Topic: Infrastructure

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] Beyond the Box: Rethinking IT Deployment at Scale

  Presented by Samer Kandah, Sr Solutions Architect • C1

Organizations spend significant time evaluating and purchasing new technology, but the success of a modernization initiative often depends on what happens after the equipment arrives. Configuration, asset tracking, staging, logistics, and deployment can quickly become operational bottlenecks at scale. This session will explore how IT organizations can rethink technology deployment as a repeatable and scalable lifecycle. We’ll look at strategies for centralizing configuration and staging, improving asset visibility, reducing the amount of work required onsite, and creating more consistent deployment outcomes. We’ll also discuss how automation, zero-touch provisioning, and emerging AI capabilities can improve these processes and help organizations get technology into the hands of their users faster and with less disruption to their internal IT teams.

[1 CPE] The New Hypervisor Landscape: Market Shifts, Platform Tradeoffs, and Migration Paths

  Presented by Mike Bullough, Principal Engineer, Solution Engineering • CompuNet

This presentation explores the current state of enterprise virtualization after VMware’s transition to a more tightly bundled, subscription-based model. It compares the leading replacement paths including Hyper-V, Nutanix, Proxmox, HPE VME, and cloud first strategies, and examines how cost, maturity, ecosystem fit, and operational complexity are shaping the way infrastructure leaders approach virtualization strategy.

[1 CPE] Simplifying IT Infrastructure with Modern Hyperconverged Platforms

  Presented by Eric Skaare, Regional Channel Manager • Scale Computing

Managing servers, storage, and virtualization across multiple locations can increase complexity, cost, and administrative overhead. This session explores how modern hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platforms simplify IT operations by consolidating core infrastructure into a unified solution. Attendees will learn how organizations are improving performance, enhancing resilience, reducing hardware footprints, and streamlining management across distributed environments. The session will also examine key considerations when evaluating HCI platforms and strategies for freeing IT teams to focus on higher-value initiatives rather than day-to-day infrastructure management.

[1 CPE] Agile Infrastructure: Transforming 5G and LEO Satellite into Enterprise-Grade WANs

  Presented by Ericsson

Legacy terrestrial networks often introduce deployment delays and single points of failure that modern enterprise and public sector operations cannot tolerate. From distributed commercial storefronts and temporary pop-up locations to emergency response vehicles and IoT ecosystems, organizations require agile, secure, and resilient connectivity that deploys in hours, not months. This session examines how Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions, powered by Ericsson Cradlepoint wireless edge endpoints and the NetCloud platform, converts cellular and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite transports into a predictable network utility.

We will explore the operational realities of combining public, private, and non-terrestrial networks into a cohesive WAN edge. For the leadership in the room, we will discuss how this hybrid architecture accelerates time-to-market, ensures business continuity during physical fiber cuts, and simplifies zero trust security through integrated SASE. For the technical architects and partners, we will break down the edge mechanics required to achieve this, including link steering and bonding, device-level routing policies, and the management of differing latency profiles across simultaneous wireless link types. Attendees will leave with a practical blueprint for engineering high-performance, resilient connectivity anywhere, without infrastructure constraints.

[1 CPE] Future-Ready Infrastructure: Enabling AI, Security, and Resilience

  Presented by Nutanix

As agencies evaluate generative AI, cybersecurity modernization, and digital services, infrastructure has become a strategic decision rather than simply an operational one. This session examines how public sector IT leaders are simplifying operations, increasing resiliency, and preparing their environments to support emerging AI workloads without sacrificing security or budget predictability. Attendees will leave with practical considerations for infrastructure modernization, virtualization strategy, and building a platform capable of supporting tomorrow’s government services.

[1 CPE] Global SASE, Local Advantage: Why Inspection Location Matters

  Presented by Blackfoot Communications & Cato Networks

Speakers: Eric Midtlyng, Director of Product Management, Blackfoot Communications and Michael MacLean, Channel Sales Engineer, Cato Networks

As organizations adopt Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architectures, many discover that security effectiveness depends not only on the platform itself, but also on where inspection occurs and how traffic reaches security services.

This session explores the architectural considerations that influence user experience, application performance, security visibility, and operational resiliency in modern SASE deployments. Attendees will learn how regional security presence, traffic localization and resilient connectivity can improve outcomes for distributed organizations.

Using real-world deployment examples, we will examine the role of localized security inspection, digital experience monitoring, and emerging AI-powered security capabilities. The session will conclude with demonstrations and practical guidance for evaluating SASE architectures that balance global reach with local performance and operational simplicity.

[1 CPE] Industry Leading Alternatives to VMware and Legacy Hypervisors

  Presented by Eric Skaare, Regional Channel Manager • Scale Computing & INVITE Networks

As organizations modernize, many are seeking robust alternatives to traditional hypervisors. This session explores how Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) simplifies IT, improves resilience, and reduces operational complexity across data center and edge environments.

We will highlight Scale Computing, an all-in-one HCI platform that integrates compute, storage, and virtualization. Additionally, we will showcase how Parallels VDI seamlessly layers on top to deliver secure, easy-to-manage virtual desktops. Together, they provide a powerful, cost-effective alternative to complex legacy stacks like VMware and VMware Horizon.

[1 CPE] Doing Digital Transformations Better

  Presented by Brook Conner • CIS Instructor & PhD Candidate, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Every organization is trying to improve itself with new technology. Today, that technology is artificial intelligence. But it isn’t working nearly as well as it is supposed to. The problem isn’t the technology, or the hype around it. The problem is that large organizations undergoing change are complicated. There is no magic wand, no silver bullet, no hammer for the nail, that will work for everyone, not even AI. You need to describe what’s going on, past, present, and future. This description needs to include the technology, but also the people, the processes, the information, the world around you, everything. By incorporating diverse fields, including enterprise architecture, organizational behavior, programming language theory, semiotics, psychology, and more, even the most baroque organizations can be described, and their roadblocks and opportunities be revealed. See how, with examples both from past successes and from current trends.

Currently earning his PhD from the University of Hawaii, Conner is an experienced cross-industry CIO. He serves as a faculty instructor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His dissertation is tentatively titled “A system architecture approach to digital transformations.” It builds on both work experience and prior research and publications. Prior research included some of the earliest and formative papers on interactive 3D graphics, the relationship of programming language mechanisms to interactive systems, 3D user interface design, and a redesign of the undergraduate computer science curriculum.

Previous work includes five years at the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, where his team replaced the Department’s core accounting system, modernized collaboration for all staff and students, and managed the educational technology needed to support distance learning during the COVID pandemic. Prior to that, Conner was the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Estee Lauder Companies, a Fortune 500 global retailer and manufacturer. He built the vulnerability management program for Morgan Stanley in response to a nation-state cyberattack, and re-architected core parts of the Bloomberg Terminal Service. Conner has an AB in art, an ScB in Math/Computer Science, and an MSc in Computer Science, all from Brown University. He is conversational in French and Hawaiian and enjoy stand-up paddling, role-playing games, video games, and wargaming.