Topic: Strategic Management

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] Insider Session: From Retired to Replaced – Preparing for Microsoft’s Wave of Changes

  Presented by iT1 Source

In this insider session, we’ll break down Microsoft’s biggest licensing and product changes so you can prepare, stay compliant, and avoid unnecessary costs. From shifting discounts to looming end-of-support deadlines, we’ll cover what every business needs to know.

Key Takeaways:

  • How Microsoft’s recent announcement will impact EA & MPSA pricing.
  • Practical steps for moving from EA to CSP with confidence.
  • Are you still running outdated technology that reached Microsoft’s end of support in October?

[1 CPE] Beyond Cybersecurity: Assembling Resiliency for the Inevitable Breach

  Presented by BJ Deonarain, Global Alliance Cybersecurity Solutions Director • Hitachi Vantara

The Imperative for Resiliency, 100% cyber security is unachievable; breaches are inevitable, where modern threats demand a shift from reactive defense to proactive resilience. Resilience requires mindset and culture change, not just new technology, while focus can sustain operations and limit damage when security fails.

Assembling the resiliency strategic pillars and actions:

  • Risk Assessment: continuous evaluation of assets and vulnerabilities
  • Incident Response: develop, test, and update comprehensive crisis plans
  • Employee Training: ongoing education to make staff the first line of defense
  • Systems Testing: regular audits, penetration tests, and vulnerability scans
  • Partnerships: collaborate with industry experts for knowledge sharing
  • Culture: embed resiliency throughout the organization at every level

BJ Deonarain is a globally focused cybersecurity executive responsible for driving cyber security and cyber resiliency strategy at Hitachi Vantara. With a career spanning technical innovation, client solutions, and cross-functional leadership, BJ combines deep technical expertise with a client-centric approach to mitigate risk and elevate organizational security postures.

[1 CPE] Change Leadership Propelling You and Your Business

  Presented by Bradley Pristelski, Central Region CIO, CommonSpirit Health

Propelling change forward in any organization is a difficult leadership challenge. People naturally resist change and view it uncomfortable, difficult work, and time-consuming. The best leaders co-create change amongst their teams and throughout the organization before the problem or opportunity first materializes which creates a high sense of ownership that can’t be overstated. As the saying goes, “Don’t involve me in the landing if you don’t involve me in the takeoff.”

[1 CPE] Exponential Mindfulness: Harness the Power You Already Have!

  Presented by Derek Kruse • Chief Information Officer, Douglas Omaha Technology Commission

Mindfulness is for everyone—yes, even you! Exponential Mindfulness delivers practical tools to finally make mindfulness accessible and useful across all aspects of your personal and professional life. This presentation will introduce you to a universal and easy to implement mindfulness management framework. Now is the time to break through difficult challenges, capitalize on mindful momentum, and build resiliency for compounding improvement.

Derek Kruse has over 25 years of organizational leadership experience. He has held leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies, the nonprofit sector, government, and higher education. Derek is the Chief Information Officer for the Douglas Omaha Technology Commission (DOTComm), which serves the technology needs of the City of Omaha and Douglas County in Nebraska. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Creighton University in the fields of strategy and entrepreneurship.

He recently launched Exponential Mindfulness to help people harness the power they already have by using simple tools to overcome challenges and build resilience for compounding growth.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, where he played varsity basketball for four years; an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School and a DBA from Creighton’s Heider College of Business. He also holds a certificate in Strategy Execution for Public Leadership from Harvard and a certificate in Mindful Leadership from Spirit Rock.

Derek, his wife Dana, and their two children are native Cornhuskers and live in Bennington, NE.

[1 CPE] Go Hack Yourself: War Stories from over 170,000 Pentests

  Presented by Tony Taylor, Sr Solutions Architect • Horizon3.ai

Join Tony Taylor, Senior Solutions Architect, for an engaging session on “Offense-Driven Defense.” Tony will challenge conventional risk assessment practices and unveil how focusing on real-world exploitability and impact can revolutionize your security approach. Drawing from insights gathered across more than 170,000 autonomous pentests, he’ll share compelling stories and actionable lessons that show how viewing your cyber terrain through an attacker’s lens can uncover hidden vulnerabilities, optimize resource allocation, and strengthen your defenses against advanced threats. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a leading industry practitioner on why it’s time to “go hack yourself” and build resilience in today’s borderless threat environment.

[1 CPE] Networking Tips and Best Practices for C-Suite to Jr Admin

  Presented by Robert Phelps, Systems Engineer, Customer Engineering • Arista Networks

Modern IT networks are a living entity that requires care and feeding. If the infrastructure, tooling, and staff are neglected or taken for granted, loss of network resiliency, increased tool sprawl, and staff exodus are inevitable. Take one or more of these recommended tips in-house to make your network more resilient, easier to manage, and foster an IT working environment that will keep top talent on board for years to come.

[1 CPE] Has Security Awareness Been Forgotten? An Interactive Panel Discussion

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

“Just automate that process! The firewall is fine—we’ve got an AI tool watching it.”

Sound familiar? Despite significant investments in cybersecurity and advanced tools, the human element remains one of the greatest vulnerabilities in any organization. This isn’t a new problem—ransomware attacks continue to thrive due to human error.

Insider threats, whether intentional or accidental, are often at the root of security breaches. So, what proactive steps are you taking to mitigate these risks?

Join the INTERFACE Omaha Advisory Council for an engaging discussion on defending against internal threats. Local IT leaders will share their strategies, lessons learned, and practical tips for minimizing human error in cybersecurity. Bring your questions and join the conversation as we explore what’s working, what’s not, and what more needs to be done to protect our networks from within.

Panelists:

  • Rob LaMagna-Reiter, Chief information Security Officer, Woodman Life
  • Dr. Lisa McKee, Assistant Professor Cybersecurity, Bellevue University
  • Memory Trosper, Sr Director, Technology Services, Gothenburg Health
  • Dana Turner, Chief Information Security Officer, Union Bank and Trust

[1 CPE] How to Spend Wisely on Your IT Needs in Spokane: An Interactive Panel Discussion

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Your budget has shrunk, and vendor costs have risen. Sound familiar?

So many IT leaders in Spokane are dealing with the challenges of vendor acquisitions that produce huge cost increases. At times it can seem there is no way to achieve everything expected with the budget allotted. How does anyone succeed in this environment?

Spokane isn’t home to the largest corporations in the country, and your IT budget reflects that. In this panel discussion, the Spoane Advisory Council will share their tricks to maximizing the impact of the money you have to spend. Please join us for an open discussion that will include your questions. We will share experiences in working with vendors, stretching a dollar, and finding alternatives to huge price increases from the vendor community.

Moderator: Adam Pyle, Information Systems Security Manager, Pyrotek, Inc.

Panelists:

  • Laurel Caldwell, Director, IT Services, Latah County, ID
  • Ben Calvert, Chief Information Officer, Vista Title & Escrow
  • Kai Dailey, Executive Director, Ragland Institute
  • Naci Seyhanli, IT Security Analyst, Spokane Regional Health District

[1 CPE] Go Hack Yourself: More War Stories from over 150,000 Pentests

  Presented by Jake Mickley, Sr Solutions Architect • Horizon3.ai

Join Jake Mickley, Senior Solutions Architect, for an engaging session on “Offense-Driven Defense.” Jake will challenge conventional risk assessment practices and unveil how focusing on real-world exploitability and impact can revolutionize your security approach. Drawing from insights gathered across more than 150,000 autonomous pentests, he’ll share compelling stories and actionable lessons that show how viewing your cyber terrain through an attacker’s lens can uncover hidden vulnerabilities, optimize resource allocation, and strengthen your defenses against advanced threats. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a leading industry practitioner on why it’s time to “go hack yourself” and build resilience in today’s borderless threat environment.

[1 CPE] Has Security Awareness Been Forgotten? An Interactive Panel Discussion

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

“Just automate that process! The firewall is fine—we’ve got an AI tool watching it.”

Sound familiar? Despite significant investments in cybersecurity and advanced tools, the human element remains one of the greatest vulnerabilities in any organization. This isn’t a new problem—ransomware attacks continue to thrive due to human error.

Insider threats, whether intentional or accidental, are often at the root of security breaches. So, what proactive steps are you taking to mitigate these risks?

Join the INTERFACE Salt Lake City Advisory Council for an engaging discussion on defending against internal threats. Local IT leaders will share their strategies, lessons learned, and practical tips for minimizing human error in cybersecurity. Bring your questions and join the conversation as we explore what’s working, what’s not, and what more needs to be done to protect our networks from within.

Moderator: Bryan Wilkins, Sr Manager-Information Security, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Panelists:

  • James Duckett, Assistant Operations Director, Technology Division, City of St. George
  • Michael Hughes, Director, Information Technology, Mission Health Services
  • Mike O’Rourke, Manager, IT Operations, Tata Chemicals North America
  • Greg Pugh, Manager, COMSEC, Space Dynamics Laboratory