Archives: Seminar

[1 CPE] The Current State of Virtualization in 2025

  Presented by Dave Fetters, Field CTO • EVOTEK

In 2025, the landscape of alternative hypervisors continues to evolve as organizations seek lightweight, secure, and high-performance virtualization solutions beyond traditional players like VMware and Hyper-V. Emerging hypervisors such as KVM, Xen, and newer options like Nutanix AHV, Firecracker, Proxmox and Opoenshift are gaining traction due to their minimal overhead and suitability for modern workloads, including microservices and serverless computing. The discussion around these alternatives highlights key considerations such as open-source flexibility, integration with container ecosystems, improved security through microVM architectures, and support for edge and cloud-native deployments. As enterprises prioritize efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Alternative hypervisors are playing a vital role in reshaping virtualization strategies in both public and private cloud environments.

[1 CPE] Outsmart Cybercrime: Protection Optimized with MDR

  Presented by Raymond Neff, Solution Architect • ESET

With the rise of cyber threats and ongoing cyber talent shortage continuing unabated, many organizations are turning toward Managed Detection and Response (MDR). So how can this service enhance an organization’s overall security posture and improve incident response? This presentation explores combatting new threats, like multi-extortion ransomware with MDR how to leverage AI-powered threat detection and response, and human expertise, to prevent new ransomware variants the significance of a prevention-first, holistic cybersecurity strategy.

[1 CPE] Strengthening the Cyber Shield: Private-Public Partnerships at the State and Local Level

  Presented by ACTRA

This session focuses on maturing actionable strategies and collaborative frameworks designed to help IT leaders and cybersecurity professionals navigate today’s dynamic threat landscape. As adversaries increasingly target state and local systems, Arizona’s model for public-private cooperation demonstrates how trusted partnerships, timely threat intelligence sharing, and coordinated incident response can significantly enhance cyber resilience. This session will update participants on practical timely insights into how cross-sector collaboration is being operationalized to protect infrastructure, ensure business continuity, and support a unified cybersecurity posture across the state.

Speakers:

  • Frank J. Grimmelmann, President & CEO, Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance, Inc. (ACTRA)
  • Ryan Murray, Deputy Director, AZ Dept of Homeland Security, CISO, State of Arizona

[1 CPE] Architecture Matters: What You Need to Know When Evaluating SASE & SSE Solutions

  Presented by Jason Bellmont, Platform Solutions Architect • Netskope

SASE and SSE are more than just buzzwords; they represent the future of network and security. But before you entrust all your critical traffic to these cloud solutions, a deeper dive into their underlying architecture is essential. Not all clouds are created equal, and understanding the nuances of these solutions, which are built on the global internet, is paramount for success.

This session will empower attendees with the crucial architectural questions to ask your SASE/SSE providers, ensuring you make an informed decision. We’ll explore:

  • Public vs. Private Cloud: What are the implications for your data and performance?
  • Server Locations: Where are security services hosted, and why does proximity matter?
  • Network Architecture: How is the provider’s network built and managed for optimal reliability and speed?
  • Capacity Management: How do they scale to meet your evolving demands and ensure consistent performance?
  • Performance Measurement: What metrics should you track, and how do providers guarantee their SLAs?
  • Incident Response: What happens when something breaks, and how quickly can services be restored?

Arm yourself with the right questions to build a secure and high-performing SASE/SSE future.

[1 CPE] Role of Network Heartbeat Services in Hybrid Multi-Cloud Transformation

  Presented by Faraz Aladin, Vice President, Technical Marketing • Infoblox

As organizations embrace hybrid multi-cloud strategies, managing core network heartbeat services—DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management (DDI)—becomes increasingly complex. Traditional approaches to DDI often struggle with the scale, agility, and security demands of modern cloud architectures. In this session, we will explore how a cloud-first, automated, and secure DDI solution can enhance network visibility, simplify operations, and improve performance across on-premises and cloud environments.

[1 CPE] FBI Cybersecurity Briefing: Safeguarding Against Modern Threats

  Presented by Nick Smith • FBI Special Agent

Join FBI Special Agent Nick Smith for a discussion on the top cyber threats of today. This presentation will cover some of the basic mitigation strategies available that users can enact right now. This discussion will also provide an overview of the FBI’s role in addressing various cyber threats.

Special Agent Nick Smith is a cyber agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Phoenix Division, focusing on criminal cyber matters including computer intrusions, malware, ransomware, and combating criminal infrastructures. Prior to working for the FBI, Nick served several cyber-related roles across government and within the U.S. Intelligence Community. He also served as a Police Officer in Ohio for several years and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Nick holds a BS in Homeland Security from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MS in Information Systems Engineering from the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. He also maintains certification as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

[1 CPE] Reinventing TPRM: Managing Third-Party Cyber Risk with Intelligence

  Presented by Mark Nafe, Director, Solutions Consulting • RiskRecon by Mastercard

In today’s hyperconnected enterprise, your cybersecurity risk doesn’t end at the firewall—it extends to every vendor, supplier, and partner in your digital ecosystem. Yet many organizations struggle to gain visibility into third-party risk, relying on outdated methods that can’t keep pace with modern threats.

This session explores how leading organizations are leveraging machine learning, threat intelligence, and continuous monitoring to transform their third-party risk management (TPRM) programs from reactive check-the-box exercises into proactive, intelligence-driven strategies. You’ll learn how advanced technologies are enabling security teams to identify high-risk vendors before they become the weak link—and how TPRM is evolving into a critical pillar of enterprise resilience.

Whether you’re already managing vendor risk or just starting to explore the issue, this session will provide the business case, practical frameworks, and technology insights you need to elevate your security posture.

[1 CPE] Active Directory: Ransomware, Risk, Review, Recovery

  Presented by Rob Ingenthron, Sr Solution Engineer • Semperis

Cyberattackers are adept at finding ways through your defenses and into identity systems like Active Directory. Many organizations use Active Directory as the primary identity service, and Active Directory is typically tied into almost everything, including Entra ID. From there, they can move laterally, escalate privileges, access sensitive resources, and inject malware or ransomware. Implementing a layered defense that includes identity threat detection and response (ITDR) is key to protecting your operational resilience.

Join Rob Ingenthron, Sr Solution Engineer, to learn:

  • How layered defense has changed over time
  • Why ITDR is now an essential part of a robust layered defense strategy
  • The continuing importance of hygiene and auditing for Active Directory
  • How a layered defense can help you combat attacks that are designed to bypass traditional methods of defense
  • Which best practices lead to a strong layered defense

[1 CPE] Hackers Gonna Hack: When Defenses Break Down

  Presented by Jason Graun, Director of Sales Engineering • Fortinet

Organized threat actors continue to be the most dangerous risk in Cybersecurity. The tactics used to get into endpoints are constantly evolving in sophistication and scale. In this session, we will discuss industry trends/challenges, as well as walk through the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by threat actor groups by using a known active group as an example. We will also discuss practical real-world situations and how to defend against them using a unique approach to stopping ransomware before it becomes an active breach.

Jason Graun is the Sales Engineering Director for the Fortinet Security Operations team. He brings over 20 years of experience in information security and has spent 11 years at Fortinet. He regularly speaks at industry events, CIO/CISO summits, and works closely with IT executives to understand the business challenges they face in securing assets across an ever increasingly mobile workforce. Jason’s focus is to find ways technology can solve the biggest challenges in information security, he also holds a patent on cloud security malware inspection methods.