Better Together: How Nutanix and Omnissa Are Building the Modern Government Workspace

Posted on by Maryam Alexandrian-Adams, Skip Gumble and Evan Slack

Public Sector IT leaders navigate rapid change including geopolitical shifts, evolving cyber threats, vendor consolidation and pressure to do more with constrained budgets. For agencies modernizing end-user computing (EUC) and digital workspace environments, progress increasingly depends on integrated infrastructure, flexible architecture and trusted partnerships. Nutanix and Omnissa, distributed by Carahsoft, The Trusted It Solutions Provider™, deliver a combined platform that reduces complexity, accelerates deployment and keeps agency employees productive and secure.

A Partnership Built for the Public Sector

Carahsoft is the bridge between technology innovators and Government agencies, providing procurement vehicles, technical resources and partner support that simplify adoption. That relationship extends to Nutanix and Omnissa, with Carahsoft serving as a distribution partner that helps Federal, State, Local and Education agencies access both platforms through streamlined procurement. The partnership spans years of General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule contracting support, proof-of-concept assistance and technical resources that help agencies evaluate, deploy and scale their environments with confidence.

Nutanix brings a unified, software-defined infrastructure platform that combines compute, storage and virtualization into one hyper-converged stack. Rather than managing firmware updates across siloed server, storage and networking components, agencies can use Nutanix Prism Central and its Lifecycle Manager (LCM) to manage lifecycles holistically, reducing administrative overhead and compatibility risks. Nutanix’s cloud platform, NC2, also enables consistent operations across on-premises environments, AWS, Azure and Google Clouds without requiring agencies to re-architect their applications.

Omnissa is fully focused on the modern digital workspace. Through Workspace ONE, Omnissa unifies management of virtual desktops (VDI), mobile devices and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications while providing enterprise-grade security, conditional access and unified endpoint management (UEM). Omnissa also uses AI to proactively monitor and improve the digital employee experience, identifying performance issues before they affect end users.

A Stronger Solution Together

The integration between Nutanix and Omnissa Horizon on AHV, Nutanix’s native hypervisor, reached general availability at the end of December 2025 and has seen significant market response. Its beta program was the largest and most successful in Horizon’s history, and within weeks of general availability, the combined solution had already scaled to over 70,000 users. That momentum reflects real demand from agencies seeking a high-performance, fully supported alternative that avoids the constraints of legacy vendor agreements.

The technical case for combining the platforms centers on optimization. Running Horizon on Nutanix’s hyper-converged infrastructure positions compute and storage in the same stack, delivering measurably stronger VDI performance than traditional three-tier architectures. The operational experience combines Nutanix’s infrastructure management through Prism with Horizon’s app delivery and provisioning capabilities, including App Volumes, giving IT teams a more unified view across their virtual desktop environment. The outcome is faster deployment, lower total cost of ownership and reduced complexity.

Nutanix and Omnissa Better Together Blog, embedded image, 2026

Rethinking How Apps Are Delivered

One meaningful Omnissa capability is its apps-on-demand delivery model through App Volumes. Many agencies still use persistent desktop environments, pre-loading large application libraries onto each VDI instance whether or not they are needed. For engineering teams managing hundreds of applications, this creates unnecessary bloat, complicates patching and introduces avoidable performance overhead.

Omnissa shifts that model by delivering applications on demand, so they are available when needed without the administrative burden of persistent installation. This speeds patching, reduces the management footprint and gives IT teams tighter control over the application environment.

Addressing the Evolving Demands of Government IT

The Nutanix and Omnissa partnership is designed to grow with agency requirements. Hybrid deployments spanning on-premises data centers and cloud environments are now the norm, and both platforms support that reality. Nutanix Cloud Cluster (NC2) enables Nutanix workloads to run natively on AWS and Azure while maintaining consistent management while Omnissa Horizon extends seamlessly across those environments so agencies can place workloads based on performance, compliance and cost requirements.

Licensing flexibility reinforces that adaptability. Nutanix offers End-User Computing (EUC) licensing on a per-user basis so agencies can license per user or by core count. For organizations with power users who need high-performance environments, this model delivers direct cost savings, a meaningful consideration for Public Sector agencies that must justify every technology investment.

Security is embedded, not added on. Nutanix incorporates Nutanix Flow Network Security micro-segmentation and Zero Trust networking capabilities at the infrastructure layer while Omnissa brings conditional access policies, endpoint compliance enforcement and AI-driven threat monitoring at the workspace layer. Together, they create a layered security posture that supports the rigorous Government compliance demands.

Simplifying the Path to Modernization

For agencies running VMware or Citrix environments and navigating the complexity of transition costs, structured migration support removes a common barrier to change. Nutanix and Omnissa both offer migration tools, validated reference designs, pre-sales architects and post-sales services teams designed to move agencies from existing platforms to the integrated stack. Environment sizing tools help partners and agencies right-size deployments before committing resources, reducing the risk of over- or under-provisioning.

Preparing for an AI-Driven Future

Looking ahead, both organizations are investing in AI integration as a core platform capability, an approach particularly relevant for Public Sector agencies working to adopt AI responsibly. Nutanix supports AI and containerized workloads on the same infrastructure used for VDI, using Nutanix GPT-in-a-Box and reducing the need for separate AI infrastructure. Running AI workloads in a virtualized environment has also shown total cost of ownership (TCO) advantages over bare-metal deployments.

Omnissa is building AI into autonomous digital workspace management, enabling more self-healing, self-optimizing environments that detect and resolve performance issues before they impact productivity. For agencies exploring AI use cases, VDI environments offer a controlled deployment path that routes sensitive data within agency boundaries rather than public cloud AI services.

For Public Sector agencies evaluating their next phase of IT modernization, the combination of Nutanix’s infrastructure simplicity, Omnissa’s workspace management depth and Carahsoft’s procurement and support ecosystem represents a practical, proven path forward.

To learn more about the Nutanix and Omnissa integrated solution, including the general availability of Omnissa Horizon 8 support for Nutanix AHV, visit the Omnissa blog.

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 Nutanix and Omnissa, 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.

Top 7 State and Local Contract Vehicles to Support Your SLG Fiscal Year Requirements

Posted on by Robert Moore

As the end of the fiscal year approaches, State and Local Governments (SLG) and education institutions are ramping up purchasing to ensure every allocated budget dollar is spent and their organization is prepared for further IT advancements in the coming year. Leveraging the right contract vehicles can streamline procurement processes, ensuring timely and efficient acquisition of necessary technologies and services. These contracts can also provide technology vendors and resellers unique opportunities to expand their Public Sector businesses.

Below, we explore the top contract vehicles that SLGs and education institutions are using as they close out their fiscal year with their preferred reseller partner this month.

1. NASPO ValuePoint

NASPO ValuePoint is the cooperative purchasing arm of the National Association for State Procurement Officials, designed to provide access to the best possible IT solutions. It is considered to be the nation’s most significant public contracting cooperative. The contract offers a wide variety of cloud solutions, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).

Carahsoft’s Contract: NASPO ValuePoint contract #AR2472 includes thousands of technology vendors.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Governments, municipalities and public education entities (K-12 and higher education).

2. GSA Cooperative Purchasing Program

The General Services Administration (GSA) Cooperative Purchasing Program  grants SLGs access to Federal GSA Schedule contracts for IT solutions and professional services. The GSA Cooperative Purchasing Program provides a streamlined procurement process for SLGs to purchase IT solutions, often with pre-negotiated and cost-effective pricing structures.

Carahsoft’s Contract: GSA Schedule #47QSWA18D008F, aggregates solutions from many technology vendors.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Governments.

3. Texas Department of Information Resources (TX DIR)

The Texas Department of Information Resources (TX DIR) has established a Cooperative Contracts Purchasing Program which offers a wide range of product offerings, services and technology solutions to Public Sector customers in Texas and nationwide. The DIR contracts streamline the procurement process by handling all of the preliminary work upfront, making it easier for eligible entities to acquire a wide range of hardware, software, cloud solutions and professional IT services. Public organizations outside of Texas are also eligible to purchase through DIR contracts.

Carahsoft Contract: Carahsoft holds eight TX DIR contracts, offering a wide variety of products and services from hundreds of technology vendors.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Governments, public education and other public entities nationwide.

Top 7 SLG Contracts Blog, embedded image, 2026

4. California Software Licensing Program (CA SLP)

The California Software Licensing Program (CA SLP), established in 1994 and administered by the Department of General Services’ (DGS) Procurement Division provides SLGs within the state of California with access to discounted software licensing agreements. This vendor held contract expedites and simplifies the procurement process while supporting State Government modernization goals with a host of technology solutions.

Carahsoft Contract: Carahsoft acts as a reseller on 19 CA SLP contracts, offering solutions ranging from data management to cybersecurity and more.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Government agencies in California.

5. E&I Cooperative Services

E&I Cooperative Services is the largest and most experienced member-owned, non-profit purchasing cooperative focused on education. E&I provides education institutions with access to IT products and services, including learning management systems, classroom technologies and administrative software tailored to their unique needs.

Carahsoft Contract: E&I Cooperative Services contract #EI00063-2021MA provides E&I members with cloud and managed service solutions and related IT products and services.

Who Can Use It: E&I members and educational institutions, including K-12 schools, teaching hospitals, colleges, universities and some municipalities.

6. OMNIA Partners Public Sector

OMNIA Partners is one of the largest Public Sector cooperative purchasing organizations, providing comprehensive access to a wide variety of technology contracts across hardware, software and cloud solutions. The cooperative purchasing program is focused on efficiency, compliance and value, aiming to further streamline the procurement process for the Public Sector entities that leverage this contract.

Carahsoft Contract: Carahsoft’s contracts with OMNIA Partners, #R240303 and #23-6692-01, provide SLGs and education institutions with access to technology from over 2000 vendors.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Governments, public education institutions and nonprofits that are approved OMNIA partners.

7. CoreTrust

CoreTrust is a cooperative purchasing organization working together with public procurement leaders to create high quality, cooperative contracts that optimize cost savings, drive compliance and efficiency, providing effective outcomes to public sector agencies. CoreTrust cooperative contracts also actively support local labor markets, ensuring a holistic approach to sustainable growth and impact.

By leveraging the CoreTrust suite of cooperative contracts, organizations gain access to contracts and discounts from leading suppliers of products and services across a wide variety of industries and benefit from a streamlined procurement process.

Carahsoft Contract: CoreTrust 24COR-018GR offers members access to IT hardware, software, cloud solutions, compatible IT ancillary products, servers and professional IT services.

Who Can Use It: State and Local Governments, K-12 and higher education, Tribal Governments in all 50 States/Commonwealths, D.C. and Puerto Rico

Through leveraging these contract vehicles, SLGs and education institutions can easily find and purchase technologies that map to their modernization efforts while ensuring compliance and maximizing investments through their preferred resellers. As the fiscal year draws to a close, these contracts serve as a vital resource for timely and cost-effective procurement, driving end-of-year business to new heights and propelling Public Sector advancements.

For more information on Carahsoft’s offerings under each of these contract vehicles, please reach out to contracts@carahsoft.com.

Integrating NIST Supply Chain Risk Management into SLED Compliance Programs

Posted on by Jeff Ladner

From data breaches exposing citizen records to cloud outages halting Government portals, supply chain disruptions in State, Local and Education (SLED) institutions have been making headlines lately. According to a 2026 Black Kite report, Public Administration is the most vulnerable industry, with 68% of its vendors having critical vulnerabilities, followed by educational services at 65%.

To protect your institution from vendors’ cybersecurity risks and operational disruptions, your best approach is to implement gold-standard supply chain risk management practices within a cybersecurity framework. Here’s a breakdown of NIST supply chain risk management for SLED teams to help you connect each best practice to your organization’s compliance program.

Why Supply Chain Risk Is Now a SLED Compliance Concern

For SLED entities, supply chain risks have advanced from operational planning and now sit at the center of the compliance programs. Auditors and regulators are asking more pointed questions, going beyond cybersecurity concerns to establish that your organization can:

Maintain a secure global supply chain
Deliver uninterrupted public services
Protect sensitive citizen data
Operate as a reliable partner in Government infrastructure

Vendor Oversight Has Become an Audit and Grant Compliance Issue

During routine audit and grant compliance reviews, auditors and grant makers scrutinize your vendors and third-party systems to establish that you’re in control of supply chain risks. The same scrutiny extends to Federal grant applications, where reviewers assess whether your vendor management approach strengthens the overall project and supports your overall cybersecurity posture.

Cybersecurity Mandates Are Reaching Into the Supply Chain

Cybersecurity requirements at the State and Federal levels reference supply chain security expectations. Frameworks such as GovRAMP (fka StateRAMP) and FedRAMP, along with guidelines from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), extend security protocol beyond your internal networks. These frameworks recognize that modern vendor networks rely heavily on external software and service providers and require you to implement a unified cybersecurity strategy to build resilient networks and reduce the risk of a supply chain compromise.

Education Institutions Face Distinct Vendor Obligations

If your educational institution manages student data, you have distinct vendor-related obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and various State-level privacy laws. When you partner with an external vendor for learning management platforms, communication tools or admin solutions, you must verify they match your organization’s data protection standards and broader information technology controls.

The Risk Extends Beyond Information Systems

The need for your SLED organization to manage supply chain risk goes well beyond securing digital information systems. Supply chain risks can:

Impact important community services
Compromise data integrity
Erode public trust
Create compliance and legal exposure
Disrupt operational continuity and service delivery

What NIST SP 800-161r1 Covers

The broader National Institute of Standards and Technology Risk Management Framework (NIST RMF) addresses how you can manage cybersecurity risks across your information systems. NIST SP 800-161r1 functions as the specialized cybersecurity supply chain risk management (C-SCRM) companion to the NIST RMF.

NIST has organized the NIST SP 800-161r1 recommendations into three sequential stages:

Stage	What It Covers
Foundational Practices	Establishing governance structures, roles and supply chain risk frameworks
Sustaining Practices	Building operational maturity and integrating risk management into processes
Enhancing Practices	Introducing automations and developing predictive risk capabilities

The institute updates the NIST SP 800-161 framework regularly to meet current data privacy and cybersecurity demands. However, your SLED organization doesn’t need to implement all three tiers of supply chain risk management at once. You can start with foundational practices and build incrementally and still meet NIST requirements.

Integrating NIST Supply Chain Risk Management in Your Compliance Program

NIST SP 800-161r1 offers a widely accepted framework aligned with established industry standards for building a supply chain risk management program for your SLED organization. While your approach may vary, here are the key steps to successfully integrate the NIST framework into your compliance program.

Step 1: Map Your Supply Chain and Assign Criticality

To manage supply chain risks, you need a complete picture of your supply network. Conduct a full inventory of your vendors and software providers in every department.

Then, categorize your suppliers based on how failure or disruption in their system could impact your operations or data. NIST SP 800-161r1 recommends you use FIPS 199 impact levels to categorize systems based on their impact (Low, Moderate, High) to inform the overall risk rating of the supplier..

Here are the main actions to execute at this step:

Establish a cross-functional team to oversee your vendor and technology risk.
Define clear roles and responsibilities for managing supply chain risk.
Secure executive support for proper funding.
Standardize how your organization identifies critical suppliers and assesses risk.
Put internal controls in place to monitor compliance and enforce policies.
Embed risk consideration into your supplier selection and procurement processes.
Promote organization-wide awareness of supply chain risk and its impact.

Step 2: Build a Risk Assessment Process for Vendors

Your next step in integrating NIST supply chain risk management into your compliance program is to establish risk management activities for determining whether to continue working with your vendors. The NIST SP 800-161r1 recommends the following best practices to build repeatable vendor risk assessments:

Conduct regular third-party risk assessments to identify emerging vulnerabilities.
Review vendor development practices and software supply chain controls.
Establish continuous monitoring criteria to track supplier performance and risk exposure.
Define a clear risk tolerance threshold and what constitutes acceptable risk.
Standardize how your organization will share risk information with every stakeholder.
Provide targeted training programs that focus on vendor and supply chain risks.
Involve suppliers in contingency planning and incident response readiness.

For this step, you can use a Government GRC software to centralize documentation and automate workflows. The right tools help reduce the manual overhead that makes vendor risk management difficult to sustain at scale.

Step 3: Integrate Supply Chain Risk Into Ongoing Compliance Programs

Embed supply chain risk management into your compliance lifecycle so it aligns with the governance processes of your SLED organization. This step will look different depending on your organization’s existing control frameworks and compliance requirements.

Map your vendor risk findings to NIST 800-53, GovRAMP or other compliance requirements so your supply chain risk data flows in the reporting you use for compliance purposes. Include your vendor risk status in regular risk management reporting for leadership and the audit committee to have risk visibility.

You can also coordinate vendor review cycles with grant renewal calendars and audit preparation timelines so they double as compliance deliverables. Additionally, incorporate supply chain risk expectations into vendor contracts to formalize security requirements and incident notification obligations at the agreement level.

Step 4: Move Toward Continuous Monitoring

Your last step to integrate NIST supply chain risk management into your compliance program is to build ongoing visibility into vendor risk:

Establish supplier risk metrics and track them.
Introduce automated alerts or workflow triggers when vendor status changes.
Use insights from assessments you conduct to identify patterns and develop more predictive approaches to vendor risk before issues escalate.
Automate cybersecurity oversight procedures wherever possible to reduce manual burden and improve consistency.

Treat your supply chain security as a living program that evolves with emerging threats, changing vendor relationships and shifting regulatory requirements.

Build a Program That Serves Both Compliance and Resilience

When your organization offers important State, Local or education services that communities rely on, it’s important to recognize and address supply chain risks. The NIST SP 800-161r1 framework provides the best structure to build your vendor oversight program. A structured platform helps SLED teams manage supply chain risks while remaining compliant with relevant authorities.

See how Onspring’s platform supports supply chain risk management efforts and get a demo today.

Third-Party Risk Management in the Public Sector: Lessons from Recent SLED Breaches

Posted on by Jeff Ladner

Many high-impact breaches affecting State agencies, municipalities and school districts have originated from third-party vendors. According to a 2025 Verizon report, breaches involving third parties doubled from 15% to 30% in just one year. So even while you’re updating your internal security measures, somewhere in your supply chain, attackers are finding ways in through indirect access points by exploiting vendor vulnerabilities often outside the visibility of internal security teams.

A practical starting point for third-party risk management in the Public Sector is to examine recent breaches and identify the blind spots that threat actors continue to exploit. With the right understanding, you can develop a third-party risk management program that addresses security gaps in public entities.

Why Third Parties Are the Biggest Threat Vector in the Public Sector

State, Local and Educational (SLED) institutions rely on dense vendor ecosystems that usually exceed available oversight capacity. Procurement processes tend to prioritize price and functionality, with security requirements treated as secondary. Once your organization signs the contract, visibility often drops off.

Without continuous monitoring, your vendors retain access to your systems and sensitive data, even as they change their security postures without your re-evaluation. These changes introduce new, often undetected security gaps.

Recent Breaches in the Public Sector That Started With a Third-Party

Adversaries continue to exploit vendor vulnerabilities to breach sensitive Public Sector data. Here are a few recent third-party exposures.

Oregon Department of Transportation and the MOVEit Exploit

On June 1, 2023, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) learned that it was part of the global breach of the file transfer tool MOVEit. A ransomware gang called Cl0p exploited a vulnerability in the third-party tool ODOT used to send and receive data in its routine operations.

The breach exposed the credentials of approximately 3.5 million Oregonians, including:

Full names
Date of birth
Physical address
Partial Social Security numbers
Driver’s license or identification card number

Although ODOT stated that the data was encrypted, the attackers were still able to access sensitive information due to a previously unknown vulnerability in MOVEit. The takeaway? ODOT’s exposure stemmed from a vulnerability in a third-party tool outside its direct control..

State of Maine and the MOVEit Supply Chain Impact

The same MOVEit exploit impacted several Maine State and Local Government agencies. By the time the State became aware of the breach on May 31, the ransomware gang had downloaded approximately 1.3 million records, essentially the entire Maine population.

More than half of Maine’s exposed data came from the Department of Health and Human Services, and another 10-30% from the Department of Education. Stolen data included:

Full names
Social Security numbers
Date of birth
Driver’s license number
Medical and health insurance information

While the vulnerability didn’t originate from the Maine systems, the State had no mechanism to detect flaws in the vendor’s software in advance.

PowerSchool and the K-12 Data Exposure

On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool, an education technology company, uncovered a breach affecting over 62 million students and 9.5 million educators worldwide. Unlike attacks that visibly disrupt operations, this intrusion went undetected for nine days.

Malicious actors used compromised subcontractor credentials to access PowerSchool’s customer support portal. PowerSchool’s engineers used this portal to access school districts’ student information for troubleshooting.

Because the portal didn’t require multi-factor authentication, a stolen username and password were all it took to gain administrative-level access across thousands of school districts. By the time PowerSchool identified the breach, the hackers had conducted the largest breach of children’s data in U.S. history.

Some districts later confirmed that hackers had accessed records dating back to 1995. PowerSchool paid approximately $2.85 million ransom and the attackers provided a video purportedly showing the deletion of the stolen data, but extortion attempts against individual school districts continued months later. For thousands of districts that trusted PowerSchool with their students’ most sensitive records, the issue wasn’t with the security practices but a vendor security gap they had no visibility into.

The Common Third-Party Risk Blind Spots in SLED

Across recent third-party data breaches, you can spot similar risk-management gaps. Your first step to improve vendor oversight is to identify the blind spots so you can close them before malicious actors exploit them.

No Formal Third-Party Risk Assessment at Onboarding

Many SLED entities rely on third-party-supplied questionnaires or attestations without independently verifying controls. Yet only 4% of organizations have high confidence that these questionnaires reflect the reality of third-party risk. Without independent vetting, you risk trusting controls that don’t reflect real-world security, leaving you exposed.

Point-in-Time Reviews Instead of Continuous Monitoring

Annual risk assessments capture a vendor’s security posture on a single day. Without continuous monitoring, you lack visibility into security control drifts and emerging risks between review cycles.

Contracts Without Security Baselines

In the Public Sector, procurement staff often negotiate contracts without cybersecurity expertise. Your SLED entity might onboard vendors without clearly defining security requirements, leaving you with limited options to enforce security controls later.

No Visibility Into Subcontractor Relationships

When Government agencies sign contracts with vendors, they rarely have visibility into the parties which that vendor relies on to deliver its services. However, exposure extends to everyone your vendor works with.

Supply Chain Risk Management Treated as an IT Issue

If your IT team is the only one responsible for third-party risk management (TPRM), other departments remain unaware of vendor exposure until an incident happens. You’ll have limited visibility across your organization and weaker accountability for vendor risk management.

How to Build a TPRM Program That Works for Public Sector Reality

As regulators and compliance bodies intensify scrutiny of supply chain risk management, your SLED institution needs a program that meets auditors’ requirements and protects sensitive data. Here are the primary steps to building an effective TPRM program that maintains constituent confidence.

Classify Vendors by Risk Tier

Your vendors carry different cybersecurity risks. For instance, a cloud provider that handles sensitive data requires a deeper assessment than a landscaping contractor. Your best approach is to classify vendors by:

The data they access
Criticality to operations
Regulatory exposure
Level of system or network access

This classification will allow you to focus on the highest-risk areas.

Standardize Risk Assessment at Onboarding and Throughout the Vendor Lifecycle

Assess your vendors’ security posture during onboarding to establish a clear baseline of cybersecurity risk from the start. After onboarding, set up ongoing monitoring processes to continuously detect changes in third parties’ security practices.

Set Contractual Security Baselines and Right-to-Audit Clauses

Your procurement and GRC team should work from a contract template that includes:

Minimum security control requirement
Right to audit vendor security practices
Data handling and retention requirements
Obligation to comply with regulatory changes
Subcontractor disclosure and flow-down security obligations
Breach notification timelines that meet Government agencies’ cybersecurity requirements

Implement Continuous Monitoring Through Automated Tools

Manual spreadsheet tracking cannot scale across a modern vendor ecosystem. To maintain ongoing visibility into your vendor security posture without requiring staff to manually chase each data point, use automated Government compliance software platforms to centralize vendor data, monitor risk signals and reduce manual tracking.

Establish Cross-Functional Ownership in Your SLED

Every department plays a role in your TPRM program. Procurement identifies new vendors, legal negotiates contracts, IT evaluates security controls and leadership sets the risk appetite. Your program should coordinate all these departments to create shared accountability and a unified approach to third-party risk decisions.

Strengthen Your Public Sector TPRM Program

As an SLED organization, your constituents expect you to protect their sensitive information while delivering essential services. An effective TPRM program will help you maintain public trust while meeting compliance requirements.

Learn how to strengthen your Public Sector TPRM program with Onspring’s platform and book a demo today.

How Government Agencies Can Modernize Transportation with Uber for Business

Posted on by Nick Brown

State and Local Government agencies are under pressure to do more with less while still delivering reliable services. Transportation is fragmented in many agencies, with four or five separate vendor contracts across departments in larger agencies. There is an over-reliance on legacy vendors that are significantly more expensive, including specialty vendors that are important for certain populations and services but may not be necessary for every rider. In many cases, these systems require rides to be booked days in advance, sometimes through offline means such as phone calls. This lack of centralization also limits reporting and visibility into how transportation dollars are being spent.

Uber for Business helps Government agencies move away from a fragmented model by offering a single enterprise platform that can support a variety of transportation needs across departments. With more than 9.4 million participating drivers and couriers, Uber has the largest rideshare network in the world. Centralized administration and reporting provides agencies with a complete view of their transportation programs while reducing the burden on staff who currently manage rides manually.

Supporting Employee Travel and Community Programs

Agencies are using Uber for Business in several capacities. One major use case is employee travel. Many agencies still rely on rental cars or motor pools for staff traveling for work. Uber for Business provides an alternative that can also augment existing fleet operations, helping reduce reliance on basic sedans while allowing fleet teams to focus on specialized vehicles. Agencies can set controls around who can ride, when they can ride and what trip options are available. This is especially appealing as many employees are already familiar with using Uber in their personal lives, making it a seamless and intuitive option to extend into official Government travel.

Agencies are also using Uber for Business to support community-facing programs, including:

Court systems use rideshares to transport victims and witnesses, ensuring they arrive on time reliably and have access to a mode of transportation they are familiar with.
Social service departments and similar programs are using rideshare to close mobility gaps for the populations they serve, including workforce reentry, recidivism and youth and family programs that need reliable transportation to access essential services or job opportunities.
Public safety and transportation agencies are leveraging rideshare to support anti-driving under the influence (DUI) and safe ride campaigns, helping reduce impaired driving by providing residents with accessible transportation alternatives during high-risk times.

Delivering Value Quickly

One of the clearest advantages of Uber for Business is how quickly agencies can begin seeing value. For program managers responsible for overseeing social service and community programs, the benefits can be immediate when constituents are able to get where they need to go more reliably. Smoother transportation can make programs easier to manage and more effective overall.

Programs can be set up as fast as a couple of days. This speed can be especially important when agencies have immediate transportation needs or are looking for a fast, low-lift way to modernize existing processes.

Reducing Costs and Administrative Burden

Uber, Modernize Transportation Blog, Embedded Image, 2026

Cost savings are another major driver for adoption. Through Uber’s partnership with Carahsoft, the solution is available through a National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) agreement that includes built-in incentives for agencies. Uber also applies a tax exemption tag when setting up programs so eligible rides are exempt from applicable taxes.

Beyond discounts and tax advantages, agencies can realize significant operational efficiencies. Program managers no longer need to call in rides or worry about whether clients are reaching their destinations. Instead, they can see trips in real time, communicate with drivers during the booking process and distribute ride credits easily. These streamlined workflows reduce administrative effort and help programs run more efficiently.

Improving Visibility, Compliance and Oversight

For agencies in large counties, Uber for Business can be set up with a parent account that all department accounts fall under. This gives agencies centralized administration rights and better reporting across the organization. It also supports auditing and grant compliance by allowing administrators to view granular details for each trip.

Centralization also helps agencies capture unmanaged transportation spending that may otherwise happen informally across departments. Instead of relying on ad hoc rideshare use with little oversight, agencies can bring transportation activity into one system and enforce internal policies more consistently.

Enhancing the Transportation Experience

Ease of use is a major reason agencies are adopting Uber for Business. For riders, the biggest advantage is on-demand access. Rather than scheduling transportation days in advance, riders can get a trip when they need it. This flexibility can make a meaningful difference for participants in social service and workforce reentry programs, where reliable access to transportation can affect whether someone is able to reach work, court or other essential services.

Uber has also invested in accessibility features, building tools for riders who may not have a cell phone or the Uber app, as well as for those who speak another language or have low vision or hearing-related disabilities. For Government agencies focused on serving all constituents, not just most, these capabilities can help expand access and improve inclusivity.

A Centralized Transportation Strategy

According to Uber, the most successful deployments happen when an executive or procurement leader helps identify which departments across an agency could benefit from a more modern, efficient mobility solution. That agency-wide visibility makes it easier to structure the right program from the start, including setting up the parent account, selecting the right products for different departments and developing an implementation and training plan for staff. This kind of centralized planning can help agencies move beyond isolated pilots and create a transportation strategy that serves multiple departments and use cases through one platform.

For agencies just getting started, most programs can be up and running in less than a month. While some agencies may choose to run their own solicitation process, others can take advantage of existing contracts through NASPO and Carahsoft to start immediately. In emergency situations, deployment can be done within a day. Uber can move as fast as an agency requires.

As agencies look for ways to improve service delivery, manage budgets more carefully and give employees and constituents more reliable transportation options, Uber for Business provides a scalable and flexible model for modernization. From employee travel and fleet augmentation to court systems and social services, a centralized rideshare platform can help agencies simplify operations, improve oversight and better meet transportation needs across the communities they serve.

To learn more about how Uber provides modern travel and rideshare options to Government agencies, view their Uber for Business portfolio.

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 Uber for Business, 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 5 Insights for Government from HIMSS 2026

Posted on by Tim Boltz

Healthcare and technology leaders convened at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2026 conference with a shared sense of urgency as the Federal health ecosystem is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades. Across panel sessions, discussions highlighted both the structural challenges and strategic investments shaping Government health agencies, from modernizing public health data infrastructure to addressing long-standing interoperability barriers that have fragmented care delivery.

Five critical insights emerged that define a path toward a more connected, data-driven and patient-centered Federal healthcare system.

Federal AI Policy Is Being Rebuilt Around Coordination, Not Fragmentation

Leaders from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) emphasized that agency-by-agency artificial intelligence (AI) experimentation is ending. With dozens of programs across its divisions, HHS has restructured its AI strategy around three coordinated pillars: regulation, reimbursement and research/development.

Historically fragmented efforts created conflicting signals and limited cross-agency innovation. Now, the Secretary’s office serves as an alignment layer, ensuring regulatory decisions at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), reimbursement policies at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and research investments at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) are coordinated. The goal is not to expand Government roles, but to remove barriers and accelerate adoption of existing technologies.

The FDA is rethinking how AI-enabled medical technologies are regulated. After authorizing more than 1,000 AI and machine learning products, primarily in radiology but expanding into other domains, the agency recognizes the limits of a pre-market framework designed for static hardware, not continuously evolving software. Leaders described a shift toward lighter pre-market review paired with stronger post-market surveillance, focusing on real-world performance, model drift and patient outcomes. This approach requires new regulatory frameworks and enhanced data-sharing between developers, providers and regulators.

ARPA-H complements this work by funding high-risk, high-reward innovations not supported through traditional mechanisms. Notably, no generative AI (GenAI) technology capable of providing clinical care has received FDA authorization, a gap the agency aims to close. One flagship initiative supports AI systems capable of performing comprehensive physician functions, developed alongside the FDA to establish new regulatory pathways. Additionally, ARPA-H is investing in “supervising agents,” systems that monitor and control deployed AI, addressing the scalability limits of human oversight.

The VIP Sets a New National Standard for Health Data Exchange

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) positioned itself as a national convener for interoperability through the Veteran Interoperability Pledge (VIP), which unites leading health systems to improve care coordination for veterans regardless of where they receive care.

Grounded in the Elizabeth Dole Act, the initiative mandates rapid adoption of national interoperability standards across care coordination, benefits, identity matching, quality measurement and public health. VA leaders outlined a layered interoperability model—from foundational standards such as X12, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and Bulk FHIR, to data quality frameworks like Patient Information Quality Improvement (PIQI) and ultimately to advanced analytics and decision support. The key message: interoperability is foundational, but value is created through what is built on top of it.

Operationally, the VIP is already enabling real-world capabilities. The Veteran Confirmation Application Programming Interface (API) allows Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to verify veteran status in real time, supporting eligibility recommendations under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act and the Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act. Two workgroups are developing recommendations for identity verification and care coordination workflows, targeting submission by the end of March. A structured cadence of monthly plenaries and bi-weekly workgroups ensures continuous alignment between policy, standards and implementation.

Seamless Collaboration Requires Breaking Down Technical and Cultural Barriers

Federal, State and Local leaders underscored that populations served by multiple programs cannot be effectively supported by siloed agencies. Both technical and cultural barriers must be addressed simultaneously.

At the Federal level, CMS, VA and the Indian Health Service (IHA) are advancing shared infrastructure and lowering redundancy. CMS is transitioning from Government-developed systems to commercial platforms, accelerating innovation and enabling AI tools that now reach approximately 80% of its workforce, saving an estimated 5.5 hours per employee weekly. The agency is also adopting a multicloud strategy for resilience and fostering talent pipelines through partnerships with institutions like the University of Maryland.

IHS is undergoing a similar transition to commercial platforms, improving AI integration and expanding access to advanced tools in rural and tribal communities. Enterprise services help ensure equitable access where local technical resources are limited. The VA is modernizing security processes to reduce delays in technology adoption and leveraging physical locations to support identity verification, improving access for veterans struggling with digital enrollment.

Bridging the digital divide also requires workforce and literacy solutions. Baltimore City panelists highlighted the need to translate Federal data into local action, particularly around social determinants of health, including housing and economic mobility. Community health workers were cited as essential connectors and should be integrated into digital strategies from the outset.

Public Health Data Infrastructure Must Shift from Detection to Prediction

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) acknowledged that current public health infrastructure is designed for detection, not prediction. While improvements have been made since COVID-19, a broader transformation is still underway.

The One CDC Data Platform (1CDP) serves as a central hub, enabling flexible data exchange, reusable capabilities and advanced analytics. Its purpose is to shift focus from manual data processing to proactive analysis and decision making. Leaders envision disease forecasting becoming as routine as weather forecasting, with real-time modeling to guide early intervention.

State-level examples illustrate this shift. Illinois is consolidating siloed systems into a unified cloud platform, while addressing cultural resistance to data sharing. Louisiana is focusing on targeted, use-case-driven improvements tied to Medicaid and public health outcomes. Mississippi is prioritizing foundational infrastructure and workforce readiness before scaling analytics. Across all three states, the consensus is clear that interoperability only delivers value when tied to actionable outcomes.

The VA’s NextGen CCN Redesigns Care Delivery at National Scale

Community care is one of the fastest-growing components of the VA healthcare system. Of the 17 million veterans served, roughly 6.3 million use VA healthcare annually, with 2-3 million accessing community providers. Programs introduced through the Choice Act and Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act expanded access but created operational and financial complexity.

The Next Generation Community Care Network (NextGen CCN) addresses these challenges through a comprehensive redesign of how the VA manages external care. Expected to launch in early 2027, the program introduces a more competitive ecosystem involving insurers, providers and technology partners.

Key capabilities include improved care coordination, real-time data exchange, standardized quality benchmarks and outcomes-based reimbursement. Interoperability is foundational to these goals, enabling performance measurement and accountability. The program also prioritizes transparency and trust across stakeholders, ensuring a shared understanding of care delivery. Together, these efforts are designed to position the VA to deliver high-quality, fiscally responsible care while continuing to expand access for a veteran population whose demographics and care needs are rapidly evolving.

Charting the Course for Federal Health IT Modernization

HIMSS 2026 reinforced that progress in Federal healthcare requires aligned investment across AI governance, interoperability, cross-agency collaboration, data infrastructure and care delivery redesign. Government health agencies are not simply adding new technologies onto existing systems; they are rethinking how they organize, share data and operate as an integrated ecosystem. Sustained success will depend on aligned standards, cultural transformation and technologies that translate strategy into measurable outcomes.

As Carahsoft, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider™, continues supporting Federal health IT modernization, these insights inform how industry can partner with Government to deliver a more connected, data-driven and patient-centered healthcare system.

Explore Carahsoft’s Healthcare Technology portfolio of leading solutions that support Federal healthcare modernization priorities including AI, interoperability, cloud infrastructure and advanced analytics.

Contact the Health IT Team at Healthcare@Carahsoft.com or (571) 591-6080 to learn more.

Why Supply Chain Risk Management is Now a Public Sector Resilience Priority

Posted on by Jeff Ladner

From ransomware disrupting city services to vendor failures impacting school operations, supply chain failures seem to be dominating the headlines lately. Naturally, whether your organization is in the Private or Public Sector, you’ll want to avoid attracting attention for the wrong reasons.

The best way to do that is to prioritize implementing best practices to safeguard critical vendors and services from cybersecurity risks and operational disruptions. In this guide, we’ll cover the NIST framework, how it applies to Public Sector organizations and how you can use NIST best practices to reduce risk and maintain public trust. Even private sector teams increasingly rely on NIST supply chain risk management practices when working with Government partners, especially across information technology environments.

Why Is Supply Chain Risk Management Important?

Managing supplier risk should be a fundamental part of any data-based businesses’ operations, but it’s all the more important for Public Sector organizations, whether that means Federal, State or Local services.

Why? Without clear practices for identifying, assessing and mitigating vendor and operational risk, you could expose your organization to a whole host of potential issues, including:

Financial losses: Even nonprofit organizations depend on reliable financial backing from Governments and other entities. Those revenue streams can be endangered when an overlooked security risk becomes an operational blockage.
Reputational damage: Eroded consumer trust can be as costly as any disruption in service or productivity. When your organization attracts the wrong kind of attention, like for suffering a data breach or failing to fulfill obligations, earning that trust back can be a difficult feat.
Regulatory violations: In worst-case scenarios, failing to catch a supply chain risk before it becomes a major problem can lead to your organization falling afoul of relevant regulations and facing stiff consequences like fines or legal fees.

Learn more: Quick Guide: What is Operational Risk Management?

When Does an Organization Need a Supply Chain Risk Management Framework?

The purpose of using a risk management framework is to standardize the process of identifying, assessing and mitigating potential threats and vulnerabilities to your organization’s supply chain. If your organization’s ability to provide services, attract new users and secure funding would be severely impacted by a potential data breach or supply chain disruption, then you’d most likely benefit from using a framework to ensure consistent supplier security.

State, Local and education (SLED) entities are all the more likely to need a framework for regulating risk assessments and mitigation steps. Since the services provided by such entities are typically essential to a community, it’s that much more important that you take all the necessary actions to secure your supply chain and prevent service interruptions whenever possible.

What Is the NIST Risk Management Framework?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework (RMF) is the go-to solution public service organizations have been using to mitigate vendor, technology and cybersecurity risks for the last decade. The result of a Federal task force established in 2014 under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), this framework for risk management processes can be used to set standards across Federal agencies and the organizations that work with them.

Today, the NIST framework is a main point of reference for any organization looking to implement a secure and reliable process for managing cybersecurity risks and other potential supply chain issues. The framework is a living document regularly updated to meet the latest challenges in the data privacy space.

Learn more: What is NIST RMF? Risk Management Framework

What Are the NIST Best Practices for Supply Chain Management?

The 2022 revision NIST SP 800-161 offers comprehensive guidelines for handling supply chain risks related to information and communications technology. These recommendations are divided into three main categories: foundational practices, sustaining practices and enhancing practices.

Think of these categories as sequential stages. You’ll need to implement foundational practices before you move on to sustaining practices, and sustaining must come before enhancing.

1. Foundational Practices: Establishing a Process for Supply Chain Risk Management

Some of the best practices recommended in NIST SP 800-161 for creating a foundation for a supply chain risk management process include:

Dedicate a multidisciplinary team to your vendor and technology risk oversight
Create and fill dedicated roles for risk oversight procedures
Gain support from senior leadership to ensure adequate resources
Implement a governance hierarchy and a governance structure
Codify processes for identifying and assessing the criticality of your suppliers, products and services and conducting formal risk assessments, preferably using FIPS 199 impact levels
Establish internal checks and balances for compliance
Integrate risk oversight practices into your policies regarding supplier selection
Raise internal awareness and understanding of the importance of supply chain risk management
Create processes and practices for quality control and consistent development practices

Learn more: Guide: Risk Management Strategies To Future-Proof Your Organization

2. Sustaining Practices: Improving the Efficacy of Your Supply Chain Risk Management

Some of the best practices recommended in NIST SP 800-161 for building on your foundational risk management processes include:

Implement third-party risk assessments
Create a program for monitoring suppliers
Define and quantify levels of acceptable risk
Determine key supplier risk metrics and create procedures for tracking and reporting them
Formalize your information sharing procedures
Establish a training program for vendor risk practices
Integrate supply chain risk management practices into your supplier contracts
Solicit supplier participation in contingency planning and incident response
Collaborate with suppliers to address risk factors
Expand supply chain risk management training to all applicable roles across your organization

Learn more: How to Mitigate Third-Party Risks in Your Supply Chain

3. Enhancing Practices: Predicting Supply Chain Issues Before They Impact Your Business

Some of the best practices recommended in NIST SP 800-161 for building a structured supply chain risk management program include:

Codify processes for quantitative risk analysis, optimize risk response resources and measure your return on investment
Use insights gained over time to identify key risk factors and create predictive strategies to address risks before they arise
Introduce automation into your cybersecurity oversight procedures whenever possible
Join a community of practice where you can improve your cybersecurity risk management practices

Learn more: 5 Reasons Your Company Should Automate Third-Party Risk Management – Onspring

Additional NIST Resources

Organizations implementing a supply chain risk management program often reference several complementary NIST publications, including:

NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-39
NIST SP 800-30r.1
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 199
NIST SP 800-53

How to Future-Proof Your Vendor Risk Program

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of recognizing and addressing risk factors in your supply chain when your organization is responsible for providing or securing local and state services. The best guide to follow when establishing or enhancing your supplier risk program is the NIST Risk Management Framework. A structured platform can help Public Sector teams manage these challenges more effectively while taking advantage of AI advancements without exposing their organizations to unnecessary risk.

See how Onspring’s platform supports these efforts and get a demo today.

How AI is Reshaping Courts and Legal Operations

Posted on by Michael Shrader

The conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal system has fundamentally shifted from courts and legal organizations debating whether it belongs in legal environments to how to integrate AI responsibly into daily operations. For courts facing expanding caseloads, staffing shortages and budget constraints, AI-powered legal technologies have become operational tools for improving efficiency, access to justice and administrative effectiveness across the legal lifecycle. While AI can significantly enhance legal workflows, responsibility for judgement, accuracy and decision-making must remain with human professionals.

From Policy Discussion to Practical Adoption

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Year 2 Report on the Impact of AI on the Practice of Law makes clear that AI adoption in the legal profession has entered a new phase. Early concerns centered on ethics, confidentiality and professional responsibility. Today, the focus has shifted toward responsible deployment, governance and workflow integration where efficiency gains are immediate and measurable. These applications allow courts to redirect limited staff resources toward higher-value legal and judicial work rather than routine manual processes.

Common AI-enabled courtroom use cases already in practice include:

Organizing and searching large volumes of filings, briefs and evidence

Creating unofficial or preliminary real-time transcriptions

Summarizing motions, exhibits and prior case materials

Supporting scheduling, workload analysis and calendar management

This is especially important for Federal, State and Local courts that must maintain service levels despite limited resources. AI-enabled legal technologies provide a validated path to modernizing court operations while preserving judicial independence, transparency and accountability.

Real-World Applications Delivering Value

AI adoption is already producing tangible operational benefits across court systems.

Administrative and workflow automation applications include drafting routine administrative orders and standard court notices, managing scheduling and calendar coordination, conducting workload studies and organizing court documents and filings for improved retrieval. These implementations reduce administrative burden while improving consistency in standard legal processes.

Document review and case support capabilities allow legal teams to summarize briefs, motions, pleadings, depositions and exhibits at scale. AI systems create timelines of relevant events across large case records and assist with legal research when trained on reputable legal authorities. Some implementations identify misstated law or omitted legal authority in filings, though human verification remains mandatory for all outputs.

Transcription, translation and accessibility services are also being rapidly adopted. Courts are generating unofficial or preliminary real-time transcriptions to accelerate case documentation. Systems provide preliminary translations of foreign-language documents and support accessibility services for self-represented litigations navigating complex court procedures. These applications expand access to justice by reducing cost barriers and improving navigation of legal systems for citizens.

Scaling Court Operations Under Budget Constraints

Rising caseloads combined with constrained budgets make AI adoption particularly relevant for Government legal operations. Technology adoption has emerged as the primary driver of scalability for courts that cannot expand head count. By automating manual processes such as transcription, document review, evidence management and research, AI allows existing staff to handle higher volumes while maintaining or improving service quality.

This approach aligns with broader access-to-justice goals highlighted in the ABA report. AI-enabled tools are already helping courts improve case management, streamline dispute resolution processes and support self-represented litigants through better access to information and court services. These gains are particularly impactful for jurisdictions seeking to modernize legacy systems while preserving fairness, transparency and judicial independence.

Human Oversight and Accountability

While AI delivers meaningful efficiency gains, the ABA report stresses that AI-generated outputs may appear authoritative while containing factual or legal inaccuracies. The risk of hallucinations has not been fully resolved in any current generative AI (GenAI) tools. As a result, AI should not replace judges or court staff, nor should it be treated as an authoritative source of truth. Instead, AI should serve as an assistive technology that augments human expertise, improving documentation quality, accelerating research and making information more accessible.

Judicial guidelines outlined in the report reinforce several critical principles:

Judges and attorneys remain fully responsible for accuracy and legal reasoning

AI-generated content must always be reviewed for correctness and relevance

Overreliance on AI can introduce risks such as automation bias or misinformation

Courts adopting AI must establish clear governance frameworks that address privacy, security, transparency and oversight. Human verification of AI outputs is essential to ensuring that AI enhances documentation quality and accelerates legal research without compromising accuracy, professional responsibility and public trust.

Responsible Adoption Through Trusted Procurement

The ABA emphasizes that responsible AI adoption is not optional; it is a leadership responsibility. Human oversight, ethical use policies and ongoing evaluation remain essential to ensuring AI strengthens, rather than undermines, trust in the justice system.

Carahsoft, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, works with leading legal tech software providers to help Federal, State and Local courts modernize legacy systems, reduce administrative burden and implement AI responsibly at scale. By making these technologies accessible through trusted procurement vehicles, Carahsoft enables courts and Government legal organizations to adopt AI while aligning with established legal, ethical and operational requirements.

AI is not a substitute for legal expertise, but it is quickly becoming an indispensable tool for courts seeking efficiency, consistency and scalability. By procuring AI solutions through Carahsoft, Government courts can ensure their modernization demands will be met while maintaining legal and ethical standards. As AI continues to reshape legal operations, organizations that pair technology deployment with clear governance, training and accountability frameworks will be better positioned to deliver improved services to the public.

Ready to explore AI-enabled legal technology solutions? Explore Carahsoft’s Legal & Courtroom Technology Solutions portfolio or take a Self-Guided Tour.

Contact Carahsoft’s team at LegalTech@carahsoft.com to discuss AI solutions tailored for your organization’s needs.

Unified Financial Intelligence: Why Government Finance Teams Have a Data Foundation Problem, Not a Data Problem

Posted on by Rolf Heimes

How Incorta, Google and Carahsoft help State, Local, education and Federal civilian agencies move from slow close cycles to real-time, AI-ready financial insight

I spend a lot of my time talking with Government finance leaders—CFOs, comptrollers, budget directors—and the conversation almost always starts with AI and ends with data. Almost every agency I talk to eventually runs into the same wall: their data isn’t ready. As we move toward agentic AI—AI that takes actions and makes decisions on its own, not just answers questions—the demands on that foundation multiply fast. Until it’s right, AI remains a slide in a strategy deck. That’s the problem Incorta was built to solve.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in Public Sector financial management, where the stakes are high, the infrastructure is often decades old and the expectation for transparency has never been greater. If we want to talk seriously about Unified Financial Intelligence in Government, we have to talk seriously about the data brain underneath it—the trusted, real-time, contextual foundation that AI agents depend on to make accurate, explainable decisions. Without it, you don’t have an AI problem. You have a data problem dressed up as one.

The Real Bottleneck: Government Finance Needs a Data Brain

Public Sector finance teams are under more pressure than ever: leaner budgets, post-pandemic fiscal gaps, enrollment volatility and a mandate to do more with less. New White House and OMB directives are accelerating the AI timeline—agencies are being asked to demonstrate AI-ready infrastructure now, not in a future budget cycle.

For CFOs, comptrollers and finance teams, that pressure is concrete. Close cycles still take days or weeks. Analysts spend more time gathering data than using it. When leadership questions a number, the answer is “let me pull it manually”—because the system shows aggregates, not the transactions behind them.

The root cause isn’t a lack of tools or talent. Financial data is scattered across GL, procurement, grants, payroll and project systems—each with its own codes and timing—and traditional ETL strips out the very context that makes it useful. That’s the data brain problem.

What the Data Brain Has to Deliver

For finance, AI isn’t about prettier dashboards. It’s about answering hard questions: why did this variance occur? Where are the early signals of fraud, waste or abuse? What does next quarter look like if this assumption changes? To answer those credibly, AI needs a data brain.

That data brain has to deliver three things: granularity (100% transactional detail), timeliness (near real-time, not last week’s batch) and context (preserved relationships—purchase orders to vendors, funds to appropriations, payroll to projects).

Traditional ETL gives you the opposite of a data brain: summarized, stale data stripped of business logic. When you layer AI on top of it, the model fills in the gaps—and for Government finance, that’s not a technical problem. If an AI-assisted answer can’t be traced back to the exact transaction, your auditors and oversight bodies won’t accept it.

That’s how you get hallucinations instead of financial intelligence.

The “AI problem” and the “data problem” in Government finance are actually the same problem. Build the data brain, and Unified Financial Intelligence follows.

What Changes When You Have a Data Brain

Take a Federal civilian agency we worked with: 24-hour data refresh cycles, manual reconciliation, spreadsheets and email chains just to close the books. Analysts spent most of their time getting data into a usable format—not using it.

After implementing Incorta with Google Cloud, that agency went from 24-hour to 15-minute data refreshes for key financial subject areas.

From periodic close to continuous audit. Anomalies surface in near real-time—before they snowball, not after month-end.
From “check the dashboard” to “follow the data.” The CFO questions a number; the analyst drills to the exact transaction, in the same environment.
From data gathering to value creation. Analysts shift from reconciliation to scenario modeling and real decisions.

That’s Unified Financial Intelligence with a data brain underneath it: full, timely, contextual access to the truth—and the time to actually use it.

How Incorta Builds the Data Brain

The traditional path to modernizing financial data in Government is measured in years and eight-figure budgets—and most of us have seen how that story ends. At Incorta, we took a different approach: build the data brain for Government finance on Google Cloud without requiring agencies to tear out what’s already there. Three pillars make that possible:

Direct access to ERP data in its native form – Incorta connects directly to Oracle EBS, Oracle Fusion, SAP and Workday, ingesting data in its native schema—no heavy transformation, no lost business context.
Prebuilt blueprints for Public Sector financial systems – A library of prebuilt blueprints captures how ERP tables relate, how funds and projects are structured and how to translate that into analytics-ready models—removing months of data engineering work.
Landing it all in Google BigQuery for AI-ready analytics – The result is a production-ready financial data brain in Google BigQuery—granular, near real-time and fully contextualized—standing up in weeks, not months or years, with Gemini for Government and agentic AI tools ready to operate on top.

On top of this, Incorta layers AI-powered insights with built-in hallucination mitigation, role-based access controls, audit trails and mirrored source system permissions—so agencies can scale AI without sacrificing governance.

Carahsoft plays a crucial role in this story by making it easy for agencies to get started—through existing contract vehicles and the Google Cloud Marketplace—without embarking on another risky, bespoke IT project.

Where State, Local, Education and Federal Civilian Finance Teams Are Starting

State budget offices need real-time visibility into appropriations and fund balances—so leadership responds to revenue shifts, not monthly reports. Local Governments want to move from reactive spreadsheets to proactive scenario planning and cleaner audits. Education finance teams need unified views of budgets, grants and financial aid to navigate enrollment volatility. Federal civilian CFO offices are pursuing continuous close and early AI-driven detection of fraud, waste and abuse. In every case: build the data brain first, and the downstream AI use cases become operational, not experimental.

Getting Started Doesn’t Have to Be a Multi-Year Commitment

One of the most consistent concerns I hear is: “We’ve been burned by big data projects before. We can’t sign up for another multi-year transformation.” That hesitation is completely rational—and it’s exactly why we’ve structured our approach with Google and Carahsoft to deliver value in weeks, not years.

A practical entry point is a Unified Financial Intelligence Modernization Assessment—a focused engagement to assess your ERP landscape, map how your data lands in BigQuery (secure, governed, auditable) and define a 60- to 90-day outcome that shows what the data brain delivers in your environment.

Incorta is available through Carahsoft on the Google Cloud Marketplace—most agencies can use existing contracts and cloud commitments to get started, no new RFX required.

The Bottom Line

State, Local, education and Federal civilian finance teams don’t need another dashboard. They need the data brain that makes Unified Financial Intelligence possible—access to all of their financial data, in near real-time, with full business context, so they can shift from gathering data to actually using it.

That’s what Incorta, Google and Carahsoft are building together for Government. In an environment where agencies are being asked to do more with less, standing up that data brain in weeks rather than years isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between a finance function that’s keeping up and one that’s falling behind.

→ Request a live Agentic AI demo — see Incorta + Google in action on your mission data.

→ Try free for 30 days on Google Cloud Marketplace — software free; infrastructure costs may apply.

→ Get started with the Unified Financial Intelligence Modernization Assessment — map your data brain and define a 60- to 90-day outcome.

Ready to explore what real-time financial intelligence looks like for your agency? Learn more about Incorta’s Government solutions on Carahsoft’s Incorta microsite. Watch our joint Incorta + Google session on AI-ready financial data for Public Sector.

Contact the Carahsoft Team ☎ (703) 871-8548 | ✉ incorta@carahsoft.com

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 Incorta, 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.

Weathering the Storm: Migrating to the Cloud in Government

Posted on by Ruslain Shlain

Government agencies are under increasing pressure to modernize IT systems and deliver secure, efficient digital services. Migrating to the cloud is a critical step in this transformation, but the journey can feel like navigating a storm. In our latest CarahCast podcast episode, “Weather the Storm of Migrating to the Cloud,” experts share strategies to help agencies adopt cloud solutions with confidence.

Why Cloud Migration Matters

Cloud adoption enables scalability, resilience and innovation. Agencies can reduce reliance on outdated legacy systems, strengthen disaster recovery and improve citizen services.

Key Benefits:

Efficiency: Lower costs and improved scalability.
Resilience: Faster adaptation to crises and cybersecurity threats
Innovation: Access to artificial intelligence (AI), analytics and automation.
Citizen experience: Reliable digital services that build trust.

Key Challenges:

Despite its benefits, migration presents hurdles:

Security and compliance requirements
Legacy infrastructure integration
Budget limitations
Cultural resistance to change
Vendor management and lock‑in risks

Expert Insights from CarahCast

Podcast experts highlight that migration is not one‑size‑fits‑all. Key takeaways include:

Start small with pilot projects to prove value.
Embed security and compliance at every stage.
Engage stakeholders across IT, leadership and end‑users.

As one guest noted, “Cloud migration is about resilience, not just moving workloads.”

Best Practices to Weather the Storm

To navigate the complexities of cloud migration, agencies should:

Define a clear roadmap with goals and milestones.
Use hybrid approaches to balance on‑premises and cloud systems.
Invest in staff training and change management.
Partner with trusted vendors and experts.
Measure success with KPIs like uptime and cost savings.

Real‑World Examples

Agencies nationwide are already seeing results:

State Governments modernized licensing systems to reduce wait times.
Federal departments leveraged cloud analytics for disaster response.
Local Governments adopted cloud collaboration tools to streamline operations.

Listen to the Podcast

For deeper insights, tune in to CarahCast: Weather the Storm of Migrating to the Cloud. Hear directly from experts guiding agencies through successful migrations.

Migrating to the cloud may seem daunting, but with the right strategy, agencies can emerge stronger, more resilient and better equipped to serve citizens. The CarahCast podcast is your trusted resource for navigating this journey. Subscribe today to stay informed on the latest technology trends shaping Government.