Topic: Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] How (Not) To Build a Fire Department

  Presented by Tom Simonis, Sr Sales Engineer, Enterprise US • Arctic Wolf

This presentation uses the analogy of building a fire department to explore the realities, risks, and misconceptions organizations face when attempting to build and operate an in-house cybersecurity function or Security Operations Center (SOC). Grounded in global research from over 1,000 security and IT professionals, the session highlights persistent trends such as rising data breaches, increasing ransomware attacks, growing attack surfaces, and the ongoing shortage of skilled cybersecurity talent. It demonstrates why cybersecurity—while mission-critical to business continuity—is not a core business function for most organizations, and why treating it as such often leads to inefficiency, burnout, wasted spend, and increased risk.

Through real-world data and practical examples, the presentation walks through what “state-of-the-art” cyber defense actually entails: 24×7 coverage, specialized skills, integrated tools, continuous improvement loops, and proactive threat intelligence. It contrasts this ideal with the common reasons in-house SOCs fail, including limited operating hours, lack of authority, underestimation of integration and tuning efforts, overreliance on point solutions, and the misconception that technology or AI alone can solve structural gaps. The session concludes with actionable insights on measuring and improving cybersecurity maturity, emphasizing the importance of people, process, and operational discipline—and reinforcing why many organizations achieve better outcomes by focusing on preparedness, resilience, and strategic partnerships rather than trying to “build their own fire department.”

Key themes addressed include:

  • Current cybersecurity and ransomware trends impacting organizations globally
  • The true cost and complexity of building and maintaining an in-house SOC
  • Why talent shortages and burnout continue to undermine security operations
  • Characteristics of mature, state-of-the-art cyber defense programs
  • Common pitfalls that cause in-house SOCs to fail
  • Practical guidance for measuring, optimizing, and continuously improving security posture

[1 CPE] Why Layered Identity Defense Is the Best Offense

  Presented by Sean Deuby, Principal Technologist, Americas • Semperis

Cyberattackers are adept at finding ways through your defenses and into identity systems like Active Directory, Entra ID, and Okta, and endpoint defenses won’t stop them. From there, they can move laterally, escalate privileges, access sensitive data and resources, and inject malware or ransomware. Implementing a layered defense that includes identity threat detection and response (ITDR) and robust identity recovery is key to true cyber resilience.

Join Sean Deuby, Principal Technologist, Semperis, to learn:

  • How layered defense has changed over time
  • Why ITDR and identity recovery are essential to a robust layered defense strategy
  • How a layered defense can help you combat attacks that are designed to bypass traditional attack-detection methods
  • Which best practices lead to identity—and cyber—resilience

[1 CPE] Ransomware Resilience: Navigating Threats in a Hybrid-Cloud World

  Presented by Ken Smallwood, Systems Engineer, Data Services and Storage • HPE

This presentation explores how organizations are navigating rising cyber threats, evolving workloads, and stricter regulations while managing legacy environments. We will discuss the growing risk of ransomware, fragmented data across cloud and edge, and the need for unified, resilient data protection strategies.

[1 CPE] Data Resilience in the Age of Attack: Protect What Matters

  Presented by Landra Pierce, Product Strategy Technologist • Veeam

Cyberattacks are no longer a distant threat; they are a reality every IT team must be prepared for. When an attack occurs, your data becomes both the primary target and the key to recovery. Many organizations still rely on backup strategies that are designed for hardware failures or accidental deletions, rather than today’s threats, like ransomware, insider risk, and automated attacks. This disconnect creates vulnerabilities, especially when backups become an overlooked entry point in your security strategy. In this session, we will address these challenges to help you better protect your organization.

This session is ideal for IT professionals who want greater confidence in safeguarding their data and peace of mind. We will examine the most common oversights that leave organizations, including those in government, education, healthcare, and other sectors, exposed to cyberthreats. You’ll discover how teams are advancing beyond basic backup to adopt a cyber-ready approach, including topics like immutability, threat awareness, rapid recovery, and intelligent automation.

Our focus will be practical and grounded in real-world scenarios, and what truly works when pressure is high and time is limited. Because when every minute counts and trust is at stake, data resilience means more than surviving an attack. It’s about protecting what matters most and emerging even stronger.

[1 CPE] Ransomware Resilience: Navigating Threats in a Hybrid-Cloud World

  Presented by Ken Smallwood, Systems Engineer, Data Services and Storage • HPE

This presentation explores how organizations are navigating rising cyber threats, evolving workloads, and stricter regulations while managing legacy environments. We will discuss the growing risk of ransomware, fragmented data across cloud and edge, and the need for unified, resilient data protection strategies.

[1 CPE] Data Resilience in the Age of Attack: Protect What Matters

  Presented by Landra Pierce, Product Strategy Technologist • Veeam

Cyberattacks are no longer a distant threat; they are a reality every IT team must be prepared for. When an attack occurs, your data becomes both the primary target and the key to recovery. Many organizations still rely on backup strategies that are designed for hardware failures or accidental deletions, rather than today’s threats, like ransomware, insider risk, and automated attacks. This disconnect creates vulnerabilities, especially when backups become an overlooked entry point in your security strategy. In this session, we will address these challenges to help you better protect your organization.

This session is ideal for IT professionals who want greater confidence in safeguarding their data and peace of mind. We will examine the most common oversights that leave organizations, including those in government, education, healthcare, and other sectors, exposed to cyberthreats. You’ll discover how teams are advancing beyond basic backup to adopt a cyber-ready approach, including topics like immutability, threat awareness, rapid recovery, and intelligent automation.

Our focus will be practical and grounded in real-world scenarios, and what truly works when pressure is high and time is limited. Because when every minute counts and trust is at stake, data resilience means more than surviving an attack. It’s about protecting what matters most and emerging even stronger.

[1 CPE] Leading Through Crisis: IT Lessons from Alaska’s Emergency Response

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

In October 2025, Typhoon Halong caused widespread disruption across Western Alaska, testing the resilience of infrastructure, communications, and response teams. The event offered a powerful case study in organizational resilience. While many had disaster recovery plans in place, the ability to execute under pressure—while maintaining clear, reliable communication—proved to be the defining factor.

IT teams were at the center of response efforts, from restoring systems to enabling critical lines of communication for employees, partners, and communities. The experience revealed that resilience isn’t just technical—it’s operational.

In this interactive panel, regional leaders share hard-earned lessons from the field. Discover how to strengthen your response plans, run effective drills, and ensure your organization is ready when it matters most. Audience Q&A will provide an opportunity to explore challenges specific to your environment.

Panelists:

  • Paul Fussey, Operations Manager, Alaska Land Mobile Radio
  • Aaron Mute, Director, Information Technology, Association of Village Council Presidents
  • Brian Noonan, Systems Engineer, Alaska Railroad Corp.
  • Dave Reilly, Planning Program Manager, AK Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

[1 CPE] Why Layered Identity Defense Is the Best Offense

  Presented by Sean Deuby, Principal Technologist, Americas • Semperis

Cyberattackers are adept at finding ways through your defenses and into identity systems like Active Directory, Entra ID, and Okta, and endpoint defenses won’t stop them. From there, they can move laterally, escalate privileges, access sensitive data and resources, and inject malware or ransomware. Implementing a layered defense that includes identity threat detection and response (ITDR) and robust identity recovery is key to true cyber resilience.

Join Sean Deuby, Principal Technologist, Semperis, to learn:

  • How layered defense has changed over time
  • Why ITDR and identity recovery are essential to a robust layered defense strategy
  • How a layered defense can help you combat attacks that are designed to bypass traditional attack-detection methods
  • Which best practices lead to identity—and cyber—resilience

[1 CPE] Can Attackers Take Down Your Identity Provider?

  Presented by Sarah Cecchetti, Director of Product Management • Semperis

What would happen if an attacker came after your Active Directory, Okta, Ping, or Entra? Do you think that’s going to get easier or harder for the attacker if your company is AI-enabled? Do you have the right protections to keep them out? Do you know what to do if they get in and take down everyone’s ability to log in? Find out how the world’s top companies are securing their identity infrastructure in the age of AI. Make sure you have plans in place to recover quickly and be the hero if the worst happens.

[1 CPE] Data Resilience in the Age of Attack: Protect What Matters

  Presented by Landra Pierce, Product Strategy Technologist • Veeam

Cyberattacks are no longer a distant threat; they are a reality every IT team must be prepared for. When an attack occurs, your data becomes both the primary target and the key to recovery. Many organizations still rely on backup strategies that are designed for hardware failures or accidental deletions, rather than today’s threats, like ransomware, insider risk, and automated attacks. This disconnect creates vulnerabilities, especially when backups become an overlooked entry point in your security strategy. In this session, we will address these challenges to help you better protect your organization.

This session is ideal for IT professionals who want greater confidence in safeguarding their data and peace of mind. We will examine the most common oversights that leave organizations, including those in government, education, healthcare, and other sectors, exposed to cyberthreats. You’ll discover how teams are advancing beyond basic backup to adopt a cyber-ready approach, including topics like immutability, threat awareness, rapid recovery, and intelligent automation.

Our focus will be practical and grounded in real-world scenarios, and what truly works when pressure is high and time is limited. Because when every minute counts and trust is at stake, data resilience means more than surviving an attack. It’s about protecting what matters most and emerging even stronger.