Digital infrastructure is the silent force behind every mission-critical service—until it breaks. This keynote reveals how Georgia is reengineering its backbone systems to be resilient, intelligent, and cloud-native by design, turning invisible architecture into a strategic advantage for the state.

• What No One Sees But Everything Depends On: Uncovering the silent backbone of government operations—from orchestration layers to invisible integrations.
• From Infrastructure to Intelligence: Making infrastructure not just a support system, but a strategic enabler of automation, analytics, and AI.
• Zero Trust and Cloud-Native by Design: Designing resilient systems that assume failure—and recover from it gracefully.
• The New Mission-Critical: How to prioritize infrastructure investments when every system and every moment is high stakes.

Cybersecurity is inseparable from public safety—protecting sensitive data and critical systems underpins trust in government services. In this keynote, Rhonda Westbrook spotlights how Georgia is moving from strategy to scaled action, building resilience across justice and public safety agencies.

• Linking cybersecurity priorities with law enforcement operations and public safety outcomes.
• Strengthening data integrity and information-sharing while mitigating risks.
• Building cyber awareness and readiness through empowered teams and internal champions.
• Sustaining resilience with strong governance, performance metrics, and leadership commitment.

Agencies are shifting from reactive reporting to real-time decision-making. Learn how cloud-native tools, AI, and analytics are improving responsiveness and transparency.

• Cloud-native real-time systems – Explore how agencies are adopting scalable, cloud-native platforms that provide instant access to critical data, enabling rapid responses to emerging challenges and more flexible resource management.
• AI-enabled insights – Learn how artificial intelligence is being applied to identify trends, detect anomalies, and predict outcomes, empowering leaders with smarter, faster, and more accurate decision-making capabilities.
• Transparent governance – See how real-time data sharing and automated reporting are helping agencies strengthen accountability, build public trust, and comply with oversight requirements with greater ease.
• Mission-aligned analytics – Understand how agencies are tailoring analytics to directly support program goals and policy objectives, ensuring that data-driven decisions advance core missions rather than add unnecessary complexity.

Modernizing the entire citizen journey requires seamless back-end and front-end integration. See how Georgia is simplifying interactions and improving accessibility by design.

• Design thinking & journey maps – Discover how Georgia is applying design thinking principles and citizen journey mapping to understand pain points, streamline processes, and create digital services that feel intuitive and human-centered.
• Omni-channel access – Explore how the state is enabling citizens to engage seamlessly across web, mobile, phone, and in-person channels, ensuring consistent service experiences regardless of how people choose to connect.
• Accessibility compliance – Learn how accessibility standards are being embedded into digital design from the start, making government services more inclusive for people of all abilities and reducing barriers to participation.
• Privacy-first identity – See how privacy-by-design identity management solutions are balancing secure authentication with ease of use, building citizen trust while protecting sensitive personal information.

What happens when modernization, data, and automation converge? This panel explores the organizational shifts and governance models that are aligning tech with strategy.

• Future-ready tech – Understand how agencies are modernizing their IT foundations with cloud, automation, and AI to create flexible, scalable systems that can evolve with emerging priorities and citizen needs.
• Policy-aligned systems – See how technology roadmaps are being shaped by legislation and statewide strategies, ensuring that modernization directly supports compliance, equity goals, and long-term public outcomes.
• Trust-based governance – Explore new governance models that prioritize ethical use of AI and data, foster transparency, and strengthen trust between agencies, policymakers, and the public.
• Agile, cyber-aware investment – Learn how leaders are adopting agile funding approaches that balance innovation with cybersecurity, directing resources where they deliver the most value while mitigating risk.

Srinivasan Kannabiran

Director, IT Applications, Georgia Technology Authority

Natalie Lee

Deputy Geospatial Information Officer, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Brent O'Guin

AI Advisory Council/Artificial Intelligence Strategist and Architect, Georgia Institute of Technology

Exploring how Georgia’s agencies can maintain mission continuity during disruptions—from cyber incidents to system failures.

• Linking data backup, incident response, and continuity plans.
• Building redundancy across state and local systems.
• Coordinating with GTA, GBI, and local CIO councils for faster recovery.
• Maintaining transparency and trust during crises.

AI is no longer experimental—it's operational. This session explores real-world applications of AI in fraud detection, low-code workflows, and scalable decision systems.

• Case automation & fraud detection – See how agencies are leveraging AI to automate repetitive casework, flag anomalies, and detect fraud in real time, freeing staff to focus on higher-value tasks while protecting public funds.
• Low-code deployment – Learn how low-code and no-code AI tools are accelerating solution delivery, empowering non-technical staff to build workflows and applications that drive efficiency and reduce IT bottlenecks.
• Full-scope analytics – Explore how AI-powered analytics provide end-to-end visibility across programs, enabling data-driven insights that improve service delivery, optimize resources, and strengthen accountability.
• Cybersecurity readiness – Understand how AI is being embedded into cybersecurity strategies to detect threats earlier, automate responses, and enhance resilience against increasingly sophisticated attacks.

To deliver services before citizens ask, Georgia is tapping into secure digital identity and event-driven infrastructure. This session showcases how proactive models are reshaping service delivery.

• Event-based delivery platforms – Learn how Georgia is building event-driven digital infrastructure that triggers services automatically (e.g., birth registrations, license renewals), reducing manual applications and streamlining citizen interactions.
• Timely AI services – See how AI is being used to anticipate citizen needs, personalize outreach, and deliver resources at the right moment—whether for benefits, healthcare, or emergency response.
• Integrated ID systems – Explore how secure, unified digital identity solutions are enabling seamless verification across agencies, cutting duplication while protecting privacy and strengthening trust.
• Real-time communication – Discover how agencies are deploying multi-channel, real-time communication tools to keep citizens informed instantly, from service updates to emergency alerts, ensuring accessibility and transparency.