Archives: Seminar

[1 CPE] How to Spend Wisely on Your IT Needs in Spokane: An Interactive Panel Discussion

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Your budget has shrunk, and vendor costs have risen. Sound familiar?

So many IT leaders in Spokane are dealing with the challenges of vendor acquisitions that produce huge cost increases. At times it can seem there is no way to achieve everything expected with the budget allotted. How does anyone succeed in this environment?

Spokane isn’t home to the largest corporations in the country, and your IT budget reflects that. In this panel discussion, the Spoane Advisory Council will share their tricks to maximizing the impact of the money you have to spend. Please join us for an open discussion that will include your questions. We will share experiences in working with vendors, stretching a dollar, and finding alternatives to huge price increases from the vendor community.

Moderator: Adam Pyle, Information Systems Security Manager, Pyrotek, Inc.

Panelists:

  • Laurel Caldwell, Director, IT Services, Latah County, ID
  • Ben Calvert, Chief Information Officer, Vista Title & Escrow
  • Kai Dailey, Executive Director, Ragland Institute
  • Naci Seyhanli, IT Security Analyst, Spokane Regional Health District

[1 CPE] Bridging Zero Trust and SASE: A Unified Approach to Modern Cybersecurity

  Presented by Fortinet

This will be a panel discussion on how organizations can effectively bridge Zero Trust and SASE to create a unified, adaptive cybersecurity architecture that meets the demands of today’s hybrid workforce and threat landscape.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the core principles of Zero Trust and SASE, and how they complement each other.
  • Learn practical strategies for implementing a unified approach without adding complexity or disrupting operations.
  • Gain insights into real-world use cases and lessons learned from organizations successfully integrating these frameworks.

Speakers:

  • Joel Robnett, Director of Sales, Tech Heads, Inc.
  • Steve Sims, Owner, Cruxial Technology Group
  • Michael Lippman, Regional Channel SE US, Fortinet
  • Eric Foster, Systems Engineer, Fortinet

[1 CPE] How to Make AI a Reality in Your Organization

  Presented by Marni Carmichael, Vice President, Marketing • ImageSource

AI adoption is accelerating, yet many organizations struggle to transition AI projects from proof-of-concept to production. The AI Empowerment Blueprint is a structured framework that helps businesses overcome common AI adoption barriers, align AI initiatives with business goals, and implement a governance strategy that ensures ethical and effective AI deployment.

This session will guide attendees through a six-step methodology for AI success, covering key phases such as AI exploration, business value alignment, governance frameworks, and implementation best practices. Learn how to identify AI opportunities, mitigate risks, and build a scalable AI strategy that delivers real business value.

Whether you’re an executive, technologist, or entrepreneur, this presentation will equip you with actionable insights and a proven roadmap to maximize AI’s impact within your organization.

[1 CPE] Achieving Ransomware Resilience and Disaster Recovery in a Multi-Cloud World

  Presented by Mike Dusche, DR & Cyber Resilience Specialist • HPE

Discover how to achieve an always-on 24/7 business, ensuring that customers and stakeholders can expect uninterrupted access to their data and applications. Learn how to solve for Ransomware Resilience, Disaster Recovery, and Multi-Cloud mobility for virtualized environments, with continuous data protection (CDP) for any app, any cloud, and any threat. With the right solutions in place, your organization can seamlessly protect critical data and applications, mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks, and maintain business continuity.

Explore strategies for achieving ransomware resilience, automated disaster recovery planning and testing, and flexible hybrid-cloud capabilities that allow you to move applications and scale capacity on demand. By integrating comprehensive data protection measures, you can ensure compliance with regulatory mandates and provide robust resilience against evolving cyber threats. This approach empowers your IT team to focus on strategic initiatives by reducing the burden of manual recovery processes and ensuring rapid restoration of operations.

[1 CPE] Let’s Talk About the Realities of Security Partnerships

  Presented by Chris Reid, Cybersecurity Strategist, CISSP • MicroAge

Whether you’ve been in the security space for two months or two decades, chances are you’ve worked with a variety of partners, VARs, and resellers. Maybe you’ve followed a trusted rep to a new organization or adapted to someone new after they moved on. We’ve all been there — and there’s no right or wrong approach.

But here’s the challenge: every partner has their own agenda, preferred vendors, and frameworks. So how do you avoid getting caught in the cycle of:

  • Constantly ripping and replacing hardware and software
  • Navigating conflicting security frameworks
  • Wondering if your “experts” are truly advocating for you
  • Questioning how agnostic their recommendations really are
  • And asking yourself — are they actually listening?

Join us for a candid conversation on how to evaluate vendors, manage relationships, set clear expectations, and recognize when your needs — your budget, your time, and your company’s culture — are truly being considered.

Let’s explore how empathy, transparency, and strategy can reshape how we engage with security partners.

[1 CPE] Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack: Prepare, Respond, Recover

  Presented by Torry Williams, Lead Solutions Architect • 11:11 Systems

Recovery plans are no longer optional—they’re inevitable. In today’s evolving threat landscape, every business will be tested. Whether it’s traditional disasters driven by nature or human error, or modern-day crises fueled by cyberattacks and ransomware, the stakes are higher than ever.

How do you ensure your organization is prepared not just to survive, but to recover with confidence? In this session, we’ll cover:

  • The key stages of a cyberattack and what they mean for your business
  • Best practices to reduce your exposure and minimize impact
  • Essential tools and strategies to recover quickly if compromised
  • What a real-world recovery looks like—and how to be ready for it

[1 CPE] Achieving and Maintaining Compliance: A How to Guide

  Presented by Structured

Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) frameworks are essential for organizations seeking to align business operations with regulatory expectations, mitigate risk, and demonstrate accountability. Yet, many enterprises struggle with fragmented processes, overlapping requirements, and the constant evolution of regulatory landscapes. This presentation explores the common challenges organizations face in meeting compliance obligations, including resource constraints, unclear ownership, and the difficulty of sustaining ongoing compliance rather than treating it as a one-time exercise. Attendees will gain insight into practical, repeatable steps for addressing audit findings, closing gaps, and building a culture of compliance that is both resilient and adaptable. By leveraging structured risk assessments, continuous monitoring, and cross-functional collaboration, organizations can move beyond reactive firefighting and achieve a proactive, sustainable GRC posture.

[1 CPE] Modern Data Center Network Automation

  Presented by Jeremy Wallace, Director Product Management, Data Center/IP Fabric Architect  • Juniper Networks

The presentation will focus on Juniper Apstra and Designing Data Centers with Intent. We will discuss the design, deployment, and operation of modern EVPN VXLAN data centers and talk about how machine learning and AI are helping to make data center operations easier for the operators. We hope that the attendees will take away a new appreciation of how modern automation can help solve the hardest data center problems with ease.

[1 CPE] Beyond the Standard: How Aruba’s 700 Series APs Redefines Wi-Fi 7

  Presented by Stefanie Elle, Channel Sales Engineer • HPE Aruba Networking

Wi-Fi 7 is just the beginning. The HPE Aruba Networking 700 Series Access Points go beyond the standard with higher capacity, denser IoT support, advanced wired security with MACsec, software-configurable radios, and more. Powered by AOS-10 and Aruba Central, every Wi-Fi 7 model adds AI-driven optimization, sustainability automation, and deep client insights. The result is a unified platform that transforms next-gen wireless into the foundation for real-time business, IoT innovation, and future-ready connectivity. Join us to discover how the 700 Series goes beyond Wi-Fi 7 to deliver the performance, intelligence, and security your network demands.

[1 CPE] Crisis to Confidence: Enhance Your Incident Response & Recovery with Data Protection

  Presented by Zach Wood, Solutions Architect • Druva

In today’s threat landscape, resilience isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about bouncing forward. Join us for a dynamic session that redefines how organizations approach data protection, recovery, and cyber resilience.

Discover why traditional backup is no longer enough and how modern, SaaS-native strategies can eliminate blind spots, reduce risk, and give you a real competitive edge. We’ll explore the forces reshaping security and IT teams, expose the gaps legacy tools leave behind, and walk through real-world use cases that show how leading organizations are transforming reactive recovery into proactive resilience.

Whether you’re navigating ransomware threats, managing sprawling SaaS ecosystems, or trying to do more with less, this session will equip you with a practical path to greater confidence and control.

Zach Wood is a seasoned Solutions Architect with over 25 years of experience in data protection, encompassing roles as both a customer and sales engineer. For the past four years, he has been an integral part of Druva, a leader in cloud data protection and management solutions, where he leverages his extensive expertise to assist organizations in safeguarding their critical data assets.