GCP – Navigating the evolving cybersecurity landscape: Key insights for the public sector

As the Chief Security Officer for Google Public Sector, I’m constantly engaged in discussions about the evolving cybersecurity landscape, especially concerning public sector organizations. My colleague Sandra Joyce, VP of Google Threat Intelligence, recently highlighted in her Cloud CISO Perspectives blog “Our Big Sleep Agent Makes Big Leap” that the pace of innovation in AI and cybersecurity demands a proactive and integrated approach. At the recent Billington Cybersecurity Summit, Sandra further reinforced this message in her presentation, saying “we are on the front lines and the urgency is now.”

In light of this, I want to share some key insights around how we are acting with urgency and addressing a number of challenges.

Understanding the threat landscape

Recent headlines have highlighted several key vulnerabilities and attack vectors targeting public sector entities. It’s clear that legacy systems, misconfigured cloud environments, and the exploitation of known vulnerabilities remain significant concerns. Email phishing, supply chain attacks, and state-sponsored cyber espionage further compound these challenges.

Our unique approach to security

We believe that security is not just a feature, but a foundational principle. Our approach is built on several core tenets:

• AI-Powered Security: We leverage the power of AI and machine learning to enhance threat detection, automate security operations, and secure AI development. This intelligent approach helps us stay ahead of evolving threats, as Sandra Joyce elaborated on the transformative power of AI in cybersecurity.
• Secure by Design: We engineer security into every layer of our infrastructure and services, from custom-designed hardware to advanced encryption techniques.
• Zero Trust: Ensures that no user or device is inherently trusted, regardless of their location or network. Access is continuously authenticated and authorized based on identity, device health, and context.
• Shared Fate: We operate under a clear shared responsibility model, securing the underlying cloud infrastructure while providing tools and guidance for customers to manage their own security. We believe in a “shared fate” where our success is tied to your security. We are deeply invested in your mission’s success and security outcomes, aligning our goals with yours to ensure the resilience of critical government operations.

Our commitment to the public sector

The cyber posture of the federal government is a matter of national security. As the geopolitical landscape shifts and adversaries leverage advanced AI, legacy defenses—no matter how robust they once were—are now a liability against threats powered by machine learning.

We’re focused on supporting our customers across three key dimensions:

1. Modernizing security operations with an AI-native platform: The battle against AI-driven threats is won in real-time. Google Security Operations (FedRAMP High), an AI-enabled and threat intel-led platform, transforms the federal government’s security operations from a reactive, human-centric model to a proactive, intelligent one. It empowers federal analysts to stay ahead of sophisticated attacks, helping to ensure the continuity of government operations and the integrity of its mission.
2. Arming defenders with frontline threat intelligence: Static threat feeds are obsolete. Google Threat Intelligence offers a decisive advantage by fusing the trusted intelligence from VirusTotal and Mandiant with threat insights from Google. This is the same frontline insight that protects Google’s own infrastructure, giving federal teams the strategic edge needed to anticipate and neutralize threats. This unparalleled intelligence is seamlessly integrated into Google Security Operations, delivering immense value and capability in a single platform.
3. Enabling mission resilience with elite incident response: Even the best defenses can be tested. When a breach occurs, immediate access to expertise is critical. Mandiant brings decades of experience and unparalleled threat knowledge directly to the federal government. With our Incident Response and Expertise On-Demand (EOD) services, agencies can contain, eradicate, and recover from a crisis with the world’s most trusted experts at their side.

A comprehensive portfolio of solutions

We understand the critical nature of government and public service missions, which is why we offer a comprehensive portfolio of solutions—including Zero Trust architecture, advanced threat intelligence, and secure cloud infrastructure—all designed to help safeguard sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and secure critical systems against both current and emerging threats.

The attack surface has fundamentally changed; we are no longer just defending networks; we are defending the entire ecosystem, from the complex digital supply chain to the millions of non-human identities foundational to modern cloud operations. Yesterday’s security models are insufficient for this new reality, and the only way to defend at the speed and scale required is through a proactive, intelligence-led, and AI-powered approach.

Partnering to secure your mission

Please join us at the Google Public Sector Summit – and my breakout session on “Unlocking the power of AI to secure critical infrastructure and ensure mission success” taking place on October 29, 2025 in Washington D.C.