Pick up your badge, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready for GITEC 2026 to officially start! We will be in the Jefferson Ballroom, off of the main lobby. 

Federal IT modernization is increasingly defined by how well agencies align technology, policy, and mission outcomes. As expectations for security, data-driven decision-making, and service delivery grow, leaders must modernize legacy environments while improving efficiency, governance, and cross-agency collaboration. Success depends on clear executive leadership, disciplined prioritization, and a strategic approach that ties modernization investments to measurable impact.

Join this executive-level panel featuring senior government IT leaders for a strategic discussion on the decisions shaping federal IT modernization. Panelists will share leadership perspectives on enterprise transformation, policy alignment, risk management, and operational efficiency—offering lessons learned and insights into what effective modernization looks like at scale
 

Join us as we showcases the integration of Mandiant’s frontline expertise, VirusTotal’s crowdsourced insights, and Google’s vast visibility into a unified security solution. This Tech Talk provides a practical walkthrough of our Google Threat Intelligence platform, demonstrating how organizations can leverage these combined resources to eliminate blind spots and achieve faster, more informed defensive responses.

While large, bespoke systems often receive the most attention, the greater challenge across government environments lies in the thousands of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products that quietly consume resources and introduce risk. These tools are everywhere, yet they remain difficult to track and manage at scale. This session will explore a practical approach to addressing that gap, drawing from several years of development and a recent breakthrough in how COTS-related security risks can be identified and understood across the enterprise.

By leveraging data from existing inventory tools, this approach categorizes software using the Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework and TBM taxonomy, identifies potential data flows to the cloud, flags open source and obsolete components, and provides insight into cost and value. It also layers in security context by assessing whether products are baselined across government, associated with known vulnerabilities, or aligned to relevant STIGs. The result is a more complete, actionable view of the software landscape, helping CIOs and CISOs move closer to full coverage and stronger risk management across their environments.

Cyber and AI initiatives demand strong leadership to ensure security, accountability, and mission alignment. In this fireside chat, senior leaders discuss how they are navigating emerging risks, governing AI use, and building resilient digital environments.

Leaders from across federal IT gather to exchange insights on leadership, innovation, and advancing agency missions through technology. Featuring women leaders from across the federal government, the discussion highlights their experiences leading IT initiatives and teams across agencies, as leadership roles continue to evolve alongside emerging technologies and shifting mission priorities.The conversation will focus on leadership development, strategic decision-making, and approaches to leading teams through change in complex federal environments. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on effective leadership in government IT, including building resilient organizations, driving innovation, and delivering mission impact through strong, collaborative leadership.

Celebrate the leaders and teams shaping the future of government technology as we announce the winners across all five GITEC Award categories, honoring innovation, impact, and excellence across the public sector.

Participants will exchange perspectives on innovative approaches to attracting highly skilled professionals while navigating systemic barriers such as complex hiring processes and competition with the private sector. The conversation will explore strategies for strengthening agencies’ value propositions, leveraging data to understand workforce trends, and tailoring retention efforts to support a multi-generational workforce. Attendees will share insights on improving onboarding, increasing employee engagement, and fostering workplace cultures that support long-term career satisfaction across the federal enterprise.

Kicking off this breakout with remarks from Rezaur Rahman (ACHP), this session will transition into an interactive roundtable discussion among participants.

Against the backdrop of persistent cyber threats, organizations are continually challenged to identify and mitigate the risks most relevant to their missions. This conversation will bring attendees together to share perspectives on how threat intelligence is strengthening cybersecurity defenses across agencies. Participants will exchange insights on integrating threat intelligence into existing security frameworks, discuss the operational advantages agencies are seeing in practice, and explore emerging use cases that are expanding the value of intelligence-driven security strategies.

As federal agencies modernize their digital environments, application modernization has become a critical driver of mission agility, security, and operational efficiency. This roundtable will bring participants together to share experiences and perspectives on evolving legacy applications through cloud-native architectures, modular development, improved data integration, and automation.

Participants will discuss common challenges such as technical debt, interoperability, security, and workforce readiness, while exploring practical strategies for scaling modernization across complex federal environments. The conversation will also examine how emerging technologies, automation, and DevSecOps practices are reshaping the application lifecycle and enabling agencies to build more resilient, mission-ready applications.

Quantum technologies are poised to significantly impact federal IT modernization, reshaping how agencies think about security, resilience, and long-term infrastructure planning. This roundtable will bring participants together to discuss how agencies are beginning to assess the implications of advancing quantum capabilities for encryption, secure communications, and data protection.

Through an interactive exchange of perspectives, attendees will explore approaches to preparing for a post-quantum future, including the adoption of quantum-resistant strategies that align with Zero Trust principles. The discussion will focus on balancing immediate risk mitigation with forward-looking planning across mission systems and enterprise environments.

That's a wrap on our first day of sessions for GITEC 2026!  Join us for our GITEC Awards reception at 4:30PM!