Government agencies are confronting a new era of challenges in extracting value from their data. As the volume and velocity of data from mission and operations, cybersecurity systems, IoT and edge devices, cloud application traces, and now generative AI keep growing, agency leaders need more effective ways to capitalize on the value of all that data.

Sean MacKirdy, Area VP, DOD, at Elastic, joined top federal program executives and IT leaders at the Elastic Public Sector Summit 2024 to learn firsthand how advances in data management, search, and analytics capabilities are helping agencies turn data into mission value faster and more productively for citizens and government employees.

In this interview, MacKirdy answered the following questions:
1. What advantages do powerful search, AI and observability capabilities provide for agencies looking to effectively close the cybersecurity skills gap?
2. How will robust search analytics platforms likely help agencies address growing nation-state and criminal cyber threats and better protect critical infrastructure?

This interview is part of a series filmed in conjunction with the Elastic Public Sector Summit 2024 held on March 13, 2024, in Arlington, V.A.