Shanna Staten is a business development executive for the Air Force Account at Chugach Government Solutions, LLC.
Federal agencies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, and rightfully so. AI is helping improve decision-making, accelerate analysis, automate processes, and create new mission capabilities across government. But as organizations focus on the opportunities AI presents, another modernization challenge is emerging alongside it: how do we protect the data that powers those systems?
Over the past several years, the federal government has made significant progress modernizing infrastructure, adopting cloud technologies, and implementing Zero Trust principles. Yet many organizations still operate under cybersecurity models that were designed for a world where systems remained connected, data resided in predictable locations, and encryption standards were expected to remain effective for decades.
As missions extend across cloud platforms, edge environments, coalition networks, and disconnected operations, agencies are increasingly evaluating how security protections can remain attached to the data itself regardless of where it resides. At the same time, agencies are placing greater reliance on AI-enabled systems that require access to large volumes of sensitive information. Protecting that data throughout its lifecycle is becoming just as important as protecting the systems themselves.
Another factor driving this conversation is the growing recognition that quantum computing may eventually render many of today’s encryption methods ineffective. While practical quantum threats may still be years away, adversaries are already collecting encrypted information with the expectation that future capabilities could enable decryption of data harvested today. As a result, forward-looking organizations are beginning to view post-quantum readiness not as a future technology problem, but as a current modernization consideration.
In response, agencies are exploring technologies that combine quantum-resilient encryption, Zero Trust principles, identity-based access controls, and data-centric security models. Rather than relying solely on perimeter defenses, these approaches focus on protecting the data itself, ensuring information remains secure regardless of where it resides, how it is transmitted, or what operational environment it supports.
For federal leaders, this represents an opportunity to think more broadly about modernization. The conversation should not be limited to how quickly agencies adopt AI. It should also include how they establish the security foundations necessary to trust and sustain those investments over time.
The next decade of modernization will require agencies to think about AI, Zero Trust, data governance, cyber resilience, and post-quantum security as interconnected priorities rather than separate initiatives. These technologies are not competing priorities. Agencies that treat them as interconnected elements of modernization will be better positioned to meet future mission requirements.
At Chugach, we’ve seen growing customer interest in solutions that address these challenges holistically rather than as standalone technology initiatives. Through partnerships and technology evaluations focused on post-quantum encryption, data-centric security, and Zero Trust architectures, we are helping customers explore full-stack, end-to-end approaches that strengthen cyber resilience while supporting modernization objectives.
AI may dominate today’s modernization headlines, but the technologies quietly reshaping cybersecurity, data protection, and trust will play an equally important role in determining mission success. Agencies that begin preparing now will be better positioned to protect critical information, adapt to emerging threats, and deliver secure, resilient outcomes well into the future.