Charles Lyons-Burt 
As the pace of change continues to accelerate and uncertainty becomes the new normal, government agencies and industry partners alike are being forced to adapt.
Michael Shrader, Carahsoft vice president for innovative and intelligence solutions, is at the center of this shift. His team supports 500-plus technology vendors collectively doing nearly $5 billion in business annually with the government as they expand into new markets, operationalize innovation, and navigate a changing government landscape.
ExecutiveBiz sat down with Shrader to discuss shifts in how government and industry are engaging, the challenges of moving emerging technologies from pilot to production, and the growing role of AI and data-driven solutions.
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ExecutiveBiz: What has been the biggest challenge for industry over the past 12 months?
Michael Shrader: The biggest challenge has been adapting to a reset in how government and industry interact. There’s been a lot of change in priorities, processes and overall engagement. The importance of innovation and industry partnerships hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s more important than ever. But the way those relationships operate has shifted. The challenge for vendors is adapting to that new environment, reestablishing lines of communication and figuring out how to engage effectively as things continue to evolve.
EBiz: What are some of the major trends you’re seeing in this new environment?
Shrader: One of the biggest trends we’re seeing is vendors looking to expand into adjacent markets, something we help them do without having to stand up an entirely new strategy or team. That might mean introducing vendors to new buyer segments, helping them navigate different procurement environments, or connecting them with partners that already operate in those spaces. We’re also seeing strong growth internationally, particularly in Canada, and growing interest from global technology companies looking to enter the U.S. public sector market through our ecosystem.
EBiz: What role do value-added services play in supporting that expansion?
Shrader: Value-added services are a huge part of it, and they’re evolving pretty quickly. We have a partnership model where we can take on certain business functions for vendors: everything from renewal and business process support to customer success and inbound sales development. In some cases, that’s white-labeled, where our team is essentially acting as an extension of the vendor’s organization.
A good example is our work with Broadcom, where our team includes more than 50 customer success engineers providing first- and second-line support across their portfolio. That kind of model allows vendors to scale quickly without having to build out those capabilities internally.
We’re also investing in what we’d consider white-space technology markets. Physical security is a good example, where agencies are looking to modernize how they manage facilities. We’ve been building out that ecosystem with leading providers like Verkada, supporting technologies such as connected cameras, access control systems and even drones.
EBiz: How is Carahsoft helping vendors keep pace with demand for innovation and emerging technologies?
Shrader: One of the things we do really well is help vendors move quickly, both transactionally and operationally. There’s a strong priority across government right now to bring in innovation and emerging technology, and we’re helping vendors access those opportunities and get onto contract faster.
At the same time, we’re very focused on helping them scale beyond the initial entry point—a broader challenge in the market. There’s no shortage of pilot programs in the government right now, especially with emerging technologies. But the number of pilots that actually transition into production is still relatively low.
That said, we are seeing progress in certain areas, particularly AI. More AI-driven programs, especially those tied to prototype or R&D efforts, are transitioning into production than we’ve seen in the past. That’s being driven by both large, established providers and up-and-coming companies that are starting to gain traction.
EBiz: Where else are you seeing meaningful momentum, whether through innovation programs or emerging technology areas?
Shrader: There are organizations like the Defense Innovation Unit and In-Q-Tel that continue to drive real, customer-backed prototyping and engagement. Those tend to be very aligned with mission needs and have a clear path to production.
One area we’ve been investing in is open-source intelligence, or OSINT. We recognized early on that there was strong demand from government for technologies that leverage publicly available and commercially available data. That includes everything from social media analysis and ad-tech data to maritime shipping data and tools that connect digital breadcrumbs for forensic analysis.
We’ve built out a strong ecosystem of vendors in that space, and now we’re seeing real adoption, conversion, and increased investment. We’re also helping drive the broader dialogue within that community.
To learn more or partner with Carahsoft, get in touch today.
