Presented by Axonius Federal Systems & Carahsoft
Brian "Stretch" Meyer, Federal Field CTO for Axonius Federal Systems, insists that as the Department of Defense rushes to adopt advanced artificial intelligence, agencies must first master their fundamental cybersecurity infrastructure. Drawing on his extensive background working hands-on as a cyber engineer and architect across DoD networks, Meyer points out that organizations cannot secure their environments or successfully deploy AI if they lack basic visibility. "How are we going to have all these cybersecurity involvement or enhancements when we still can't answer the question of, like, where's our devices? What's the posture of our devices?" Meyer asks. He advocates for getting back to the basics before tackling complex AI and machine learning initiatives or circling back to SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platforms.
A major hurdle in this modernization journey is educating executive leadership on the reality of their current systems. Meyer spends much of his time as a CTO talking to leaders who mistakenly believe their processes are already modernized. "No, you're paying a team of FTEs [Full-Time Employees] to hand make that that you think is automation, when it's really a bunch of people behind the scenes automating that for you," he explains. Once leadership understands the true total cost of ownership and sees the true correlation of their attack surface and environmental gaps, they can pave the way for real AI initiatives.
Meyer also highlights a necessary shift away from custom-built Government Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) tools, a move increasingly driven by congressional pressure and executive orders. "You need to go more commercial off the shelf, because it's supported," Meyer states. He notes that GOTS tools often rely on open-source code, require massive manpower for their development life cycles, and carry security vulnerabilities. These issues are often masked by large contracts that are "probably three times the cost of an enterprise approach of a commercial based vendor product". While some leaders have built their careers on legacy systems and have a hard time letting go, transitioning to Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions is critical.
Finally, Meyer emphasizes the incredible value of breaking down silos within the heavily compartmentalized Navy and Marine Corps. By intentionally introducing different Program Executive Offices (PEOs) and groups with similar missions to one another, Meyer has watched them exchange notes and develop powerful new working groups. "It's just a lot of fun to get people to talk to each other that have a common mission," he says, noting that connecting these dots rapidly accelerates innovation across the federal space.