Topic: Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] Enhancing Cyber Resilience: Integrating AI Strategies

  Presented by Dr. Cheryl Cooper, CISSP, President, & Naeem Babri, Vice President • WiCyS Kansas City

The convergence of business continuity, information security, and organizational resilience forms the cornerstone of cyber resilience, enabling entities to prevent, endure, and recover from cyber threats. This presentation delves into the enhancement of ransomware resilience, with a spotlight on fortifying the Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain. Amidst the escalating prevalence of ransomware, which inflicts substantial financial and operational harm, the presentation will outline strategies to strengthen defenses. The emphasis will be on preemptive actions and incident management, covering backups, recovery processes, containment, and the imperative of employee training on phishing and secure password practices.

Looking ahead, the session will explore the emerging threat of AI-driven ransomware attacks and discuss strategies for future-proofing networks against these sophisticated threats.

There will be three main deliverables:

  1. A comprehensive guide to implementing the Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain for ransomware threat mitigation.
  2. A strategic playbook for integrating artificial intelligence in cyber defense mechanisms.
  3. An actionable framework for employee education and incident response to enhance organizational cyber resilience.

Dr. Cheryl Cooper has over 25 years of experience within the technology and cybersecurity industries, and on top of that, Dr. Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a Telecom Technology Controller. Under her belt, she holds a doctorate in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Assurance, a Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a Specialization in Cybercrime, and multiple certifications– Information System Security Professional (CISSP) under the governing body of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), a Certified Data Privacy Solution Engineer (CDPSE) under the governing body ISACA, and a Certified Information Systems Security Auditor (CISSA).

[1 CPE] Disaster Preparedness and Data Protection Strategies for Business Continuous Availability

  Presented by Stacey Budd, Data Resilience Expert and Sales Engineer Team Leader • Arcserve

As natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and severe winter events become more frequent and intense, businesses face increasing economic and operational challenges. High-profile disasters, including the Camp Fire in 2018, which incurred a staggering $16.5 billion in damages, and Hurricane Maria’s profound impact on Puerto Rico, estimated at $139 billion for full recovery, underscore the escalating financial stakes.

This presentation will explore effective strategies to bolster business resilience in the face of natural catastrophes.

Key elements of the session will include:

  • Critical insights from Arcserve’s annual global research study on disaster preparedness.
  • A comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Checklist tailored for companies.
  • Practical tools designed to safeguard business operations and data resilience.

We will delve into the details of a 5-step disaster and ransomware recovery plan template, as well as the 3-2-1-1 backup strategy, which ensures robust data recovery through multiple backup copies stored both locally and offsite. By implementing these strategies, businesses can minimize financial losses, reduce operational downtime, and achieve a rapid recovery, thereby ensuring continuity even during catastrophic events. This session aims to arm business leaders with the essential tools and knowledge to safeguard their enterprises amidst an increasingly unpredictable global landscape.

[1 CPE] How to Build a High Confidence Cyber Recovery Plan

  Presented by Bharath Nagaraj, Sr Technical Field Director  • Cohesity

In an era where data is both a prime asset and a target, the global cybercrime cost is expected to soar to $10.5 trillion USD by 2025, with ransomware attacks becoming more frequent. Despite this, 80% of organizations doubt their cyber resilience strategies. The importance of being prepared for “black swan” cyber events, which exploit new vulnerabilities and can cause overwhelming damage, is highlighted. Cohesity emphasizes the role of Generative AI in bolstering a company’s security by automating threat detection, ensuring compliance, and promoting collaboration across departments. This approach not only mitigates risks but also aligns with strategic IT resilience planning. In an upcoming discussion led by Cohesity’s Senior Technical Field Director, Bharath Nagaraj, insights into overcoming large organizational challenges, effective response strategies, stakeholder roles, and steps for integrating cyber resilience into IT strategies will be explored, aiming to instill confidence in recovery without succumbing to ransoms.

[1 CPE] Securing the Future: Cyber Insurance and Cybersecurity Strategies for 2024

  Presented by Andrew Livingston, Cyber Security Specialist • Sentinel Technologies

In the dynamic and interconnected digital era of 2024, the landscape of cyber threats continuously evolves, posing unprecedented challenges to businesses worldwide. “Securing the Future: Cyber Insurance and Cybersecurity Strategies for 2024” delves into the intricacies of cyber insurance as a pivotal component of modern business risk management. This presentation offers a thorough exploration of the latest trends in cyber threats that businesses face, such as sophisticated AI-driven attacks, the proliferation of ransomware, and the vulnerabilities introduced by emerging technologies. It highlights the critical challenges that could lead to the denial of cyber insurance claims and potential loss of coverage, emphasizing the importance of compliance, accurate representation of cybersecurity measures, and prompt incident reporting.

Furthermore, the presentation shifts focus towards proactive strategies for enhancing an organization’s cybersecurity posture. It outlines actionable tips for businesses to not only fortify their defenses against cyber threats but also to positively influence their cyber insurance rates. Through a blend of expert insights and practical guidance, the audience will learn about the significance of regular risk assessments, the adoption of multi-factor authentication, encryption, endpoint security, and the development of robust incident response plans. We’ll discuss:

  • Insights into the evolving cyber threat landscape in 2024.
  • Common pitfalls leading to cyber insurance claim denials.
  • Strategies for enhancing cybersecurity measures to favorably impact insurance rates.
  • The future outlook of cyber insurance and the role of emerging technologies.

By the conclusion of this presentation, attendees will be equipped with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of cyber insurance and implement comprehensive cybersecurity strategies. This will not only prepare them to mitigate the risks of cyber threats but also optimize their insurance coverage in the face of an ever-changing digital threat landscape.

[1 CPE] Beyond the Backup: A Look into Resiliency Program Development

  Presented by Jason Tupeck, BCDR Consultant • CompuNet

The presentation “Beyond the Backup: A Look into Resiliency Program Development” delves into the intricacies of building a robust resiliency program beyond traditional backup strategies. It explores the spectrum of disruptive events, from large-scale disasters to smaller, potentially more frequent disruptions, and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive framework for efficient response and recovery. The talk will cover key areas surrounding the “Four Ps”, offering insights into developing a mature resiliency program, emphasizing the importance of prioritization, planning, preparation, and practice as critical steps to enhancing an organization’s ability to navigate through and recover from various disruptions.

[1 CPE] Modernizing Your DR Strategies Against Ransomware

  Presented by Eddie Huang, Sr Systems Engineer • Quest Software

Scenarios of data loss, including ransomware attacks, can be crippling with the inability to access data, interruption of business operations, and in some cases, significant cost penalties. Creating a Disaster Recovery plan becomes critical to be prepared for unforeseen risks.

But where do you begin? Join us to better understand the importance of starting from the beginning and ensuring all stakeholders are involved and armed with a solid understanding of Data Protection before problems such as malicious attacks and general system failures impact an organization.

We’ll focus on:

  • Best practices to adhere to when creating a DR plan with “recovery” as the focus.
  • The importance of viewing Data Protection from this perspective is to better understand what it means to “protect the backup.”

[1 CPE] The SMB’s Playbook for Cybersecurity in 2024

  Presented by BlackPoint IT Services

The SMB’s Playbook for Cybersecurity in 2024 speaking session offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the cybersecurity landscape tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. This presentation traverses the evolution of digital threats, providing insights into past trends and current challenges while forecasting future risks. It emphasizes practical strategies for proactive defense and effective incident response. Attendees will learn about the latest advancements in cybersecurity, gain knowledge on managing cyber incidents, and understand the importance of building a cybersecurity-aware culture. This session is vital for SMBs seeking to enhance their digital resilience against the backdrop of an ever-evolving cyber threat environment.

Speakers:

Andrew Hutchison, Director of Service Delivery at BlackPoint IT Services

Sean Banahan, Director of US Channel Sales at WatchGuard

[1 CPE] How to Prepare and Respond to Data-Oriented Cyberattacks in Realtime

  Presented by Jonathan Halstuch, Co-Founder and CTO • RackTop Systems with SD3IT

Today’s cyber threats call for a new approach to data security, placing protections closer to the data. In this session, you’ll develop an understanding of why advanced cyber storage solutions are critical for defending production data from theft and destructive cyberattacks like ransomware. Learn strategies for reducing your organization’s threat window with a data-centric zero-trust architecture and artificial intelligence. Improve security and cyber hygiene while embracing the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model to ensure your organization’s data is defended during each of the three phases of an attack.

Key takeaways:

  • Stay ahead of insider threats, data theft, ransomware, and extortionware with active defense
  • Improve security and cyber hygiene by aligning with the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model
  • How to involve stakeholders in a data-centric approach to security

[1 CPE] Adding VX to Your LAN: A Primer on Overlay Networks

  Presented by CompuNet

As network infrastructure evolves, overlay networks are gaining popularity due to their ability to enhance network availability, security, and flexibility. Our presentation will offer a comprehensive overview of overlay network protocols and architectures, along with their role in enterprise networks. Join us to discover how overlay networks can benefit your organization and learn more about their implementation and management.

[1 CPE] Cybersecurity Trends for 2023

  Presented by Jeff Simpson, Sr Sales Executive, Cybersecurity Solutions • AT&T Alaska

With Cybersecurity compliance mandates increasing, and attacks on vulnerable supply chains and endpoints on the rise, it has never been more important to assess and take proactive measures to secure your network. This presentation pulls together information from many different analysts and digests their views on which Cybersecurity priorities your organization may face this year, along with the top eight cybersecurity trends for 2023, such as Supply Chain Resilience, Security Architecture Modernization and Data-Centric Transformation.