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Gov Tech Today

Russell Lowery, Jennifer Saha
Gov Tech Today
Latest episode

72 episodes

  • Gov Tech Today

    E72: RSA Conference Takeaways – Governing AI Agents and Securing Public Infrastructure

    14/04/2026 | 18 mins.
    Gov Tech Today hosts Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha recap this year’s RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco, noting the event’s commercial scale and a smaller, dedicated public-sector track. Key takeaways include how “agentic AI” is moving from buzzword to reality, with public agencies urged to treat AI agents like users—requiring identity and access controls, least-privilege permissions, logging, and auditing—within existing governance frameworks such as FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and NIST. They discuss governance as a primary security control, growing attention to critical infrastructure and physical access as cybersecurity issues, and the challenge of tiny local utilities lacking staff and budgets, suggesting collaboration and shared services. The conversation also flags procurement and tool sprawl concerns, and explores what outcome-based security might mean for measuring automation, effectiveness, and ROI in government contracts.

     

    00:00 Welcome to Gov Tech Today

    00:15 What is RSA Conference

    00:53 San Francisco Cleanup Talk

    01:52 Public Sector at RSA

    04:42 AI Everywhere at RSA

    05:34 Agentic AI as Users

    07:42 Governance as Security Control

    09:25 Critical Infrastructure Cyber Shift

    10:57 Small Districts Big Risk

    12:38 Shared Services and Support

    14:20 Procurement Must Catch Up

    16:31 Outcome Based Security Metrics

    18:09 Wrap Up and Next Year
  • Gov Tech Today

    E71: Supply Shocks, Fixed Contracts, and the AI Regulation Patchwork

    31/03/2026 | 15 mins.
    On this episode of Govtech Today, hosts Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha examine how global disruption and an AI-driven hardware boom are colliding with government procurement realities. They discuss how rapid supplier price spikes and delivery uncertainty strain California’s fixed price schedules—often locked for six months—creating delayed quotes, uncompetitive bids, and the risk that vendors stop bidding rather than sell at a loss, leading to project delays and a focus on mission-critical needs. The conversation then shifts to federal AI regulation: a new plan and executive-order direction may set guardrails while still leaving states to manage AI procurement rules, potentially forcing early-moving states like California, Colorado, and New York to roll back some efforts later. They close on how legislation lags fast-moving AI, and how adoption varies widely across agencies and cities.

     

    00:00 Welcome to Gov Tech Today

    00:33 Supply Chain Shockwaves

    01:18 AI Boom Hardware Crunch

    01:53 Fixed Pricing Meets Reality

    03:54 Quoting Chaos for Vendors

    05:47 Project Delays and Workarounds

    06:12 Can California Adjust Rules

    07:35 Reseller Margins and Value

    08:25 Federal AI Regulation Push

    09:39 Bills Versus Executive Orders

    11:08 Guardrails and Wild West

    13:54 Uneven AI Adoption in Government

    15:29 Wrap Up and Next Episode
  • Gov Tech Today

    E70: AI Tops NASCIO’s 2026 State CIO Priorities — Ending Cybersecurity’s 12-Year Reign

    24/02/2026 | 18 mins.
    What happens when cybersecurity is no longer the No. 1 priority for state CIOs? On this episode of Gov Tech Today, hosts Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha break down the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) annual Top 10 list for 2026—and the major shakeup that put AI, including generative and agentic AI and machine learning, at the top for the first time in more than a decade. 
    00:00 Welcome to Gov Tech Today + What’s Coming Up
    00:23 What the NASCIO Top 10 List Is (and Why It Matters)
    01:24 Major Shakeup: AI Takes the #1 Spot
    03:00 #2 Cybersecurity: Still Critical, Now Shaped by AI
    04:58 #3 Budget & Cost Pressures Move Up the Rankings
    06:15 #4 Modernization: Tackling Legacy Systems (and Funding It)
    07:28 #5 Digital Government Services Debut in the Top 10
    08:23 #6 Accessibility: New Federal Rules Drive State Action
    09:20 #7–#8 IAM + Data/Analytics: The “Foundation” Priorities
    13:20 #9 Consolidation & Optimization: Fewer Systems, More Shared Platforms
    16:25 #10 Cloud Services: From Trendy to Ubiquitous (Cloud Smart)
    17:56 Wrap-Up: Thanks to NASCIO and State CIOs
  • Gov Tech Today

    E69: Transforming Maintenance and Operations — From Maintenance to Modernization

    10/02/2026 | 15 mins.
    In this episode of Gov Tech Today, hosts Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha dive into a new trend in government contracting: transforming maintenance and operations (M&O) into modernization opportunities. They examine how traditional M&O contracts are increasingly including system improvement requirements, effectively shifting from simple maintenance to significant technological upgrades. This approach allows government agencies to modernize within existing budgets, avoiding the complexities and scrutiny of new IT projects. The discussion also explores the balance between maintaining existing systems and leveraging M&O contracts for continuous modernization.
     
    00:00 Introduction to Gov Tech Today
    00:24 Exploring Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Opportunities
    01:06 Shifting from Maintenance to Modernization
    01:50 Evaluating Contracting Processes and Budget Impacts
    04:41 Maximizing Value from M&O Contracts
    07:42 Vendor and Government Collaboration
    12:57 Final Thoughts and Future Directions
  • Gov Tech Today

    E68: Navigating the Governor's Budget and Technology Initiatives

    27/01/2026 | 20 mins.
    In this episode of Gov Tech Today, Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha delve into the recently released governor's budget, focusing on its implications for technology initiatives. They discuss the significant role of AI, legacy system updates, and the governor's approach to AI regulation. The duo also explores state procurement changes, including the growing use of RFI2 and the introduction of climate-aligned contracts. With insights on the Middle Mile Broadband initiative and the complexity of state budgets, this episode provides a comprehensive overview of California's tech and budget landscape.
    00:00 Introduction and Hosts
    00:13 Governor's Budget Overview
    01:45 AI's Role in the Budget
    03:09 AI Regulation and Legislation
    05:59 Cybersecurity and Staffing Issues
    07:41 Middle Mile Broadband Initiative
    11:14 State Procurement Changes
    17:28 Climate-Aligned Contracts and Final Thoughts

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