Reassessing Modernization Priorities
The recent pause in government operations has given agencies an opportunity to step back and reassess their modernization priorities. As federal IT leaders plan for 2026, many are taking a fresh look at their portfolios—reevaluating risk, reestablishing momentum on paused initiatives, and sharpening their focus on resilience, security, and mission impact.
Rather than slowing progress, the pause created space for agencies to uncover hidden gaps and reexamine cybersecurity posture. This period of reflection is enabling teams to identify blind spots, surface critical technical debt, and make more informed, data-driven modernization decisions.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand why observability is foundational to security
- Delineate how to align modernization efforts with emerging requirements, including Zero Trust, incident response expectations, and FedRAMP® compliance
- Explore practical approaches from agencies advancing modernization with limited resources, shifting timelines, and new mandates
Speaker Details

Bridget Carper-Arnone,
Deputy CIO,
Dept. of Energy

Jeff King
CISO,
SEC

Emilio Escobar
Chief Information Security Officer,
Datadog

John Breeden II
Contributing Editor,
FedInsider
Event Topic
IT, Modernization, SecurityRelevant Audiences
All State and Local Government, All Federal Government, National Guard, Air Force, Coast Guard, City Government, County Government, Municipalities, State Government, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, U.S. Agency of International Development, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Postal Service, Veterans AffairsOther Agency
Office of the President (includes OMB), Other Federal Agencies, Judicial Branch Agencies, Foreign Governments/Agencies