Informanix Discover

Kristin Del Rosso - Sophos

Kristin Del Rosso is the Public Sector Field CTO for Sophos, with a background in security product management and threat intelligence. With a range of corporate experience, she has successfully launched and grown a variety of security and intelligence offerings, as well as focused on hands-on malware reverse engineering, malicious actor tracking, vulnerability research, and OSINT investigations. She enjoys threat hunting and learning about new forms of security research, and in her spare time can be found doing jiu jitsu and working with startups.

Breakfast Keynote Topic: The Weaponization of Software Vulnerabilities: New Discoveries and Guidance for Practitioners

In an ever-globalized digital world, staying ahead of cybersecurity threats is crucial. We'll dive into new research on the intriguing world of vulnerability reporting requirements in China, shedding light on their distinct discovery approach and organized weaponization of vulnerabilities, and the global implications for cybersecurity professionals and IT practitioners alike.

Together, we'll explore not only what this unique approach means for your organization, but evaluate its history and how it was implemented, taking those lessons learned forward to enable security professionals to apply their own best practices to remain secure and compliant.

Rippy Sekhon - Sophos

Topic: Threat landscape - State of Security as we see it

An overview of the current threat landscape, and threats we are seeing leverage by threat actors.

Danny Connelly - Zscaler

Danny has 20 years of cybersecurity experience split between offensive computing as an ethical hacker and defending some of our most important networks used in COVID response. As a highly regarded thought leader and trusted cybersecurity advisor, Danny provided guidance and formulated strategies to combat emerging threats for various agencies across the federal government. Prior to joining Zscaler, Danny was the Associate CISO, Operations Branch Chief for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During his 11 year tenure at CDC, Danny was responsible for implementing operational capabilities to support Incident Response, Forensics, Cyber Threat Intel, and Insider Threat functions. He has designed, implemented, and optimized enterprise cybersecurity capabilities to effectively detect, prevent and respond to emerging cybersecurity threats. Danny is proud to have led CDC defenders on the front lines to survive some of the most sophisticated threats over the last decade.

Lunch Keynote Topic: Redefining Security: Unveiling Zero Trust in the Digital Age

Join us for an electrifying exploration into the future of cybersecurity with keynote speaker Danny Connelly, an industry visionary from Zacaler. In this riveting talk, Danny will unravel the mysteries of Zero Trust, shedding light on its definition, significance, and the compelling reasons behind its emergence. Discover the transformative power of Zero Trust in securing remote access, fortifying cloud transformations, and adapting to the dynamics of a hybrid workforce. Brace yourself for a paradigm shift in cybersecurity, and gain invaluable insights into how this revolutionary approach can redefine the very fabric of your organization's security and operations. Don't miss this opportunity to glimpse into the future of tech security.

Owen Lamb - Rubrik

Topic: Backup ≠ Cyber Recovery

The modern threat landscape is a forcing function for organizations to scrutinize their data security practices. With high-profile attacks, paid ransoms, and guidance from government leaders worldwide, the message is clear that cyber resilience has never been more important to businesses. But what does it mean to be cyber resilient? A modern approach to cyber resilience is a data-centric one that combines data security posture and cyber recovery capabilities. In this new paradigm of data security, it becomes critical to know where sensitive data lives, who has access to it, and how to protect it at all costs so that businesses can ensure the ability to recover safely.

Rob Buchanan - Nutanix

Rob Buchanan is a Senior Solutions Engineer who has been with Nutanix for 6 years. Rob lives in Edmonton, and has worked in Information Technology, supporting Western Canada, for over 20 years. Rob has experience in all aspects of Information Technology with specializations in Digital transformation, Infrastructure & BCDR. Rob is committed to making his customers successful and is focused on helping his Customers and Partners to modernize and simplify their IT environments, while meeting or exceeding business and technical objectives.

Topic: Unlocking the Hybrid Cloud Experience

Nutanix Cloud Platform seamlessly integrates compute, storage and networking into a single secure, scalable platform both on premise and in the cloud. NCP simplifies IT operations, enhances agility and delivers cloud-like efficiency. Nutanix empowers businesses to modernize their infrastructure, optimize performance, and adapt to evolving IT and business demands with ease

Peter Scheffler - F5

Peter has over 30 years of experience in the software industry with nearly another 10 years before that as an amateur programmer. Peter has spent the last 20 years in the world of web application development and application security. As an independent consultant, Peter spent time developing solutions for securing network and application access for Fortune 1000 and security conscious government organizations. Peter currently works with F5 as a Senior Security Solutions Architect where he is helping protect today's economy from cyber-attacks.

Topic: Untangling APIs: Addressing Sprawl and Securing Your Modern Digital Ecosystem

As organizations increasingly adopt hybrid architectures and microservices, the number of APIs utilized within their ecosystems continues to grow at an exponential rate. This phenomenon, known as API sprawl, poses significant challenges in terms of security, governance, and efficiency. But of them all, API security might require the most urgent response.

For organizations trying to secure their APIs, multi-cloud complexity and difficulty enforcing consistent security top the list of challenges according to F5's State of Application Strategy Report (2023). To address the security challenges of API sprawl, organizations need to adopt a more holistic app and API security strategy for their organization including components that deliver runtime protection, posture management, and help integrate security and code testing earlier in the software development lifecycle.

Join this session to hear from Peter Scheffler, Sr. Solutions Architect at F5 and learn:

• What makes APIs such a target?
• What makes protecting APIs so difficult?
• Elements of a good API security practices?
• How to augment existing app security infrastructure to protect APIs?
• Capabilities organizations should be considering for comprehensive API security?
• The role of AI/ML in API security today?

Pirasath Kirupakaran - Cisco

Technical Solutions Architect SASE

Topic: Rethinking Connections: A Thoughtful approach to move from Legacy VPN to Modern solutions

Join us for an enlightening discussion where we explore the evolution of network connectivity and how these cutting-edge solutions in connectivity can enhance your network security, user experience, and digital performance, all while coexisting with your existing infrastructure.

In today's ever-changing landscape of remote work and cybersecurity challenges, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve. We'll delve into the limitations of traditional network approaches and how they no longer align with the demands of the modern digital era.

Our discussion will pivot towards modern networking alternatives, with a special focus on ZTNA, the integration of Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM), and the benefits of VPN as a Service (VPNaaS). We'll explore the principles of ZTNA, DEM, and VPNaaS, their user-centric, identity-based access controls, and how they collectively contribute to a seamless and secure digital experience.

Scott Lees - Lookout

Scott is the Sales Director for Lookout in Canada. He has over 20yrs of cybersecurity experience across a variety of disciplines including IAM, Device Visibility & Control, IOT Security, Endpoint Management, Cloud Security & Mobile Security. His roles have included working with companies across Canada, the United States and internationally - helping them close the gaps and stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Topic: The Missing Piece In Your Data Protection Strategy: Mobile Devices

Cloud migrations are taking place in every organization and industry, which is why your data is now accessible from any device - whether that's a company laptop or a personal mobile device. As a result, attackers no longer rely on traditional means of entry into your infrastructure.

They're turning to new, more-sophisticated methods that target mobile users. In particular, social engineering and phishing attacks have become the preferred methods of compromising employee credentials.

Cybercrime groups are making mobile devices the tip of the data breach spear. To combat them, it's more important than ever to incorporate mobile security as a critical part of your overall security posture. Doing so will help protect your sensitive data no matter where it goes or where it's stored.

• Join our session, where we'll review:
• How attacks that start by targeting mobile can lead to a breach of your data in the cloud
• Specific cybercrime groups utilizing these attack kill chains
• Why a data-centric cloud security strategy is critical to protect all users, data, and devices

Siv Ramasubramanian - Price Industries Ltd.

Topic: IT Infrastructure & Security Modernization

A Customer Journey: Price Industries' IT infrastructure modernization journey including compute, storage, DR, remote access etc.

David Wesst - University of Manitoba

Topic: Is AI Ready to Take Over the World?

Are you ready for the AI revolution? This presentation will explore the current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and whether it's truly ready for the mainstream. We'll cover everything from the basics of AI to its potential impact on industries, job roles, and society as a whole. Whether you're an AI skeptic or enthusiast, this is your chance to join the conversation and share your thoughts on the future of AI in the world. Come ready to learn and have some fun!

Ryan Klos - Informanix Technology Group

Topic: DevOps and Operational Technology in a Product Development Environment

A journey through balancing the challenges and opportunities in development operations (DevOps) and operational technology(OT) in a medical device product development environment.

Kyle Molotkin - Informanix Technology Group

Topic: We're There! Welcome and Opening Remarks

Kyle leads Informanix Technology Group, a fast growing, client responsive firm, in the Managed IT Services and Infrastructure Solutions industry in Canada. At Informanix we help our clients reduce risk, enhance productivity, and prepare themselves for the future by leveraging state of the art technology tools and best practices.