Topic: Infrastructure

Seminar Topics

[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.

[1 CPE] Securing Our Mission: A Non-Profit’s Journey to Zero Trust

  Presented by Troy Villar, Director, Information Technology, Child & Family Service • The Advisory Council

This presentation offers a non-technical, firsthand account of a nonprofit’s journey to a Zero Trust security model on a limited budget. It covers core Zero Trust principles and how they were applied in practice, while addressing key challenges such as HIPAA compliance, budget constraints, and COVID-19 disruptions. The 2020–2026 roadmap highlights major milestones, including achieving a fully cloud-based environment, network redesign and segmentation, and the implementation of NAC and Unified Access Control. It also shares lessons learned, emphasizing stakeholder engagement, effective communication, and maintaining team well-being throughout the transformation.

Troy Villar has served as Director of IT at Child & Family Service since 2020, supporting Hawaii’s oldest nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families. A CISSP with over 30 years of experience, he has led software development, hardware design, and enterprise network implementations, including the design and development of a full-scale POS system for a major Hawaii retail chain. He is Vice President of ISC2 Hawaii and leads the Cybergenerations program, advancing cybersecurity education and awareness. Troy holds a degree in Information Systems from Hawaii Pacific University, where he previously served as Associate Director of Data Services, and is currently completing his Master’s in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance at WGU. Outside of work, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and spending time with his family and their dogs.

[1 CPE] Identity: The Target and The Weapon

  Presented by Jeffrey Kongswangwongsa, GTM Tech Lead, Identity • Rubrik

Identity infrastructure has quietly become the most critical — and most targeted — attack surface in the enterprise. In this session, we’ll explore why today’s cyberattacks have fundamentally shifted from malware to identity, and what that means for how organizations need to think about protection and recovery.

The session covers the growing threat landscape around Identity Providers (IdPs) like Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, and Okta, including why detection is no longer the hard part — removal and recovery are. We’ll dig into real-world case studies, the dangerous “”domino effect”” that happens when identity systems fail during recovery, and how AI is accelerating the speed and scale of identity-based attacks.

Attendees will walk away with a clearer picture of what modern identity resilience looks like: from protecting IdPs with immutable, air-gapped backups to orchestrating clean recovery in hours instead of weeks — without losing legitimate changes or reintroducing attacker persistence.

[1 CPE] Seamless Hybrid Connectivity: Leveraging Cellular (5G) and LEO

  Presented by Ericsson

In an era of digital transformation, enterprises need agile, secure, and reliable connectivity that overcomes the limitations of terrestrial networks. This presentation shows how Wireless WAN edge routers, cloud management platforms, through Public/Private/LEO options unlocks the full potential of WAN Connectivity. Attendees will learn how to deploy Wireless WAN for fast primary, Day-1 Internet, WAN redundancy, IoT and In-Vehicle applications. Extending seamless coverage with private 5G for challenging indoor/outdoor environments and apply zero-trust security through simplified SASE to protect against growing threats.

Through real-world examples, discover how these solutions enable rapid deployment at distributed sites, vehicles, IoT ecosystems, and pop-up locations—driving better performance, operational efficiency, enhanced mobility, and business growth without infrastructure constraints. Leave equipped to harness 5G/Hybrid Connectivity for innovation and scalability anywhere.

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

  Presented by Scale Computing

As organizations modernize their IT environments, many are exploring alternatives to traditional hypervisor platforms. Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) integrates compute, storage, and virtualization into a unified platform designed to simplify deployment, scaling, and management. This session will examine how these architectures can improve resilience, reduce operational complexity, and support both core data center and edge environments.

We’ll look closely at hyperconverged and edge computing solutions designed to make IT infrastructure simple, scalable, and highly available for organizations of all sizes and verticals –– integrating servers, storage, and virtualization into a single, easy-to-manage solution.

[1 CPE] The Great VM Escape: Live Migration Demo from VMware to AHV

  Presented by Nutanix

Join us for a live, end-to-end demonstration of migrating virtual machines from VMware to Nutanix AHV—no fluff, just real results. We’ll showcase the power of Nutanix Move to seamlessly convert and migrate VMs from Microsoft Hyper-V, ESXi, and even cloud environments to AHV with minimal disruption. If you’re evaluating modernization strategies or planning a hypervisor transition, this session delivers practical insights you can apply immediately.