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Government Blog
You’ll find the latest government news and announcements from Intelliworx, plus insights and analysis as we blog on the B2B topics that matter to the federal government community, including financial disclosure, application management, and telework.
How the USDA modernized its tech infrastructure for crop inspections
The SCION project digitized paper-based processes, replaced legacy systems, and is projected to save $1.7M annually without disrupting business operations One of the key challenges the government faces in modernizing its IT infrastructure is the disruption of operations. The government, generally, can’t stop doing its business to upgrade its technology systems. Applications still need to be accepted, permits must be issued and safety net program checks can’t stop being cut. So, how are different agencies approaching modernization projects – while maintaining continuity of business operations? To answer that question, we aim to take a look at some of the modernization projects that have been cited in the public record as successful. In this piece, we will break down one such project: how the USDA modernized its Specialty Crops Inspection Operating Network (SCION) system. While Intelliworx was not a part of this project, it involved digitizing paper-based processes, which is an […]
The top skills the government needs to implement AI effectively
Data analysis, project management for AI, and infrastructure management are among the top skills agency leaders say they need to develop to move AI pilot projects to production There’s a lot that’s been said about prepping government data for AI. One of the top ways leaders are working to achieve that goal is “expanding workforce training on data management and AI.” That’s according to a survey of 200 government leaders conducted by ICF and Wakefield Research. The survey found 70% of respondents “acknowledged that they will need to upskill existing staff and/or hire new talent to implement AI effectively.” What’s more, “58% say they either have – or can develop – the skills necessary for AI implementation without hiring additional staff.” That 58% figure is a combination of two findings: 31% said their agency has the skills needed now; and 27% said, “yes, if we upskill our current team.” The […]
How government agencies are prepping data for the AI transformation
Governance frameworks, workforce training and partnering with external organizations top the list of strategies to get data AI-ready There’s one recurring theme in published commentaries about the government’s effort to implement AI: data readiness. “The major challenge facing federal agencies is data readiness,” wrote Daniel Kent, an assistant vice president for systems engineering, federal, at Everpure, in a commentary published by FedScoop. That’s just one example. We cited three others previously in this piece: Should data integration be elevated as a federal tech priority? There are probably many more. The message seems to be resonating, according to a survey of federal leaders working on AI initiatives by ICF and Wakefield Research. While the survey found 83% of respondents said government data “isn’t quite there yet,” about two-thirds (66%) are “confident that their data will be AI-ready in two years or less.” 9 ways agencies are getting data AI-ready So, […]
3 survey findings about the government’s efforts to implement AI in agencies
A report on the findings identifies the top challenges for implementing AI, the technical and non-technical barriers to scale and the benefits of pressing forward “Federal agencies are embracing AI at an accelerating pace…the key now is to scale AI efficiently and cost-effectively, transitioning from experimentation to execution, and ultimately to sustained usage.” That’s according to a survey commissioned by ICF and conducted by Wakefield Research: The AI Advantage: Moving from exploration to impact. The survey polled 200 U.S. federal program and mission leaders with the following qualifying titles: program manager, mission owner, division lead, branch/area chief, CXO, CIO, VP or equivalent.” While recent news reports indicate the official tally of government AI use cases compiled by OPM has doubled since a year ago, many of these are experiments. The ICF survey found 41% of respondents indicated they “are running small-scale pilots.” Another 16% “are actively scaling AI efforts,” and […]
Why is integration so hard for the federal government?
Siloed development and inconsistent data standards create integration barriers at scale, making fed tech interoperability as much a governance and cultural challenge as a technical one by Intelliworx One of the biggest challenges in modernizing its technology is integration. GAO reports have cited interoperability as a key challenge that has hindered several high-profile technology projects. Why is integration such a challenge? “[Government] Systems don’t talk to each other. They weren’t designed with that goal in mind, so it creates a big, big gap in what’s needed right now versus what’s available,” the EPA’s CIO Carter Farmer told FedScoop in a piece exploring the proliferation of technical debt. Many of the legacy systems the government relies on are decades old. In a sense, systems integration is a bit like trying to plug a modern smartphone into an old landline telephone jack and expecting the contacts to synchronize and the apps to […]
Should data integration be elevated as a federal tech priority?
Legacy systems, inconsistent standards, and competing leadership roles make data integration hard – but it may prove crucial to scale government AI pilot programs by Intelliworx Nearly a dozen chief information officers (CIOs) at federal agencies recently outlined their top 10 technology priorities for 2026. Artificial intelligence (AI) was at the top of the list, and the Internet of Things (IoT) was at the bottom. Here are the priorities in order: Artificial intelligence and machine learning; Infrastructure modernization; Cybersecurity and risk management; Zero trust architecture; Data management and analytics; Applications modernization; Cloud computing; Workforce transformation; Digital government and citizen experiences (i.e., CX); and Internet of Things (IoT) management. One important aspect of technology that isn’t mentioned is data integration. To be fair, many technologists would argue that data integration is an implied task associated with modernization and data management. These are the high-level objectives – the variety used to justify budget requests. […]
20 current statistics summarizing the U.S. government’s spending on IT [with citations]
The federal government invested more than $100 billion in IT during FY 2025, across more than 4,000 projects within 25 different agencies by Intelliworx The U.S. government is by far the biggest IT customer in the world. Based on a 2025 estimate for global IT spending by the technology research firm Gartner, the federal government accounts for about 1.8% of all IT spending globally. It’s an eye-popping number for sure, but context is important. So, we recently dove into the available public data on the spending. We should note that we found a few interesting historical factoids – and did some of our own ‘napkin math’ along the way. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will never share or sell your email address. 1. How much does the federal government spend on IT? The U.S. federal government invested $102.31 billion in information technology during its 2025 fiscal […]
10 Federal CIOs say AI, cybersecurity and tech modernization are the top priorities
Agency tech leaders are optimistic about the government’s ‘enterprise mindset’ but caution more leader support needed to modernize IT infrastructure and achieve priorities Artificial intelligence (AI) is the top priority for 2026 in federal technology circles. That’s the main finding in a new report – Tech Tonic: FY26 Federal CIO Forecast – by MeriTalk. The second annual report is based on a survey and interviews with 10 chief information officers (CIOs) who lead technology for 10 different federal agencies. Cybersecurity and risk management were the top priorities in the same report last year, which forecasted FY25. While cybersecurity is still a clear priority, it fell to third place for FY26, trailing AI and infrastructure modernization. This year’s report did not name the CIOs included in the study. However, last year’s report did and it was a ‘who’s who” list that included CIOs from departments including Labor, Treasury, Agriculture, Transportation and […]
The 7 most-read posts on the Intelliworx government blog in 2025
Financial disclosure and customer experience (CX) were among the most popular categories of content among readers interested in modernizing the federal government’s tech We published about 40 posts on the Intelliworx blog in two distinct sections: government and healthcare. That’s on par with our efforts in prior years. As has become our custom, we go back through the analytics at the end of the year to see what was of most interest to readers. Below are the most-read blog posts for 2025. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will never share or sell your email address. Number 7: CX is a bipartisan issue for the federal government More than aesthetics, good design across websites, apps, and even those arduous government forms, drives efficiency that saves time and taxpayer money. Read more: Good design and customer experience (CX) is a bipartisan issue we should all get behind […]
6 generative AI use cases across the federal government
Federal agencies are exploring ways to extract and standardize unstructured data, analyze high volumes of text-based feedback and improve customer experience by Intelliworx Federal agencies spend more than $100 billion annually on technology, including products and services, according to reporting by Jory Heckman. About 80% of that is spent maintaining the sprawling, and in some cases, dated IT infrastructure that already exists. Historically, modernizing those systems tends to be a necessarily slow and methodical process. This is because changes to the IT infrastructure can have unintended consequences. Yet, Heckman, in a story for the Federal News Network, notes, artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a better approach – a continuous, iterative and agile approach. At the time of this writing, 41 federal agencies are exploring 2,133 artificial intelligence (AI) use cases that have been publicly disclosed. As a software company that serves the federal government, we are experimenting with AI as […]