In the US government, these 4 tech areas are in high demand

For commercial tech companies, breaking into and scaling in the federal market may seem like more work than it’s worth. The lengthy procurement process, the complex requirements, and the dreaded “valley of death” can make a federal go-to-market strategy feel overwhelming, even for a commercially successful company.

Government leaders who want to work with innovative tech companies experience these challenges, too. They already know finding great tech isn’t the hard part. It’s evaluating and equipping tech companies for success in the federal market that’s the bigger challenge.

To make this obstacle easier to hurdle for both sides, Dcode created a report based on much of what we’ve learned from our community of government innovators, venture-backed tech companies, and industry partners.

The report focuses on four key tech areas where we’re seeing government demand, and highlights tech companies within those areas that are making waves in the federal market. The report also shares examples of government use cases so both tech and government readers can see the real-world applicability.

To offer a primer, we’re sharing a few of the takeaways from the report. Here are the tech areas that we’re seeing high demand for from across the U.S. government and examples of use cases in each:

Artificial Intelligence

As the consumer world progresses toward self-driving cars, federal agencies are identifying needs for mass document digitization, facial recognition, and advanced analytics that enable faster, more accurate decision making.

Adopting AI can help the government turn massive amounts of data into actionable insights for faster, more accurate decisions, digitize manual tasks, and accelerate modernization efforts.

Read more: Here’s where tech policy leader Ed Felten sees a role for AI in the federal government

Distributed workforces and digital platforms

For many federal agencies, a fully remote workforce has been new territory and has required new, collaborative solutions. As employees trickle back into offices, adopt hybrid schedules, or work entirely from home office, platforms, and tools that enable communication and collaboration remain vital.

Solutions that provide security, continuity, and compliance make up the foundation of a successful distributed workforce.

Cybersecurity

The rapid shift to telework amplified threats and exposed weaknesses across federal agencies. Agencies need not only defensive tools, but also offensive cybersecurity solutions to protect the U.S. government from cyberattacks.

As bad actors continue to exploit weaknesses and show they are willing to capitalize on any and all vulnerabilities, agencies must not only protect their entire attack surface, but also proactively monitor and remediate threats with offensive security solutions.

DevOps

Adding on to the need for collaborative tools in a distributed workforce environment and cybersecurity solutions is the demand for tools that provide federal agencies with digital agility. The right developer tools allow the government to build a solid and secure tech stack that helps make use of more advanced tech like automation and AI.

Tools that help develop applications, ensure code is compliant, and automate processes can make the government more efficient, and able to redirect valuable man hours to pressing issues rather than administrative tasks. In addition, the proper developer tools ensure digital agility and a more complete view of security and compliance.

So, if your tech company is focused on AI, distributed workforce tools, security, or DevOps, there are opportunities in the federal market and ways to set your company up for success.