Archives: Seminar

[1 CPE] KC Tech Specs

  Presented by KC Tech Council

Since 2017, the KC Tech Council has released KC Tech Specs, a report capturing data and analysis around Kansas City’s tech industry. The report is designed to give the tech community, businesses, educators, lawmakers, civic leaders, and students a consolidated, data-driven resource to find information about our region’s tech landscape. Data sources are cited on every page and feature a compilation of relevant statistics from KC Tech Council’s partners such as CompTIA and JobsEQ.

Tech enterprises rely on data to inform and drive business decisions every day. As the voice of Kansas City’s tech industry, we are proud to elevate the data within KC Tech Specs to help us collectively find the opportunities to leverage our strengths, improve our deficiencies and grow together as a tech hub of the future.

Bio: Erin Christensen serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the KC Tech Council, a membership-based association serving as the regional advocate for Kansas City’s tech industry. Prior to her appointment to COO in May 2022, Erin lead workforce initiatives for the Tech Council which included the implementation of a leading tech apprenticeship program. Her role currently focuses on member and sponsor engagement, supporting workforce development, and member program development. Before joining the Tech Council in October 2020, Erin had a long tenure working in higher education with a recent focus on corporate engagement.

She currently serves on the BSIT Advisory Board for The University of Kansas Edwards Campus and on the Industry Executive Council for the North Kansas City School District. Erin is in her second year of the Greater Kansas City Chamber’s Centurions Leadership Program. Receiving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwest Missouri State University, Erin is originally from Rolla, MO but landed in Kansas City in 2014. She currently resides in Lees Summit, MO with her husband and daughter.

[1 CPE] Building a Ransomware Resilience Strategy

  Presented by 11:11 Systems & Zerto

Ransomware attacks are affecting every industry and every size organization with the threats of downtime, data loss, reputation damage, and more. You can protect your organization from these threats by building ransomware resilience into your IT infrastructure. As ransomware threats evolve, so do the available technologies to protect your organization, and having a ransomware resilience strategy is more important than ever. In this session, we will discuss how:

  • The threat of ransomware has become systemic in data recovery planning
    • Prevention alone is not enough, and recovery alone is not enough
  • A ransomware resilience strategy relies on early detection to be effective
  • Air-gapped and isolated recovery are critical for ransomware resilience
  • Speed of recovery and minimal data loss recovery prevent ransom payments

[1 CPE] Hybrid Cloud: Empowering IT with Resiliency, Multicloud Strategies, Optimal Spend, & Sustainability

  Presented by Hitachi Vantara

The hybrid cloud has emerged as a game-changing paradigm for modern IT infrastructure, offering IT Leaders and above a wealth of opportunities to drive innovation and efficiency. With the ever-increasing demand for cyber resiliency, flexibility, and sustainability, it is crucial for IT constituents to grasp the intricacies of the hybrid cloud, including key concepts such as security, multicloud, nearcloud, cloud spend optimization, data refactorization, and sustainability practices.

Throughout the session, real-world case studies and examples will be shared from Day 0, Day 1, and Day 2 customers.

  • Day 0 means you want to take advantage of this new framework but are still working through how to adopt hybrid cloud, how to secure it, and how to recruit proper talent to maximize it.
  • Day 1 means your organization took the first step and has a minimum spend commit they must meet. However, you’re still unsure of how to meet it because you’re still determining which applications to refactor, which containerized microservices to adopt, how to reskill existing talent, and how to implement your compliance and governance strategy.
  • Day 2 means your organization has already overcome these hurdles. Nice work! Instead of worrying about hitting a minimum spend commit, you’re now focused on optimizing your environment to limit sprawling cloud costs and looking towards data repatriation efforts.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and pose questions, fostering a collaborative learning environment. By the end of this session, IT Leaders will have the knowledge and tools necessary to evaluate, plan, and implement hybrid cloud solutions that align with their organization’s goals, including sustainability. Afterall, Hitachi is committed to providing solutions that are exclusively carbon-neutral or zero-carbon, ensuring a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach.

[1 CPE] The Ransomware Recovery Puzzle

  Presented by Peter Martinson, Sr Security Engineer • Sanity Solutions

We all hear about ransomware on the news but are we prepared to deal with it? Join us as we talk through real-life case studies of companies that have gone through ransomware attacks and learn how the process works.

  • Timeline of an attack
  • Recovery of Systems
  • To pay or not to pay
  • Legal concerns
  • Cyber Insurance

We will look at all the pieces of the puzzle and see if we can’t form a picture.

[1 CPE] MDR Services: Enhancing Compliance and Mitigating Cyber Insurance Risks

  Presented by Mitch Gurick, Sr Cybersecurity Specialist • AT&T Business

Join us for a captivating 50-minute discussion on how organizations effectively collaborate with MDR services to secure their business. Discover how MDR services not only help organizations meet critical cyber controls for insurability and superior coverage offerings but also elevate overall protection, significantly reducing the risk of costly data breaches and the financial burdens associated with major incidents.

Whether you’re a small company with limited IT resources or a large enterprise with an in-house SOC group, MDR services are indispensable across all sectors. In an ever-evolving threat landscape, where attackers utilize stolen credentials, security misconfigurations, and legitimate IT tools to bypass defenses, technology alone cannot thwart every attack. Experience the power of 24×7 expert monitoring and response provided by skilled security operations professionals, as we explore how MDR services deliver round-the-clock protection, a feat that is often unattainable for most organizations independently.

Don’t miss out on this enlightening discussion as we delve into the growing reliance on MDR providers to effectively combat sophisticated adversaries and safeguard your business.

[1 CPE] Looking to the Future: Threat and Security Trends for 2023

  Presented by Christopher Fielder, Field Chief Technology Officer • Arctic Wolf

According to global leaders, last year’s concerns are still top of mind, but forward progress is being made. The skill shortage is still a present pain point for most, while cloud security continues to be a major source of concern and the number of breaches pace steadily upwards.

Worry has now become action as organizations evaluate their weaknesses, increase budget plans, and proactively work against rising cyber threats. Join Arctic Wolf Field CTO Christopher Fielder as we review our research into the top threats and security trends businesses are facing along with predictions and guidance for the future.

[1 CPE] A Truly Statewide Strategy for Building the Collective Defense of Arizona

  Presented by ACTRA

As NATO says, an attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. Threat actors continue to victimize both government and business targets without regard to their affiliation or sector. Arizona’s unique strategic partnerships allow it to combine public sector support and private sector ingenuity to break down silos and build a truly statewide community of collaborative cyber defenders.

Speakers:

Ryan Murray, Deputy Director & Interim State CISO, State of Arizona
Frank Grimmelmann, President & CEO, Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance

Ryan Murray joined the Arizona Department of Homeland Security in July 2021 and currently serves as the Deputy Director over Cyber Command and as the Interim Chief Information Security Officer for the State. He also previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Arizona Department of Revenue for three and a half years. In his current role, Deputy Director Murray provides tactical and operational leadership for Cyber Command, and strategic planning, facilitation, and coordination of cybersecurity efforts throughout the State.

Frank J. Grimmelmann serves as President & CEO for the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA), a non-profit entity that was developed collaboratively with the Arizona InfraGard Program, the FBI, USDHS and law enforcement, and independently launched in 2013 to enable its private/public sector member organizations across all critical sectors to enable themselves to respond to the escalating national cybersecurity threat.

[1 CPE] How AI Can Think Like an Attacker

  Presented by Alissa Guevara, Cyber Security Technologist • Darktrace

In the face of skyrocketing cyber risk, detecting and responding to attacks is no longer enough. Organizations must take proactive steps to prevent threats before they happen and to recover if compromised. In this session, Darktrace unveil an ambitious new approach to security, with core engines powering AI technologies to prevent, detect, respond, and ultimately heal from attacks across all areas of their digital environment. Together, these engines combine to strengthen organizations’ security posture in a virtuous AI feedback ‘loop,’ which provides powerful end-to-end, bespoke, and self-learning solutions unique to each organization.

[1 CPE] Keeping Your Campus Safe with Gunshot Detection and Response

  Presented by iT1 Source & EAGL Technology

Today’s unfortunate incidents require a new mindset and improved processes to better address workplace threats. Join us to learn about gunshot technology, developed by the Department of Energy, and using technology to drive a faster response. This session will cover gunshot detection, customizing response actions such as 911 emergency dispatch, email/text notifications, locking access-controlled doors, PA broadcasts, and more.

[1 CPE] Evening the Odds of Cyber Warfare

  Presented by Michael Lettman • Cyber Security Advisor, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Protecting your network and data is always a challenge. Threats can come from hackers looking to cause trouble, disgruntled employees, or users that don’t realize they are being targeted. Possibly the biggest threat now is cyber warfare. Nation States are sponsoring campaigns of disinformation and are constantly looking to disrupt any systems they can. Technology professionals have a great ally in this battle and help is available now.

In this session, you will learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) youngest agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and resources available at “no cost” to State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial governments and organizations with critical infrastructure. Your enemies will use any tools they have, even drones, to attack your systems. Come get the information you need to stay on top of the current threat landscape.

Mike Lettman is the Cyber Security Advisor for Region 9 with the Department of Homeland Security. The mission of cyber security advisors is to provide direct coordination, outreach, and regional support to protect cyber components essential to the sustainability, preparedness, and protection of the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) and State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments. This is primarily accomplished with tools and assessments to test an organization’s resilience and cyber maturity. Mike has served in several capacities on many cyber and security teams, task forces, and committees over his career. He is currently sitting on the Governor’s Arizona Cyber Team (ACT), a member of the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (ACTIC), and a member of the State of Arizona’s Cyber Disruption Planning Group.

Prior to becoming the Arizona CSA, Mike was the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Arizona for 6 years and the CISO for the State of Wisconsin for 8 years. Mike is currently only one of three people in the country that has worked as a CISO for two different state governments. During this time Mike has briefed four Governors offices, many Adjutants Generals, and policy advisors on cyber issues, adversaries, and threats, creating strategies and recommendations to improve the cyber resilience and maturity of those entities. He supported many high-level events such as the Super Bowl, state elections, inaugurations, and government officials lying in state. In addition to high-level events, Mike has organized, participated in, and successfully completed multiple cyber exercises in both states involving government entities, critical infrastructure private sector companies, and the National Guard.