Original broadcast 5/20/25
Presented by Carahsoft
Michael Shrader, Vice President at Carahsoft, brings a market-wide view of how OSINT is evolving inside federal agencies. He emphasizes that the conversation is no longer about whether agencies are using OSINT—it’s about how they are operationalizing it and integrating it with other data sources to drive real decisions.
Shrader points to an explosive increase in both the availability and usability of publicly available and commercially available data. Technologies that once required months to collect, clean, and analyze are now producing insights in hours, or even minutes. That acceleration has been driven in part by advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and scalable infrastructure. But the real breakthrough, Shrader says, is not just in speed — it’s in utility.
A key challenge he sees is the level of noise in the market. There are hundreds of companies now offering OSINT-related tools, platforms, and data feeds. For government buyers, it can be difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s hype. Shrader urges vendors to focus on transparency, mission alignment, and education — helping customers understand what each tool actually does, and how it fits into their existing architecture.
He also emphasizes the need to match data products to specific problem sets. For example, a tool optimized for monitoring geopolitical risk may not be the best fit for vulnerability management. Agencies must be clear about their use cases, and vendors must resist the temptation to claim they can do everything.
Shrader sees enormous promise in OSINT’s trajectory, particularly as it becomes more tightly integrated with internal data streams, threat intelligence platforms, and decision support systems. But he also warns that integration alone is not enough. Agencies need confidence in the quality of the data and the clarity of the insight. That’s why Carahsoft increasingly focuses on bringing together not just best-in-class tools, but best-fit solutions.
In the end, Shrader believes OSINT’s greatest potential lies in its ability to deliver decision advantage. When properly aligned with mission needs and supported by reliable tools, OSINT can accelerate the “observe-orient-decide-act” loop that governs effective operations. And in a world where threats are accelerating, that speed and clarity are more important than ever.
Key Takeaways:
Agencies need OSINT tools that deliver usable insights, not just raw data.
Education and transparency are critical to help buyers cut through marketplace noise.
Mission-fit tools—not general-purpose platforms—will drive OSINT’s future value.
This program was part of the program Innovation in Government: OSINT Edition filmed on location at the OSINT Tech Expo on May 2, 2025.