Topic: Information Security

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] Preparing for AI-Era Security Risks: A Practical Framework for SMB Protection

  Presented by Sajeel Akram, Director of Microsoft Services • C1st Technologies

Cybercriminals increasingly target small and mid-sized businesses because they often lack enterprise-level defenses. This session examines current threat trends and provides practical guidance for protecting identities, endpoints, cloud applications, and sensitive data. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen security posture, reduce business risk, and prepare for emerging AI-related security challenges.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why SMBs are prime targets for cybercriminals.
  • How identity attacks, phishing, ransomware, and insider risks impact businesses.
  • Security best practices for protecting users, devices, and data.
  • The role of automation and AI in modern cybersecurity operations.
  • Steps organizations can take immediately to improve resilience and compliance.

Sajeel Akram is Director of Microsoft Services at C1st Technologies and specializes in Microsoft cloud, security, identity, compliance, and AI solutions. Sajeel works with organizations across multiple industries to modernize IT operations, strengthen cybersecurity posture, and safely adopt AI technologies. With extensive experience in Microsoft 365, Azure, security operations, governance, and compliance, Sajeel helps businesses implement practical security strategies that balance protection, productivity, and regulatory requirements.

[1 CPE] The 2026 AI SOC Leadership Report: What Security Leaders Really Want

  Presented by Matthew Michaels, Account Executive • Torq

Torq surveyed 450 SOC leaders globally to find out what AI is actually doing inside the SOC. The findings challenged some assumptions — and confirmed others.

We’ll dig into insights including:

  • Why 97% of security leaders are confident AI can handle triage, but only 35% are using it there
  • What’s behind the trust barrier that 92% of leaders say is holding AI back
  • What 85% of leaders mean when they say they want a “unified platform”
  • Where teams plan to expand AI over the next 12 months — and what’s standing in their way

[1 CPE] Building a Fortress, Not Just a Network

  Presented by Bob Phelps, Network Solution Engineer • Arista Networks

The cybersecurity landscape shifted fundamentally when Project Glasswing demonstrated that AI can identify thousands of software zero-days faster than human maintainers can write patches. For enterprise IT and Security leaders, relying solely on endpoint or application-level patching is no longer a viable strategy.

Join us to discover how forward-thinking enterprise teams are changing the defense paradigm. By leveraging the network itself as an autonomous detection and enforcement engine, you can isolate vulnerable workloads, neutralize zero-day exploits in real time, and build an infrastructure that stays resilient, even when the underlying software platform is compromised.

  • Defend the Network: Hardened network, hitless smart upgrades, and automation with CloudVision operation center
  • Defend with the Network: Visibility across every device and packet to minimize lateral movement
  • Security built in by design: Single OS leads to significantly fewer vulnerabilities and visibility across devices

[1 CPE] How the Empire Could Have Saved the Death Star Using Microsoft Security Tools

  Presented by High Point Networks

Discover how modern cloud security solutions can protect even the most vulnerable environments—like the Death Star! In this engaging and imaginative session, we’ll use the infamous breach of the Death Star as a case study to explore how Microsoft 365 and Azure security tools can defend against advanced threats.

Learn how robust cloud defenses could have changed the course of galactic history and how these strategies can be applied to safeguard your business.

[CANCELED] Staying Ahead of Threats in an AI World

  Presented by Hamilton Business Technologies

This session will not take place as planned, and we appreciate your flexibility.

As artificial intelligence accelerates the evolution of cyber threats, organizations require a holistic approach to risk management. Rather than waiting for compliance standards to catch up, businesses must dynamically leverage their Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) frameworks alongside advanced technical protections. By combining proactive governance with forward-thinking security measures, you can build a comprehensive defense to safeguard your organization against tomorrow’s AI-driven attacks.

Join our Senior Cybersecurity & vCIO Architect to learn:

  • How the rapid advancement of AI is altering the cybersecurity threat landscape
  • Strategies for identifying and mitigating emerging risks before they become active threats
  • How to utilize GRC frameworks dynamically to build a proactive security posture
  • The importance of implementing advanced technical protections beyond baseline compliance
  • Why waiting for regulatory mandates leaves your organization vulnerable
  • How to create a holistic defense strategy that integrates governance with modern security tools
  • Best practices for evaluating and deploying next-generation protections to secure your environment

[1 CPE] State of the Union: Annual Information Security Report

  Presented by Charles Killmer, Sr Security Analyst and Solution Architect • FRSecure

The result of over 100 incident cases handled by the FRSecure response team in the last two years, Sr Security Analyst and Solution Architect Charles Killmer will dive into the latest threats and response techniques you need to know—and what you can do to minimize the risk and impact of similar events. The breakdown will cover Business Email Compromise, Ransomware, and Internal Compromise. You can’t afford to miss it!

[1 CPE] Proving Cyber Resilience: Measuring Outcomes, Not Effort

  Presented by Grant LaRocca, Sales Engineer • Horizon3

Most security programs measure effort — not outcomes. Organizations patch thousands of vulnerabilities, deploy dozens of tools, and run annual tabletop exercises… but when an attacker shows up, none of that matters.

What matters is whether they can prove their defenses actually work.

In this talk, Horizon3 shares how leading organizations are using autonomous pentesting to see their environment through the attacker’s eyes — continuously, safely, and at scale. By shifting from assumptions to proof, they’ve learned to:

  • Prioritize what’s exploitable. Focus limited resources on the weaknesses that truly put the business at risk that are known to be abused by threat actors.
  • Quickly fix what matters. Close the loop from find → fix → verify and reduce your exploitable attack surface.
  • Reduce attacker dwell time. Use pentest results to precisely deploy honeyTokens to detect compromise early, and to continuously prove your EDR and SIEM are tuned and working as intended.

Cyber resilience isn’t about being perfect — it’s about getting better over time. And the only perspective that truly matters is the attacker’s.

[1 CPE] From Disruption to Enablement: Rethinking IT After 25 Years of Change

  Presented by Scott Taylor • Vice President for Information Technology & CIO, Creighton University

Over the past 25 years, IT organizations have navigated an extraordinary series of disruptions from enterprise systems and consumerization to cloud, cybersecurity, the pandemic, and now, artificial intelligence. Each wave has reshaped not only the technology we manage, but how people work, how organizations operate, and what they expect from IT.

Through it all, IT has adapted. We’ve modernized infrastructure, embraced new delivery models, protected increasingly complex environments, and helped our organizations navigate enormous change. But as technology becomes more distributed, accessible, intelligent, and embedded in nearly everything our organizations do, we face a bigger question: Is adapting our technology enough or is it time to rethink the role of IT itself?

From Disruption to Enablement looks back at 25 years of change to consider where IT goes next. It challenges us to move beyond defining ourselves by the technology we manage and instead consider a broader purpose: enabling our organizations and our people to accomplish more through technology. And as the pace of disruption continues to accelerate, it asks us to consider how we build IT organizations that are not simply prepared for the next wave of change, but are designed to continuously learn, adapt, and enable what comes next.

Scott A. Taylor is Vice President for Information Technology & CIO at Creighton University, where he leads the university’s technology strategy, operations, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, infrastructure, and digital transformation initiatives. He oversees a broad portfolio of services that support teaching, learning, research, and administrative operations across the university.

With nearly 30 years of leadership experience across higher education and healthcare, Scott has held technology leadership roles at institutions including Creighton University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Michigan, Boise State University, and others. Throughout his career, he has led transformational initiatives focused on technology governance, cybersecurity, service management, organizational design, digital modernization, and strategic planning.

Scott is recognized for helping organizations move beyond traditional IT support models and into strategic enablement, aligning technology investments, services, and talent with institutional priorities. His work has included building governance frameworks, advancing enterprise service management capabilities, strengthening cybersecurity programs, modernizing technology operations, and developing high-performing teams equipped to lead through change.

A passionate advocate for servant leadership, Scott’s leadership philosophy is shaped by nearly 30 years of experience leading organizational and technology transformation. He focuses on building healthy organizations, developing leaders, and creating cultures of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Scott believes that successful transformation is ultimately about people, culture, and leadership, with technology serving as a powerful catalyst for organizational success.

[1 CPE] Attackers Aren’t Breaking In, They’re Logging In

  Presented by Ceci Mathiesen, Enterprise Regional Sales Manager • CyberFOX

Access is the attack surface. Every security framework comes back to the same four fundamental access controls: privilege, credentials, network, and destinations. The problem is that these controls were designed for organizations with dedicated security teams, while lean IT teams are left to operate them with limited time, people, and resources.

This session breaks down what access actually looks like in practice: what a single credential can reach, why AI agents can inherit the same permissions you have, and why proving who had access matters more than simply describing your controls.

[1 CPE] Cybersecurity in 2026: What Your Peers Are Doing

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

You have built a cybersecurity program around the budget, tools, and talent available to you—but evolving threats continue to test even mature organizations. As AI-powered attacks accelerate and security teams confront ransomware, identity-based threats, cloud risk, and third-party exposure, how can you strengthen your defenses without adding unnecessary complexity? This panel will explore how Zero Trust, cyber resilience, threat intelligence, automation, and practical risk management can help you determine what to prioritize next.

Join the INTERFACE Omaha Advisory Council for a candid discussion about what is working, what is falling short, and what comes next. The panel will examine the changing threat landscape, including AI-enabled attacks, ransomware, identity and access management, cloud security, third-party risk, and the ongoing human element of cybersecurity. You will hear practical lessons about building cyber resilience, managing talent changes, and strengthening security awareness. Bring your questions and leave with meaningful takeaways you can use to help prioritize your organization’s next security investment.

Panelists:

  • Bryce Bailey, Deputy CIO & Chief Information Security Officer, State of Nebraska
  • Seth Doty, Head of Security and Infrastructure, ARIVE
  • Rob LaMagna-Reiter, Chief information Security Officer, Woodman Life
  • Dana Turner, Chief Information Security Officer, Union Bank and Trust