On Point

John Cofrancesco, the vice president for government for Fortress Information Security, is a former information officer with the U.S. Navy and a frequent cybersecurity subject matter expert
for national news media.

What is the greatest vulnerability in cyberspace today?

Today, organizations are increasingly reliant on partners and subcontractors for critical products and services. Interconnected systems provide refined and cost-effective solutions to business and government challenges alike. The result is an increased vulnerability to network intrusions, hacks and sophisticated cyber attacks. When a supply chain is compromised, its security can no longer be trusted.

Shivaji Sengupta is member and CEO of MAGNUS Management Group LLC and founder and CEO of NXTKey Corporation. He also is an adjunct professor of cybersecurity at Delaware State University.

How are cybersecurity and innovation intersecting, and is it a positive or negative development?

Throughout the year, we highlighted a wide variety of thought leaders in our On Point column. Each interviewee shared their insight on the next great technology trend, and we’ve compiled a list of their top trends to watch as we prepare to kick off a new year.

1. Quantum effects

“Using them produces significant gains in sensitivity and thus signal-to-noise ratio. I admit, however, that I am less excited about quantum key distribution, believing that post-quantum public key cryptography that is resistant to cracking by quantum computation may prove to be more reliable.” —Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google

Q&A with Rick Wagner, corporate vice president for Microsoft Federal.

What will be the key new commercial technology that will be embraced by the federal government in the coming years?

Srini Iyer is the chief technology officer and head of ManTech’s Innovation & Capabilities Office.

Q. How can the military secure data at the edge to ensure reliability?

Lewis Shepherd, a senior executive at VMware, is the vice chair of AFCEA’s Intelligence Committee and an advisor to several government agencies.

Where will digital engineering have its greatest effect in military and intelligence operations?

Juliana Vida, chief technical advisor, public sector at Splunk Inc., is a former Navy deputy chief information officer.

How has data become a strategic asset to government organizations?

In today’s world, data is just as critical to government operations as electricity was at the turn of the century. It’s revolutionary. It informs how the government can best communicate amongst itself and with citizens. It predicts how the uniformed services can most efficiently and effectively operate. And it advises us on how to best interact with the world and our future partners.