Topic: Infrastructure

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] How Alaska’s New Broadband Reach Can Deliver Benefits to All Communities

  Presented by Mark Carlson, Director of Network Planning • Alaska Communications

Broadband is so influential in society that we would now call it essential infrastructure. Alaska has new broadband projects that are reaching places never touched before. In this session, you will learn about current and future broadband projects taking place around the state of Alaska, upcoming fiber optic projects in rural Alaska, LEO/GEO Satellite technology, and how broadband can influence and improve, life as we know it, to both individuals and communities.

[1 CPE] AI Innovations Fueling Demand for Rapid Network Modernization

  Presented by Joshua Gardiner, Engineering Lead of AI-Driven Enterprise • Juniper Networks

AI recently jumped from a buzzword to the start of a revolution. Juniper is visionary in its use of AI in IT Networking, and we invite you to join our session that highlights the advantages of adopting AI-Driven technologies in your enterprise network.

Attendees will learn how AI can simplify the management of wired & wireless networks as well as support the ever-increasing demands for modern technologies like NAC & SDWAN.

[1 CPE] How to Simplify and Secure Your Network & What You Need to Know About Wi-FI 6e

  Presented by Jerry Yarborough, Sr SLED Account Executive • Extreme Networks

During the presentation, we will discuss how to simplify your network and make it more secure by using the IEEE standard 802.1aq. We explain the standard, and how it is easier to use than traditional networking and much more secure. We will demo its simplicity and what makes it secure.

We will then move into Wifi 6e and how it is changing the way we must look at wireless deployments. We will discuss all the changes that it has brought us and what we must be planning for with the higher speeds that we will be able to achieve.

[1 CPE] Solutions Success with Sourcewell

  Presented by Mitel & Structured

Sourcewell is a national cooperative purchasing program that exists to help organizations save time and money by purchasing from ready-to-use, competitively solicited contracts. Sourcewell often meets the competitive bid requirements for some public sector customers, eliminating the need for a formal RFP process when acquiring a new phone system and expediting the purchasing process for IT Professionals.

For Alaskan State & Local Government, Native Alaskan Tribes & Native Corps, Education, and Nonprofit organizations, there is an opportunity to leverage Sourcewell contracts. And because this contract vehicle is more than just UC Communications, it’s often already approved by purchasing groups inside these entities and provides an easy-to-use solution.

Local Mitel Partner, Structured Communications, currently services and supports Alaskan customers, many of whom have acquired premise or private cloud-based Mitel Phone Systems. We will highlight a few case studies that have used the Sourcewell contract and showcase how Mitel & Structured solved their business concerns through customized solutions.

[1 CPE] Improved Security for SecOps & NetOps that’s Recession Friendly

  Presented by Ryan Parr, Sr Solutions Architect • Infoblox

While the future economic impact on IT budgets is unclear, one thing is clear –– attackers will not slow down and may even ramp up knowing organizations are considering lowering IT and cybersecurity spending. It is clear enterprise security is of extreme importance and making investments stretch is going to become essential. Core network services you already have in place, including DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (IP Address Management) are often overlooked in the cybersecurity world but can become the most powerful weapon against attackers. During this session, you will learn how to leverage existing services to:

  • Reduce the burden on existing security investments, extending their capacity and lifespan
  • Combat up to 92% of malware and ransomware without new security tools
  • Decrease SecOps investigation time by up to 60%
  • Improve your security posture, lowering cyber insurance costs

[1 CPE] Cybersecurity Threats & Best Practices for Information & Operational Technology

  Presented by Leslie Kainoa and Theresa Masse • CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to our cyber and physical infrastructure. We connect our stakeholders in industry and government to each other and to resources, analyses, and tools to help them build their own cyber, communications, and physical security and resilience, in turn helping to ensure a secure and resilient infrastructure for the American people.

This presentation will feature two local Oregon CISA leaders, Cybersecurity Advisor Leslie Kainoa and Cybersecurity State Coordinator Theresa Masse. It will focus on general cyber threats and, more specifically, on operation technology cybersecurity best practices and current threats. It also will outline cyber services CISA provides at no charge.

[1 CPE] Modern Segmentation Architectures

  Presented by Tyler Conrad and Jeremy Georges • Arista Networks

In this presentation, we will explore the different network segmentation models available, including VLANs, VRFs, and group-based segmentation models.

We will begin with an overview of the different segmentation models and discuss their benefits and drawbacks. VLANs provide a simple way to segment traffic but do not scale well in larger environments. VRFs offer more robust isolation but can be complex to manage. Group-based segmentation models offer a flexible and scalable way to segment traffic based on the endpoint itself rather than the network. We will discuss the implementation and configuration of each of these models and provide examples of how they can be used in different scenarios.

Next, we will discuss how EVPN with either VXLAN or MPLS transport can be used as an attachment point to allow for segmentation to cross the network device boundary and become a network-wide policy.

Finally, we will compare the different models to help you choose the best segmentation approach for your network, as well as how to layer these together to have a more complete design. By the end of this presentation, you will have a better understanding of modern segmentation architectures and be equipped to make informed decisions for your network.

[1 CPE] Technology Drives Our Clean Energy Future

  Presented by Dave Worth • Divisional CIO, Portland General Electric

The challenges facing the electrical grid are well known, and well publicized. How will energy be produced? How will it be distributed? How do customers realize the value of their renewable investments? How do we keep it equitable? These are significant challenges, but PGE engineers, technicians, and technologists have converted many challenges into opportunities in our 134-year history, and we feel no different about these. The first step is to orchestrate the activities of each participant and improve the ability to operate our grid using automation. Simultaneously, we are called on to implement, maintain and replace a large amount of infrastructure to support the transition to electricity as an energy source efficiently. The virtuous cycle is a grid that is easier to maintain, more reliable, safer, and equitable to all stakeholders and is being driven through close IT/OT collaboration and cross-functional implementation.

Dave Worth is the Divisional CIO for Advanced Energy Delivery and Utility Operations at Portland General Electric. He leads the technology effort to modernize PGE’s capabilities, in service of its mission to drive Oregon’s energy transformation. Dave’s team focuses on outcomes for customers by delivering, maintaining, and modernizing technology associated with asset & work management, mobile, grid operations, emergency operations, and bulk management systems within PGE’s utility operations. Prior to this role, Dave was the Director of PGE’s Customer Engagement Transformation, which modernized PGE’s billing and metering systems, and is the largest IT project executed by PGE to date. Beyond software delivery and support, Dave’s management and technical expertise include customer service operations, marketing and sales, business development, and telecommunications. Dave lives with his family in Portland, Oregon where he enjoys gardening, playing guitar, and experiencing the outdoors by hiking and camping. Dave has been with PGE for 22 years, and in the IT industry for twenty-five. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Linfield College with a BS in Business Information Systems (a mixed computer science/finance program).

[1 CPE] Intune: What’s New and What’s Next

  Presented by Structured

Microsoft Intune is quickly becoming a strategic part of not only device management, but compliance and security as well. Structured will cover what’s new and how Intune will impact your Windows PC strategy management.

Structured is an award-winning solution provider delivering secure, cloud-connected digital infrastructure. For 30 years, we’ve helped clients through all phases of digital transformation by securely bridging people, business and technology.

[1 CPE] 4G / 5G Network Security

  Presented by Cradlepoint

Protecting organizational infrastructure, networks, and hardware devices is a never-ending pursuit these days. There is a secure network solution that offers a simple-to-manage alternative to complex VPN infrastructures for securely connecting sites, vehicles, IoT, and remote workers. This session will cover how to secure remote sites with ease, reduce attack surfaces by building undiscoverable network resources, and provide any-to-any connectivity. Learn how to unlock operational agility through built-in tunnel orchestration and simplified configuration. It’s all about end-to-end WAN and network security services that tightly integrate with routing and security devices to establish encrypted connections to access applications and resources in the cloud or data center.