu Technologies shows that phishing accounts for 52% of attacks, while information stealing makes up 48%, illustrating their near-equal presence as cyber threats.

Phishing

Phishing is often used to gain initial access into a network, accounting for approximately 90% of attacks. By tricking users into clicking malicious links or downloading malware, attackers establish a presence in the system. The preliminary malware allows them to move laterally, escalate privileges and locate sensitive data. Attackers either sell the data or use it to launch ransomware attacks. In ransomware scenarios, the attacker takes control of the network, encrypts critical data and issues a ransom demand. Phishing is thus the starting point for a larger chain of events leading to data theft and/or financial extortion.

Information Stealing

Infostealers are designed to capture sensitive information, often to sell on the dark web or to facilitate ransomware attacks. Like intelligence operations, they collect data to spread through an environment or identify new attack points. Keyloggers record keystrokes to capture usernames and passwords for unauthorized access. Other methods include form grabbers, which intercept forms and alter them, and browser hijackers, which mimic legitimate sites to bypass multi-factor authentication. Sensitive data from Local Government and education sectors is highly valuable, with threat actors intensifying efforts to exploit it for profit.

In addition to phishing and infostealers, cybercriminals continually find new ways to exploit technology and human behavior, such as man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, credential stuffing and supply chain attacks. These often-overlooked attack vectors can cause significant damage to agencies and schools. Recognizing these methods is crucial for developing comprehensive defenses.

Why These Attack Methods are Successful

These attack methods succeed against Local Governments and schools due to the constantly evolving nature of cyber warfare. Like traditional warfare, attackers adapt, finding new ways in after one vulnerability is closed. Defenders must be equally dynamic.

Even with security measures like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), attackers find ways to bypass them. EDR relies on behavior analysis, which takes time, while attackers use advanced AI to quickly develop new methods. Local Governments and schools are often slower to adapt, giving attackers an advantage. The challenge is not just implementing security measures but continuously evolving defenses to keep up with new threats.

AI Versus AI

In the battle against evolving cyberattacks, Local Governments and schools must leverage advanced technologies like AI and automation. As attackers adopt AI to improve the sophistication and speed of attacks, defenders need equally powerful tools. Cybercriminals use AI to bypass traditional defenses, identifying weaknesses faster than humans can.

To keep up, Local Government and education sectors must deploy AI-driven systems to detect threats in real time. AI helps identify vulnerabilities, enabling proactive defense, while automation blocks threats at machine speed. For smaller institutions with limited resources, automation is especially crucial to defend against attacks effectively.

In a landscape where cyber threats continually evolve, matching the speed and sophistication of attackers is crucial for a strong cyber defense. Government agencies and educational institutions must stay vigilant, leveraging AI and automation to outpace attackers and protect the critical infrastructure and data that comprise the foundation of society.

Discover the latest trends in cyberattacks and learn how AI and automation are reshaping the fight against modern cybercriminals in Lumu Technologies’ webinar, “Emerging Cyber Attack Trends Targeting Local Government & Education.”

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 Lumu Technologies, 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.

Grammarly and Carahsoft: Elevating Secure, Private Government Communication

Posted on by Ty Rottare

Grammarly and Carahsoft have partnered to provide Government agencies with trustworthy AI assistance supported by robust security measures. Thanks to this collaboration, Government agencies gain access to Grammarly’s trusted AI assistant, which can help them improve communication and boost operational efficiency. This partnership marks a notable advancement in supporting Government agencies in navigating the evolving digital landscape.

Unlocking the Benefits for Government Agencies

As a recognized leader in providing IT solutions to the public sector, Carahsoft offers extensive experience navigating the Government procurement process. Combined with Grammarly’s AI assistant, their expertise creates a powerful resource for Government agencies aiming to improve efficiency and productivity. When your agency works with Carahsoft and Grammarly, you’ll experience the following benefits:

Grammarly Government Communications AI Blog Embedded Image 2024

Rapid Implementation: Our streamlined setup process enables agencies to implement Grammarly across their organization in one day. This allows teams to start benefiting from enhanced communication support almost immediately.
Time Efficiency: On average, our users save about 35 minutes per day per person on communication tasks. This time can be redirected toward more strategic tasks, leading to improved project outcomes and better service delivery to the public.
Enhanced Communication Quality: Effective communication is crucial for Government agencies. Grammarly’s tools help teams craft clear, concise, and impactful messages, ensuring that important information is conveyed accurately. With over 70,000 teams already benefiting from our services, our track record speaks for itself.
Boosting Brand Compliance: Our advanced communication tools can help agencies improve brand compliance by a remarkable 71%. This consistency in communication enhances public trust and strengthens the agency’s reputation.

Our Commitment to Privacy, Security, and Compliance

Grammarly’s commitment to enterprise-grade security offers significant benefits for Government agencies. As a trusted partner, Grammarly adheres to the highest industry standards, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure. The collaboration with Carahsoft further underscores this dedication. Grammarly provides tailored AI solutions that meet the specific security needs of the public sector. By emphasizing stringent security measures, Grammarly helps agencies confidently use their tools while safeguarding critical data.

Additionally, Grammarly’s subscription-based revenue model ensures that customer content is never sold, placing a strong emphasis on user privacy and control. This transparency is essential for Government agencies, allowing them to maintain oversight of their data usage at all times. With a solid foundation supported by third-party audits and certifications, Grammarly provides compliance and regulatory support that agencies can rely on, reinforcing their ability to operate within legal and ethical boundaries while maximizing operational efficiency.

Empowering the Public Sector with AI

Through our partnership with Carahsoft, we are dedicated to helping Government agencies lead, learn, and grow amid evolving demands. With Grammarly, your teams can confidently communicate, innovate, and serve the public more effectively.

For more information on implementing Grammarly within your agency, visit our website or contact Carahsoft today! Together, we can enhance Government operations’ efficiency and ensure that every message counts.

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 Grammarly, 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.