Mission Forward: AI-Powered Modernization: From Services-Led to Standards-Based

SAP executive advisors Tahera Zamanzada and Brian Laird explore how federal agencies are shifting from legacy, siloed systems to AI-enabled, standards-based architectures. They discuss reducing technical debt, improving interoperability, and leveraging shared services to scale best practices across government. Rather than “big bang” overhauls, they emphasize incremental pilots, high-value use cases, and progress over perfection—especially when integrating AI with imperfect data. The conversation also highlights cultural challenges, workforce readiness, and the growing demand for modern tools. Ultimately, success lies in aligning technology with mission outcomes, fostering collaboration, and building adaptable, data-driven foundations for the future.