Presented by Senzing & Carahsoft

Will Layton, Senior Advisor for Public Sector at Senzing, believes one of the biggest challenges facing government organizations today is not simply acquiring data but turning that data into actionable intelligence quickly enough to support mission outcomes. At SOF Week 2026, Layton discussed how organizations can bridge the gap between rapidly advancing technology and slower acquisition and implementation processes.

Layton explained that many organizations are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available to them. Intelligence analysts, investigators, and operational teams often have access to enormous datasets, but deriving value from that information depends on how quickly it can be onboarded, integrated, and analyzed. In mission environments where timing is critical, delays in data preparation can directly impact operational effectiveness.

Senzing focuses on entity resolution, helping organizations determine who is who and how people, organizations, and entities are connected across large datasets. A major advantage of the company's approach is the ability to process information in real time rather than relying on lengthy machine learning training cycles that can delay operational use.

Many competing approaches require weeks or months to prepare and train systems before data becomes usable. By contrast, Senzing's architecture allows organizations to onboard properly formatted data and begin generating insights almost immediately. This capability significantly reduces the time required to move from acquisition to analysis and ultimately to operational action.

The increasing scale of data presents another challenge. Twenty years ago, organizations often dealt with millions of records. Today, many are processing billions. Layton explained that innovation efforts have focused heavily on scalability, allowing systems to operate effectively across cloud and on-premises environments while maintaining performance at significantly larger volumes.

As data sources continue to proliferate globally, organizations face additional challenges related to language differences, varying formats, aliases, and inconsistent identifiers. Resolving those inconsistencies is essential to creating a complete picture of individuals, organizations, and activities.

Looking ahead, Layton expects the amount of available data to continue growing rapidly. New datasets are becoming available from regions around the world, creating additional opportunities for insight while increasing the need for scalable solutions that can process information quickly and accurately.

Key Takeaways

• Real-time data onboarding accelerates the path from acquisition to mission outcomes.
• Entity resolution helps organizations understand relationships across massive datasets.
• The continued growth of global data sources will increase the need for scalable analytics solutions.