Half Moon Bay / Summit CIO

Registration Opens / Breakfast

Opening Remarks & Keynote

Securing GenAI - the newest kid on the block

The usage of GenAI tools has been growing exponentially in enterprises since the release of ChatGPT almost two years ago. There is no doubt that GenAI can enable businesses and users within them to be productive and agile. Almost every software vendor is incorporating some form of Large Language Model capability in their tools to make them even more powerful. At the same time, we also hear about the risks of adopting these cutting edge technologies in terms of data loss and IP pollution that can cost the brand recognition of the businesses. This puts the IT security teams in a catch 22 situation.

It is no longer an option for enterprises to outright block access to these tools as it would put them behind competitively. In this presentation we will talk about the emergence of these tools and the risks associated with them. We will provide the steps that security teams can adopt to safely enable these apps for users to take advantage of the benefits while maintaining the security posture of the organization.

Panel Discussion

Trends and Disruptions Every CIO Should Plan For

In today's fast-paced tech landscape, the role of the CIO has evolved beyond managing IT systems; it now includes shaping strategic business outcomes. This panel hosted Justin Farris, VP Product at GitLab, will explore the critical trends and disruptions every CIO must navigate to stay ahead. From the rise of AI-powered automation and architectural shifts to the increasing importance of security-first design and the integration of DevOps practices, we'll dive deep into the tools and strategies essential for driving innovation.

This panel will discuss how DevOps is reshaping software development, creating new efficiencies and enabling secure continuous delivery, while also addressing the emerging challenges around scaling, governance, and cross-functional collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable insights into how these disruptions impact their technology roadmaps and how they can leverage them to drive competitive advantage in an increasingly digital world.
Key Takeaways:

- Impact on how AI is transforming the software development landscape

 - The future of DevSecOps and how to further accelerate the DevOps transformation in your organization

 - How to balance accountability and efficiency gains expected of your organization as budgets continue to shrink

 - Engage in a dialogue with peers and industry leaders about the future of software development.

Join us for this essential session and equip yourself with the knowledge needed to lead your organization through the next wave of digital transformation.

Keynote

Six degrees of cloud escalation

Who has administrative access to my production AWS account? This is the question that Madeline, the CISO of Very Important Corporation, a fictional company, wants answered. She knows that the more people there are with administrative access to her production AWS account, the more likely it is that a simple phishing compromise could escalate into something catastrophic, like ransomware. In this talk, we’ll follow along as Bob, a fictional Security Engineering Manager, tries to answer this question for Madeline. We’ll see that, while it seems like a straightforward question, it’s unfortunately more complicated than it appears. The truth is, your identity threat model needs to account for transitive trust and privilege escalation. Not only that, but it also needs to extend beyond your production AWS account to include anything your production account trusts—your CI/CD tooling, other AWS accounts, other cloud providers, and even third-party SaaS platforms might offer exploitable paths that lead to your most sensitive production data.

Keynote

AI in the Real World:From Hype to Impact

Attend this Keynote to gain a better understanding of the realistic potential of AI and Generative AI – especially when combined with intelligent automation - and learn how to discern between hype and practical applications. Adi Kuruganti, Chief Product Officer with Automation Anywhere will share how to find the ‘quick wins’ and then expand to drive better business results with this powerful technology.

Mingle Break

Panel Discussion

The Next Era - How AI will shape the IT landscape

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it has the potential to revolutionize industries, drive innovation, and transform how we live and work. But it must be intentional to gain the most value. This panel discussion, led by Vervint's Principal Strategist, Jake Trippel, brings together innovative thought leaders to explore how AI is intentionally transforming IT operations.

Key topics include:

 - Automation and Efficiency: How AI-driven automation is streamlining IT processes, reducing operational costs, and enhancing productivity.

 - Development and Innovation: How to intentionally align AI strategy with business goals, user needs, and technical opportunities.

 - Governance and Compliance: The importance of regulations, data security, ethical guidelines, and internal policies for AI development and deployment.

 - Future Trends: Predictions for the next decade in IT, including ethical considerations, transparency, and accountability.

Lunch

Keynote

Getting AI into Production: Harnessing Workflow Orchestration to Drive Production Success

Integrating GenAI inference to existing applications drives enterprise modernization. As enterprises accelerate their AI initiatives, the gap between promising prototypes and robust, scalable AI solutions in production remains a major challenge. In this keynote, we’ll explore how workflow orchestration can bridge that gap, providing the essential infrastructure to streamline, manage, govern and scale AI deployments. By bringing together compelling experiences , complex processes and data pipelines workflow orchestration not only reduces time-to-value but also enhances consistency, compliance, and resilience across AI systems. Attendees will gain actionable insights into the tools, strategies, and best practices needed to operationalize AI projects successfully. Discover how the right orchestration strategies enable CIOs to turn AI aspirations into dependable, real-world solutions that drive measurable business impact. This abstract sets up the talk’s focus on practical strategies while addressing key CIO concerns like scalability, time-to-market, and operational resilience.

Panel Discussion

From Thought to Action: Realizing ROI & Business Value with a Universal Agentic AI Copilot

Keynote

Enterprise Adopting AI is Not an ‘If’ – It’s a ‘When’

Questions every Security and IT team needs to answer in order to implement AI securely for your workforce AI is bringing unprecedented efficiencies to businesses globally at such a level Shadow AI is cropping up in organizations faster than policies can be designed to deal with the risks. It is not a question of if your employees will use AI, but how security teams can preempt shadow AI and enable their workforce to use generative AI in a way that protects their proprietary information and source code. Here are some of the things every Security and IT leader needs to consider before implementing AI securely in their organization. Visibility and control Data security Compliance and governance Workforce enablement Incident response and resilience"

Mingle Break

Round Tables

1. Convergence of IT Operations & Security, an AI dream
2. Strengthening Security without Friction: Advanced Fraud & Risk Prevention
3. A New Era of Microsegmentation: Starting Your Zero Trust Journey on the Right Foot
4. Are You Maximizing the Security Potential of DNS?
5. Bridging the Tech Skills Gap: How to Cultivate an Internal Talent Pipeline
6. Simplifying Security: Understanding SASE Fundamentals
7. What’s On Your Endpoints?
8. Next-Gen CIO: Transforming Cloud Networking with AI-Driven, Hybrid, and Multi-Cloud Strategies 

Closing Remarks

Networking Cocktail Hour