The GIST of Govt IT

Latest Episodes:

Chaos, Change, and Opportunity in Federal IT May 04, 2026

Show notes

"Chaos." "Change." "Opportunity." Three words that surfaced in a room full of federal contractors when asked to describe today's government IT environment. Sean and Brian unpack what's really driving the disruption, from RIFs and FAR overhauls to FedRAMP changes, the Anthropic supply chain risk designation, and the brain drain hitting agencies like NIST. They dig into the structural changes reshaping how government buys and builds technology — OTAs gaining momentum, Golden Dome's six-month IDIQ award turnaround, and CDOs finally getting real budget authority to break down data silos. Then they pivot to where the real opportunity lives: $50B in federal IT contracting in Q4 FY25, $13B for autonomy and AI at the Department of War, mission Genesis investments at DOE, and the massive energy build-out required to keep pace with China. Brian gets smart on Markdown files.
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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Federal AI Policy & Executive Orders
- OMB M-25-21 — Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust
- OMB M-25-22 — Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government
- Executive Order 14179 — Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI
- America's AI Action Plan
- AI.gov
NIST AI Standards & Frameworks
- NIST AI Agent Standards Initiative (launched Feb 17, 2026)
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- NIST AI 600-1 (Generative AI Profile)
Acquisition Reform & Contract Vehicles
- FAR Overhaul (Revolutionary FAR Overhaul)
- GSA SEWP V extension and SEWP VI updates
- Missile Defense Agency Golden Dome IDIQ
- Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) — DAU guide
Department of War / Defense AI
- DoD Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO)
- Defense Innovation Unit
Department of Energy
- Mission Genesis

Workforce & Learning Resources
- freeCodeCamp
- Anthropic's Claude documentation (markdown skills & agent files)
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
The Hosts & Show
- Swish
- GIST360

CONNECT WITH US

Got an idea for a future episode? Want to be a guest? Let us know.

Brian Lake - blake@swishdata.com

Sean Applegate - sapplegate@swishdata.com
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Fighting Fire with Fire to Secure Federal AI Agents Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

There's a workforce inside your agency that nobody hired, no one trained, and nobody is watching. We're talking about AI agents. In Episode 2 of The GIST of Govt IT, Brian and Sean sit down with Elad Schulman, CEO and co-founder of Lasso Security, to unpack what it actually takes to secure an agentic federal enterprise that seemed to arrive on the scene overnight. They dig into AI sprawl, the new attack surface created by autonomous agents, and why traditional security playbooks don't work when the system you're defending is non-deterministic. Elad shares why "intent security" is the new frontier, how agentic red teaming finds vulnerabilities a hundred humans never would, and what happens when an agent goes rogue (hint: it doesn't have to be malicious to cause real damage). Also, what it takes for innovative non-traditional vendors to actually move at the speed the federal government now demands. Finally, if you task an AI agent to keep your house clean, you better make sure to instruct it not to kill your family.
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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Featured Guest
- Elad Schulman, CEO & Co-Founder, Lasso Security
- Lasso Security
- Lasso Intent Security for AI Agents
OMB Memos & Executive Orders on Federal AI
- OMB M-25-21 — Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust
- OMB M-25-22 — Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government
- Executive Order 14179 — Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI
- America's AI Action Plan
Federal AI Use Case Inventories
- 2025 Federal Agency AI Use Case Inventory (GitHub)
- Federal AI Use Case Repository (Searchable)
AI Security Frameworks & Standards
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF)
- OWASP Top 10 for Agentic AI
- ISO/IEC 42001 — AI Management System Standard
GIST360 Webinar