One thing is certain, 2025 isn’t going to be boring.
With a new federal administration in place, the trickle-down effect on state and local governments will be felt across agencies. At the same time, the continuing evolution of AI is disrupting the environment in which government networks are deployed and managed.
Taking inspiration from this 2025 technology prediction from NASCIO, reports from our clients in the state and local government sector, and Juniper’s vision for the year, here are some of our crystal ball predictions in government IT:
Generative AI will move from experimentation to action
As state and local governments step into 2025, the demand for digital transformation and innovative solutions to agency challenges large and small will continue. And AI, specifically generative AI (GenAI), can simultaneously be an answer to those challenges and a whole new set of challenges in and of themselves.
What we are already seeing is that GenAI is being put into production, moving away from pilot phases and PoCs. A great example is the City of Las Vegas. They’re using Juniper’s AI-Native Networking to deploy a sophisticated IoT network to manage city cameras and monitor traffic. And they’re using Juniper Mist AI™ to make sense of the aggregated data and smart resource decisions.
Other ways GenAI is being put to work in state and local government include:
- Virtual meeting assistant transcription: Automating the documentation of discussions to save time and improve accuracy
- Cybersecurity operations: Supporting threat detection and response with AI insights
- Document generation and management: Streamlining the creation and organization of critical documents
- Software code generation: Accelerating development cycles and reducing costs
The federal government recently released an GenAI deployment playbook for the public sector.. The playbook “offers actionable steps state, local, and federal officials can take and examples of how the Department of Homeland Security applied and learned these principles in its own GenAI journey.”
We anticipate that these guidelines will be adopted and adjusted to meet unique state and local requirements. Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform is quickly becoming the trusted solution for supporting bandwidth-heavy GenAI technologies in production. And we’re helping clients move beyond skepticism to trust embedding GenAI deeper into network operations and scaling its use to meet increasing demands.
Continued demand for digital services
Digital transformation remains a top priority for many state and local governments, but the same big challenges with execution remain—limited funding, complexity created by silos, and resource utilization and staffing issues. The focus in 2025 will be on integrating services that meet evolving public expectations while tackling the challenges to deployment.
Check out the City of Philadelphia’s implementation of Juniper’s AI-Native Networking for an example of a municipality creating the infrastructure needed for digital services, including law enforcement and emergency response. And don’t forget that Juniper Mist is StateRAMP certified to help with network security of digital transformation and the procurement processes needed to execute strategy.
Identity and access management (IAM)
To deliver digital services to constituents and provide government employees with access to applications and systems needed to do their jobs, agencies must verify identity and protect access. Fraud prevention, preventing identity theft, physical security around government facilities—they’re all going to be big issues in 2025. IAM is foundational to any security strategy.
Proactive security measures such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and role-based access and governance policies have already been adopted by state and local government but preferred Zero Trust architectures are less widely deployed. We expect to see greater adoption at all levels in 2025. Here’s a handy myth-busting guide that addresses common concerns around Zero Trust in government.
Cybersecurity
Although the federal funding landscape is sure to change with the new administration,
cybersecurity will still be a priority, particularly through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). The pillars of the SLCGP program include:
- Cybersecurity training to build awareness and skills at the local level
- Endpoint detection to protect network devices and reduce vulnerabilities
- Risk assessments to evaluate potential security gaps in current technologies
At the state level, California’s Cal-Secure initiative is a roadmap for addressing threats to infrastructure. We’ve helped many state agencies consolidate their security tools and align with the security framework outlined by the state. Juniper’s approach to AIOps and security helps drastically reduce vulnerabilities while simplifying network and security management.
We’re also supporting the continued evolution of StateRAMP. StateRAMP has recently announced the official adoption of the StateRAMP CJIS-Aligned Overlay. This new overlay is the culmination of months of collaboration between StateRAMP’s members, key state and local government stakeholders, industry leaders, and advisors from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division (FBI CJIS). The overlay is a critical advancement in harmonizing cloud security standards tailored for the specific needs of criminal justice agencies.
Adoption of enterprise architecture
Enterprise architecture (EA) will play a critical role in reducing complexity and driving efficiency in IT operations in 2025. The silos of data, systems, and networks that have typified state and local government IT operations are no longer acceptable. The cost savings and increases in efficiency to be gained from enterprise architectures should compel IT leaders in state and local government to adopt technologies that are more resilient, easier to manage, and lower operating expenses. Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform supports any enterprise architecture.
Trends in EA adoption include:
- Leveraging EA to improve IT procurement and streamline decision-making
- Embracing the CIO-as-a-Broker operating model to centralize technology efforts
- Adopting frameworks like StateRAMP and FedRAMP to evaluate and strengthen technology investments
States will continue to prioritize EA as a foundational element, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with broader strategic goals.
Ready for anything
State and local governments are at a critical juncture. The federal government will undoubtedly create new directives that will require investments in time, money, and resources to execute at local levels. Networking solutions that address the core technological demands of connectivity, performance, and security while emphasizing the user experience can help meet these evolving demands.
The increasing demand for digital services and innovation must be met with robust strategies, investments, and collaboration. By embracing GenAI, strengthening cybersecurity, and building foundational capabilities like IAM and EA, governments will be better positioned to navigate the digital future and deliver value to constituents.
Juniper’s AI-Native Networking solutions directly address government priorities and we invite you to reach out to Juniper sales teams to discuss your plans for this transformative year for public sector technology.
