This is part of a podcast series where the Market Insights team provides insights and analysis on IT opportunities across the public sector. This episode features Yvonne Maffia, Senior Market Insights Analyst at TD SYNNEX Public Sector where she discusses how to leverage SLED Fiscal Year End Sales Opportunities. Listen to this podcast episode now.

Welcome to 2023 — an era of modernization where public sector information technology (IT) market growth is dominated by technologies that can create operational efficiencies and enhance the delivery of citizen-facing services. IT leaders are approaching municipality and jurisdictional operations from the lens of optimization, and there is only room for "smart" solutions.

Cloud services continue to be a top priority for state chief information officers (CIOs), but the focus has accelerated due to the emergence of digital government and disruptions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last few years, we’ve seen cloud services quickly become a “must-have” for state, local and education (SLED) customers, emphasizing cost savings, scalability, agility, and flexibility.

Recently, we covered the top highlights and technology pinpoints to hone in on for the DoD’s share of the FY24 federal budget request. We’ll take a look at the civilian side of things as well, spotlighting five agencies in particular that will likely have among the biggest IT projects and initiatives across the federal civilian landscape in the next fiscal year. Spoiler alert – there’s a lot of funding to go around.

It’s March again, and that means the madness of the tournament, or rather the federal budget process, has begun. It’s the time of year when the federal government places its bets on priorities and initiatives that will require funding in the coming year(s). We’ll take a look at the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) specific call-outs, what to watch for, and where you might place your own technologies across the complex landscape of agencies.

Readiness, R&D, and Dominance

The Department of Navy (DON) recently held its annual WEST Conference, this year with a strong emphasis on cybersecurity. The conference brought together key decision-makers from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, along with experts from various industries and government officials. The discussions were broad-ranging, covering topics related to naval warfare, technology, innovation, and cybersecurity.

In recent years, we have seen the rapid growth of esports (electronic sports), or competitive video gaming, with the global esports market already surpassing $1 billion and, according to a recent report from Stratview Research, expected to reach over $9 billion in 2028. Therefore, it should be no surprise that this trend has caught the interest of educational institutions, especially considering over 60% of esports fans are within the age range of the average secondary and post-secondary student, between 13 and 26 years old.

At a recent Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) DC luncheon, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Director Lt. Gen. Robert J. Skinner highlighted three key priorities for the fiscal year 2023: posture, position and partnerships. These priorities reflect the agency's ongoing efforts to meet the changing threats of today and secure the future of its information systems.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has seen increased malicious activity with ransomware attacks against K 12 educational institutions. Malicious cyber actors target school computer systems, slowing access, and rendering the systems inaccessible to essential functions, including remote learning. In some instances, ransomware actors stole and threatened to leak confidential student data unless institutions paid a ransom.

Ransomware attacks on US government organizations cost $18.9bn in 2020.

The Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) conference took place in San Antonio, Texas from December 12-15. Its annual gathering of industry and government personnel invites networking, exhibitors and speakers to take on the top IT challenges currently facing the Department of Defense (DOD). Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Dr. Stacy Dixon, spoke to the audience at large regarding data, its challenges, and opportunities within the intelligence community (IC).