Topic: Information Security

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] SLED Challenges: Budgets, Compliance, E-Rate

  Presented by Michael Townsend, Solutions Architect, & Robert Gherbaz, vCIO • Barracuda & BlackPoint IT

SLED (State/Local Government, Education) customers face unique challenges when adopting new technologies, such as limited budgets, lengthy approval processes, and outdated infrastructure. With over 30 years of experience in the K-12 education sector, Michael understands these hurdles firsthand. His deep insight into the constraints faced by SLED organizations enables him to guide decision-makers through the complexities of implementing new solutions.

In the cybersecurity space, where threats evolve rapidly, Michael helps SLED customers navigate the landscape while working within the confines of limited resources and procedural barriers. His “been there, done that” experience ensures that SLED clients overcome challenges and adopt essential technologies.

[1 CPE] Sprung a Leak! Unit 42’s 2024 Leak Site Analysis

  Presented by Palo Alto Networks & Structured

Unit 42 monitors ransomware and extortion leak sites closely to keep tabs on threat activity and monitors data from dedicated leak sites (DLS) that are often only accessible through the dark web. Throughout our analysis, we compare activity results so that we are accounting for any seasonal fluctuations that can occur due to annual holidays, travel seasons and other recurring events that may impact threat activity. Here we will take a dive into those key leak site trends impacting the state of cybersecurity.

[1 CPE] The Cybersecurity Threat Landscape

  Presented by Andrew Buschbom, Cybersecurity State Coordinator • CISA

In this session, Andrew Buschbom, the Cybersecurity State Coordinator for New Mexico for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will present an overview of the current cybersecurity threat landscape. He will also provide several resources that are available at no cost from CISA. These cybersecurity resources can be added to your tool kit right now.

Andrew Buschbom is a Cybersecurity Specialist with 20 years of experience in Information Security. He previously worked for the State of New Mexico and the Federal Reserve where he had hands-on experience mitigating large, high-profile breaches and dealing with highly motivated global threat actors.

[1 CPE] Cybersecurity Crisis: Generative AI Increasing Threats to Critical Infrastructure

  Presented by Kristen Lucero, Manager, Infosec Cyber Operations and Engineering, PNM Resources • ISACA New Mexico

Cyber threats are on the rise impacting critical infrastructure not only at local and state levels but all across the globe. With the use of generative AI, threat actors are creating sophisticated phishing and social engineering campaigns at record speed. There has been a 30% increase in attacks on critical infrastructure since 2023. According to KnowBe4 that equates to 13 attacks per second.

Critical infrastructure or assets are so crucial to our livelihood that their destruction would have a serious impact from public health to national security. Some of these assets include transportation, supply chain, utilities, and government agencies. All these systems are interconnected starting at the local level. A disruption in one can cause a domino effect on the others.

How are threat actors using generative AI and are organizations developing resilient cybersecurity programs? Are organizations implementing generative AI in their security stack? Developing a strong security culture starts with the basics: training and assessments. Integrating these and other practices into your cybersecurity program will develop a strong security culture to increase resiliency and protection against an evolving threat landscape.

[1 CPE] Challenges and Solutions with Digital Public Services

  Presented by Mark Leech • Director of Technology and Innovation, City of Albuquerque

Local governments continue to face increasing needs for security while meeting expectations to expand digital public services. Strategies must keep up with modern standards for municipalities of greater transparency, growing digital toolsets, and increased mobility for workforce. This session will discuss how these and other solutions shape the digital landscape at the City of Albuquerque.

Mark Leech became the Deputy Director of the Department of Technology and Innovation at the City of Albuquerque in 2019. Before then, he managed the Albuquerque Police Department Technical Services Unit. Between 2008 and 2016, Leech led the City’s efforts in open data, transparency and innovation. As a software developer, he has worked extensively in both public and private sectors.

Director Leech moved from England to New Mexico in 2002 and holds an MSc. in Information Systems Engineering from the University of Wolverhampton, England.

Director Leech continues to support all departments and divisions at City Hall with innovative solutions to keep the City at the forefront of current tech needs, overseeing core city systems, networks, and applications to ensure the operations of City services.

[1 CPE] The Value of Cybersecurity

  Presented by Randy Macias, Manager of Engineering  • Ardham Technologies, Inc.

Cybersecurity is vital for protecting sensitive data, ensuring business continuity, and maintaining customer trust. By investing in robust measures, organizations can prevent costly breaches and support innovation while safeguarding national security. In today’s digital landscape, effective cybersecurity is essential for stability and growth.

[1 CPE] Securing the Modern Workplace with Island: A Revolutionary Enterprise Browser Solution

  Presented by Shawn Surber, Sales Engineer • Datec

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, securing the modern workplace presents unprecedented challenges and complexities. Traditional security measures often fall short in addressing the sophisticated threats that enterprises face, necessitating innovative solutions that can adapt to the dynamic nature of cyber risks. This presentation is designed to introduce a groundbreaking approach to digital security through the lens of Island, an enterprise browser built from the ground up with security and productivity at its core.

We will explore how Island is redefining the standards of enterprise security by offering a comprehensive suite of features tailored to protect and enhance the digital workspace. Attendees will gain insights into how Island’s unique architecture and security-focused functionalities, including advanced data loss prevention (DLP), granular access controls, and seamless integration with existing security ecosystems, are setting a new benchmark in browser capabilities.

Through real-world use cases and success stories, we will demonstrate Island’s effectiveness in mitigating risks, ensuring compliance, and fostering a secure yet flexible work environment. By focusing on the strategic advantages of deploying an enterprise browser solution, we aim to equip security professionals, IT leaders, and business executives with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of modern cybersecurity.

Join us to discover how Island is empowering organizations to embrace the future of work with confidence, balancing the need for rigorous security measures with the demands for productivity and innovation in the digital age.

[1 CPE] When It Comes to Security, The Right Tools Matter

  Presented by Jason Anderson, Channel Sales Engineer, SASE • HPE Aruba Networking & Structured

When it comes to security, the right tools matter. Securing your network no matter where your users are located can be difficult and complex. Over the last year, many IT leaders have embraced a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework to enable faster and more secure connectivity across their global organizations. SASE converges the functions of network and security solutions into a single, cloud-native service that delivers consistent connectivity and security from everywhere. Find out how HPE Unified SASE can help you with tools that are easy to deploy, configure, and manage.

[1 CPE] The Current Threat Landscape Requires a Unique Approach

  Presented by Liran Chen, Vice President, Sales Engineering & Technical Services • Forescout

Specialized threats targeting OT environments have been around since at least 2010, with the reports of Stuxnet. Recognizing the criticality of these devices, Threat Actors have continued evolving, continuing to target OT devices, many of which are inherently insecure-by-design. Research, such as Vedere Labs’ OT:ICEFALL research project and Project Basecamp by Digital Bond from 10 years ago showed how significant the scope of vulnerable devices are that are pervasive in critical infrastructure systems. Today’s SOC needs to not only see those devices and the risks they pose while also ensuring accurate detection of the threats uniquely targeting those OT environments they’re deployed in. This session will explore this unique threat landscape and the capabilities required to combat the threats and automatically mitigate the risks specially targeting Operational Technology environments.

[1 CPE] Modern Logging & Analytics: Will Modularization Make Your SIEM Better?

  Presented by Marty McDonald, Sr Domain Security Advisor • Optiv

In this session, we will discuss trends Optiv is seeing in the SIEM market and how they may relate to your environment. We will focus on the move towards a single collection of logs and routing of those logs to multiple platforms to meet the use cases and requirements of the business and security. Once the collection of the logs is separate from the search, correlation, and analytic layers what does it mean to you?

Marty has 20 years of deep cyber security industry experience gained from a variety of value-added resellers and solutions integrators. Prior roles include Senior Consultant in Security Intelligence for Datalink, and Senior Consultant in the Technology Solutions Delivery team at Accenture. Marty is a cybersecurity professional with experience ranging over a wide variety of clients from small to Fortune 500 corporations in a multitude of industries including government, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, banking, and technology. He has delivered projects for the rationalization of technologies and reference architectures for analytics platforms. He is a subject matter expert (SME) in the design and implementation of Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) systems and is well-versed in creating detection mechanisms that enhance Security Operation Centers (SOC) and compliance effectiveness. He possesses a unique ability to turn business needs into technology solutions in a cost-effective manner for his clients.