The White House recently introduced a major change in how the federal government plans to procure goods and services in its ongoing effort to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. In an Executive Order published on March 20, 2025, it calls for all federal procurement to consolidate under General Services Administration (GSA) management. This essentially centralizes all federal agencies’ purchasing of technology products and services to one agency.

This year, higher education is undergoing a transformative shift and education institutions must now keep pace with the expectations of the modern world. Emerging and innovative technology is at the forefront of this transformation, with a focus on boosting flexibility, expanding access to student services and enhancing the individualized student experience with more personalized learning options.  

To enhance federal cybersecurity, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S. Carolina, introduced the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2025 (H.R. 872) on January 31, 2025. A similar bill introduced the previous year stalled in the Senate. This bill aims to close a critical gap in federal cybersecurity standards by ensuring that all federal contractors implement a vulnerability disclosure policy consistent with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, cosponsors the bill.

In the first week of his administration, President Trump issued the “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” executive order (EO).

On April 3, 2025, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency released a joint cybersecurity advisory alongside the National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre on a cyberattack technique known as “fast flux.”  In a cyberattack using fast flux, cyber attackers rapidly change Domain Name System (DNS) records to obscure the locations of malicious servers and create resilient command and control (C2) infrastructure, thereb

In March 2025, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) released its FY25-FY27 data strategy. The strategy consists of three lines of effort (LOE) and follows DISA’s Data Strategy Implementation Plan for FY 2022-2024. IT Companies interested in contracting with DISA should be aware of the data strategy as the strategy will influence DISA’s IT procurement decisions over the next two years.

Workforce Updates and Implications

Last month, I discussed workforce reduction as it began to play out across agencies. Since then, we’ve seen an acceleration of additional cuts, as departments have been tasked with providing the White House their intended comprehensive plans for a reduction in force by the week ending March 14, while further federal guidance has more recently directed the Department of Education and VA to lay off additional personnel as well.

In 2025, SLED government technology is undergoing a significant transformation, focusing on modernization, efficiency and improved service delivery. Emerging and innovative technology is at the forefront of this transformation, with AI leading the charge. AI’s influence on government operations is undeniable; whether it’s public safety, health, or education, AI is shaping government operations across all verticals.

The State Risk and Authorization Management Program, also known as StateRAMP, is slated to rebrand itself to “GovRAMP” later this year to more accurately reflect the entire scope of the nonprofit’s mission and support the “whole-of-state” approach to cybersecurity. 

The Army is moving fast to stay ahead in the digital battlefield. To make this happen, it is driving modernization initiatives to boost operational effectiveness and strengthen national security with a comprehensive IT modernization strategy. If you're in IT sales, knowing what the Army is focusing on can help you tailor your solutions to their needs and effectively establish a trusting partnership in the long run. Let's examine the top five IT modernization initiatives that are shaping the Army's 2025 vision and see how your tech solutions can help.