Derek Johnson

NEW: Elastic becomes the latest company to announce an agreement with US General Services Administration through its OneGov initiative to offer major software discounts to federal agencies. More here: https://lnkd.in/eYG2gWyY via Nextgov/FCW

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I've been in the GovCon world and supporting Federal Agency missions for quite a while and for the past few years I've been centered in the AI space. I've also done a lot of consulting as well across this space for emerging technology, as well as market research for investment firms and there are some consistent lessons learned and in some cases "less than ethical" messaging to the market from companies out there. Here's a "Tip" to anyone out there evaluating solutions in this space. If a vendor tells you they are "The Only One with CMMC 2.0 Compliance" you should ask if they've been through the 3rd party audit and passed. If they tell you they are "FedRAMP'd", ask for clarity as to whether they are running their software on FedRAMP'd or DoD accredited infrastructure - OR - if they actually have a product that has been FedRAMP'd. Many of the vendors out there in the competitive landscape provide misleading information around their actual CMMC 2.0 status and/or whether their solution is FedRAMP'd. If you are buying an ITSM system, or CRM, there are tons of vendors out there with FedRAMP and other accreditations/ATOs. However, for emerging technology, you are rarely going to find solutions that have these kinds of accreditations in the first 2-3 years of the market as the companies delivering them are often only a few years old. Beware friends and colleagues. Ask for specifics. These nuances matter and you are making important decisions. Be smart. Your vendor should be honest and upfront about where they stand in these things. Smart technology vendors are okay with stating the truth about where they are in their maturity cycle. Smart buyers understand that there is a maturity cycle and require honesty from their vendors. This is why at Rohirrim we pride ourselves on being not a "vendor" but a "partner" to drive mutual success with customers. #proposals #ai #marketintelligence Brendan Collins Sebastian Langenberg #buyerbeware #cmmc #fedramp #pathtopartnership

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I’ve seen firsthand how outcome-based contracting can transform how agencies and industry work together. This approach not only increases transparency but also accelerates innovation — from prototypes and pilots to strategic partnerships that bring cutting-edge solutions to government In my recent conversation with Federal News Network for the Forward-Thinking Government series, I outlined practical steps agencies can take to establish outcome-based contracting models that truly deliver results: http://spr.ly/6044fIAIo #Innovation #GovCon #MaximusInsights

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A report from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finds that Federal agencies will need approximately $7.1 billion to transition their prioritized information systems to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) between 2025 and 2035. A large chunk of that multi-billion-dollar estimate, OMB acknowledged, would be to replace the government technology that cannot support new PQC systems. https://lnkd.in/gK9bBirq

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New reporting from my team at The Atlantic. Some tidbits: • “Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency now has full, unrestricted access to the agency’s digital infrastructure—including total control over systems that Americans working in conflict zones rely on, the ability to see and manipulate financial systems that have historically awarded tens of billions of dollars, and perhaps much more.” • “As Musk and his acolytes enter a growing number of federal databases and IT systems, their unfettered access at USAID offers a sense of what they might be able to do elsewhere. At NASA, for example, it could mean access to knowledge about sensitive government technologies used for defense. At the CDC, such ability could expose millions of Americans’ health data and allow DOGE to access labs that store deadly pathogens. At Treasury, such access would allow Musk’s employees to view Americans’ names, Social Security numbers, and financial information. ‘It is not ridiculous to think they’d have bank-account and routing numbers for every single person in the United States,’ the senior USAID source said. ‘What do you do with this information? I had to ask myself, Do I file my taxes this year or not? I had to sit and debate that.’” https://lnkd.in/eGTi5JAv

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