2021 Texas Technology Summit Agenda

Jim West possesses over 28 years’ experience in the Information Technology field with over 18 years focused within Cyber Security. He has worked in the IT and Security industry across many sectors of commercial, space, federal, and defense with expertise in Biometrics, Risk Management, Security Analysis, and Network and Systems Auditing. Jim holds multiple certifications which include; CISSP-ISSEP, ISSMP, CAP, GSLC, GCIH, GSNA, GCWN, G2700, PMP, CIPP, C-CISO, CEH, and many others.

Jim has been invited to speak at Cyber Security conferences and events worldwide to include the NSA IA Symposium, Texas Technology Summit, CSfC Tech Day, TechNet Korea, TechNet Pacific, Cyber Bowl, Best Cyber Ranger, and many others. He was shortlisted as a finalist for Personality of the Year for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Cyber Security Awards. Jim is also an Award Winning author and writer. Recently Jim’s “Cyber Security and Test Tips” ebook placed in the 100 Best Cyber Security Books of All Time list by Bookauthority.org.

Jim specializes in Cybersecurity strategy and solutions that solve complex problems for National Security systems and networks to include systems and software integration, enterprise-wide and cloud security, network engineering, penetration testing, and more.

Synopsis

In an ever changing and evolving landscape of business IT needs, we had thought we had seen it all. A global pandemic shutdown operations and shuttered businesses to a grinding halt. Many businesses struggled to adapt while some found success amidst the crisis. This presentation will discuss how IT solutions were able to assist businesses in adapting to the change while continuing operations. Now as the world is opening back up we are getting back in the saddle of our second rodeo.

Chris Hall is a Territory Account Manager at Juniper Networks supporting customers in the Houston and Central Texas regions. He recently migrated to Juniper from the AI-Driven Enterprise business unit having spent several years solving customers’ wireless challenges with Mist’s WAN solutions. Chris has over 25 years in the IT industry having worked for many software and networking OEMs during that time. He has sold to both public and private sector clients. Chris holds a master’s degree in international business from UT Dallas.

Synopsis

The shift to a remote workforce has made business continuity even more critical and more challenging due to the distributed nature. You need to keep users connected and secure while ensuring they have a great network experience to boost productivity and employee satisfaction. With Juniper Networks, you can extend your enterprise network to your remote workforces using zero-touch provisioning, AI-driven user experience insights and automated actions, all while securely connecting users. Join our breakout session to learn how you can cultivate a dynamic, flexible and adaptive enterprise at home network!

Ted has worked with web and network security technologies for more than 20 years. He began his career in technology as a full-stack engineer in web development and design. As Chief Operating Officer, Ted guides the overall operations of Sentinel IPS, the CINS Active Threat Intelligence System, and all other supporting technologies. You may also find him presenting at an information security conference or trade show, spreading the word about shared threat intelligence.

Synopsis

As a vendor, we witness first-hand the tangible effect that best practices like the CIS Controls have on our customers' network security. From our perspective, it's easy to see who is on top of their security game ... and who could really benefit from the guidance these controls provide. In this discussion, we'll walk through several of the CIS Controls, review the changes to the new V8, and provide real-world case studies to illustrate how different security tools and services can work together - sometimes in not-so-obvious ways - to reduce risk, and keep your network safe and secure.

For the last 15 years Abe has been Producing B2B IT and Security Events for local markets across the US. His passion is educating and helping IT and Security Professionals excel within the organizations they work for. He takes great pride in connecting with Executives and Organizations that are change leaders and continuingly helping the IT/IS industry and market move forward. With huge technological changes on the horizon, he is excited to broadcast this to the events Machaon produces.

Synopsis

This roundtable is for attendees for executives with VIP badges ONLY. This session is intended for audience participation so be ready to discuss, receive valuable information, and connect with others for further discussion.

Amir Hameed is a professional engineer with over 25 years of UC/CC domain expertise in presales leadership roles in companies including Avaya, Sonus, Nortel Networks and 8x8. As the current Vice President of Global Solutions Engineering at RingCentral, Amir and his organization work with partners and prospects to support the digital transformation strategies of customers worldwide as they migrate their business communications to the Cloud. Amir resides in Toronto Canada.

Synopsis

As business leaders start reopening their workplaces, they’re evaluating more permanent remote working arrangements as a way to meet employee expectations and to build more resilient business operations. This hybrid work model includes a mixture of remote, semi-remote, and in-office employees.

But how do you rapidly enable your growing organization to seamlessly provide the same collaboration experience to all employees no matter their location? Join RingCentral and our customers, as we discuss how to rapidly enable your Hybrid Workforce at the home or in the office!

As a proven customer-oriented entrepreneur and executive, Jared Martin has been in Informational Technology and cybersecurity for more than 20 years. Coming from a startup that he co-founded to TPx by way of acquisition, he has been a thought leader in TPx’s transformation to becoming a Managed Services Provider.

Jared has been a technology leader in driving change and adoption of new technologies, such as Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN). He is always looking for new ways to use technologies that are outside of the box, and to influence TPx to innovate and be on the cutting edge.

Growing TPx’s managed IT services to over $100M in 4 years, Jared now has responsibility for Solution Engineering in the TPx Product Organization with focus on designing and building the products, services, and customer experience that TPx brings to market. Jared studied Management Information Systems at the University of Arizona.

Synopsis

2021 rolled around and most of us are still working remotely. Are businesses changing their IT behaviors and how should your organization respond? Whether you have an IT strategy on paper or in your head, you ought to know technologies or trends that are reshaping companies’ IT. Remember, if you are not constantly innovating, you’re being left behind!

Join TPx, a leading manage services provider, to discuss:
- Current IT technology trends facing business in 2021 and beyond
- How your IT team can keep up with ongoing digital revolution
- What technologies are a must in 2021

Michael Greer has spent the last decade helping businesses of all industries and sizes to find, implement and manage mobility solutions. Michael is currently a Senior Sales Engineer at Malwarebytes providing technical support for strategic account customers in North America. Michael is truly passionate about leveraging technology to make life and work easier and evangelizing the benefits of mobility.

Synopsis

Over the past year, the tools and tactics of cybercrime and cybersecurity adapted against a backdrop of enormous changes to our lives and businesses.

Join us to learn how cybercrime evolved in 2020, and identify ways to safeguard your organization against what’s out there.

We’ll explore:
• Top threats for businesses and consumers
• Emerging cybercrime trends and tactics
• Solutions you can employ to thwart future attacks

Mike O'Neil has 20+ years of hands-on IT experience. Prior to joining the Scale Computing team, Mike was a Scale customer for over 4 years. As a Senior Systems Engineer, he currently works with customers to architect hyper-converged solutions using Scale Computing's HC3 product line. Mike brings a unique perspective to the Scale Computing end user experience from every angle.

Synopsis

Join Scale Computing and Parity as they demonstrate how right-sized infrastructure at the edge can benefit your organization. Edge Computing allows IT leaders to run mission-critical applications and infrastructure outside the four walls of the datacenter. Edge deployments place storage and compute resources where they are needed and run on a small or tiny hardware footprint. Edge deployments need a high degree of automation and low touch IT management, and must be cost effective with a measurable Return on Investment (ROI).

Reduce the time and budget spent managing technology and focus more time on serving your customers. One attendee will win an Ember Mug!

Whether it was with EMC, HP, Oracle, CA or now with StorageCraft, Chip has spent the past 20 years helping companies and organizations of all sizes understand how to better manage their data demands and requirements. His success has been based on a continued quest to identify and share leading innovations around storage, data governance and data protection. His thought-leadership, combined with his passion to help solve today and tomorrow’s technology challenges, will leave you educated, entertained, and ready to take back control sprawling data ecosystem.

Synopsis

IDC advises that a 3-2-1-1 strategy is the new best practice for effectively protecting customers against ransomware. The last 1...is the important piece of the puzzle, where a copy is also stored on immutable storage. The growing risk of compromise to your customers’ data – specifically via ransomware DEMANDS the most up to date and complete solutions arsenal.

Andrew Moore has a history of building great operational systems. He has worked in the IT arena for over 17 years and has been instrumental in the successful building of several businesses into multi-million dollar companies.

Synopsis

Businesses need to be aware of the changing threat to their organizations posed by cyber security criminals. This presentation walks business executives through the current issues facing companies, approaches on how to solve these issues and real world tactics employers can utilize for a safer network.

Marc Crudgington is the Founder, CEO and vCISO for CyberFore Systems. Marc is a veteran of the United States Air Force serving honorably from April 1992 – April 1996; he held a Top Secret clearance and performed duties in intelligence, computer operations, computer communications, and network communications. Prior to Woodforest, Marc worked for Advantage Sales and Marketing, KPMG, and Silicon Valley technology companies’ with leadership roles in IT and engineering. Marc has a Master’s of Business Administration, Technology and Strategy, from the University of California Irvine – Paul Merage School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Marc also attended the FBI CISO Academy in March 2017. He holds a Secret Clearance and PCIP, ISA, CRISC, Security+, Scrum Master, and ITIL certifications; previously he held a C|CISO, PMP, TOGAF, CISM and CISA certifications. Marc serves on the Optiv Customer Advisory Board, InfraGard Houston Chapter Board of Directors, Texas Banker’s Association Technology Committee, Community Bankers Association Privacy/Data Security Working Group, HMG Strategy CISO Summit Advisory Board, SecureWorld National Advisory Council, Governing Body Member Evanta Houston CISO Executive Summit, and EFM Houston IT Symposium Honorary Advisor. Previously Marc was part of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan Working Group and DHS Threat Information Sharing Framework Working Group. Marc is a member of InfraGard and has served as the Deputy Chief for the Houston Chapter Financial Services SIG. Marc has been a contributor to several articles and white papers for the Project Management Institute, a speaker, panelist, and moderator at a number of IT and Security conferences. In 2018 Marc was nominated for and a finalist for the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) North America Executive of the Year award and the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) People’s Choice award; in 2016 Marc was nominated for and a finalist for the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) Central Executive of the Year award and T.E.N. ISE Financial Services Executive of the Year award.

Synopsis

This roundtable is for attendees for executives with VIP badges ONLY. This session is intended for audience participation so be ready to discuss, receive valuable information, and connect with others for further discussion.

Julie Black is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Insource Technology where she has worked since 2012. Prior to joining Insource she spent five years working at Clear Channel Radio. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in Marketing.

Synopsis

Up until now WiFi has focused on achieving higher speeds or PHY rates. Now the focus is on improved efficiency capacity, higher capacity, and reduced congestion. Simply put, 802.11ax is designed to improve the way WiFi works. Future networks will face an ever increasing demand to efficiently move more data from a very diverse range of devices whose bandwidth requirements range from extremely low to blinding fast. An increasing number of competing networks will generate massive amounts of interference, and with only a limited number of channels available, the 802.11 protocol as we know it today will be hopelessly overwhelmed. 802.11ax is designed to meet the needs by delivering higher capacity, reducing congestion, increasing battery life, and extending range. If you are interested in learning how 802.11ax will improve the way WiFi works, come to our presentation and learn about the next generation of WiFi.

Kim is the Principal Security Threat Intelligence Researcher at Auth0, responsible for understanding the data, threat landscape, and attacks that currently affect Auth0 and its customers. She is passionate about data-driven cybersecurity and is focused on research using big data techniques, data science, and analytics. Kim has over 20 years of cybersecurity experience, a master’s degree in computer science and is a 12-year CISSP holder. She is based in Palm City, Florida and enjoys spinning, boating, and cooking in her free time.

Synopsis

Digital identities control access to an ever-growing number of applications, services, and critical systems. This makes identity an interesting attack vector for threat actors, and highlights the importance of authentication and authorization in preserving trust and security. The 2021 Auth0 State of Secure Identity report highlights the latest trends in identity security, including what types of attacks Auth0 has observed, the characteristics of these attacks, what industries are most affected, and the adoption rates for identity protection technologies.

During this session, we’ll provide greater insight into which industries are:
- Most highly targeted by credential stuffing attacks
- Most highly targeted by SQL injection attacks
- Leading the way in MFA adoption to improve overall security posture

We’ll also shed light on: fake account creation, MFA bypass attacks, and what defensive measures are being adopted to combat these identity security threats.

Jim West possesses over 28 years’ experience in the Information Technology field with over 18 years focused within Cyber Security. He has worked in the IT and Security industry across many sectors of commercial, space, federal, and defense with expertise in Biometrics, Risk Management, Security Analysis, and Network and Systems Auditing. Jim holds multiple certifications which include; CISSP-ISSEP, ISSMP, CAP, GSLC, GCIH, GSNA, GCWN, G2700, PMP, CIPP, C-CISO, CEH, and many others.

Jim has been invited to speak at Cyber Security conferences and events worldwide to include the NSA IA Symposium, Texas Technology Summit, CSfC Tech Day, TechNet Korea, TechNet Pacific, Cyber Bowl, Best Cyber Ranger, and many others. He was shortlisted as a finalist for Personality of the Year for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Cyber Security Awards. Jim is also an Award Winning author and writer. Recently Jim’s “Cyber Security and Test Tips” ebook placed in the 100 Best Cyber Security Books of All Time list by Bookauthority.org.

Jim specializes in Cybersecurity strategy and solutions that solve complex problems for National Security systems and networks to include systems and software integration, enterprise-wide and cloud security, network engineering, penetration testing, and more.

Gene Janiszewski's Bio

Gene Janiszewski is the Vice President of Membership for SIM Houston and the CEO/Managing Director of Paradigm Group. Since 2003 Paradigm Group has offered highly customized IT staffing and recruiting services that hire and retain the best tech talent.

Marc Crudgington's Bio

Marc Crudgington is the Founder, CEO and vCISO for CyberFore Systems. Marc is a veteran of the United States Air Force serving honorably from April 1992 – April 1996; he held a Top Secret clearance and performed duties in intelligence, computer operations, computer communications, and network communications. Prior to Woodforest, Marc worked for Advantage Sales and Marketing, KPMG, and Silicon Valley technology companies’ with leadership roles in IT and engineering. Marc has a Master’s of Business Administration, Technology and Strategy, from the University of California Irvine – Paul Merage School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Marc also attended the FBI CISO Academy in March 2017. He holds a Secret Clearance and PCIP, ISA, CRISC, Security+, Scrum Master, and ITIL certifications; previously he held a C|CISO, PMP, TOGAF, CISM and CISA certifications. Marc serves on the Optiv Customer Advisory Board, InfraGard Houston Chapter Board of Directors, Texas Banker’s Association Technology Committee, Community Bankers Association Privacy/Data Security Working Group, HMG Strategy CISO Summit Advisory Board, SecureWorld National Advisory Council, Governing Body Member Evanta Houston CISO Executive Summit, and EFM Houston IT Symposium Honorary Advisor. Previously Marc was part of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan Working Group and DHS Threat Information Sharing Framework Working Group. Marc is a member of InfraGard and has served as the Deputy Chief for the Houston Chapter Financial Services SIG. Marc has been a contributor to several articles and white papers for the Project Management Institute, a speaker, panelist, and moderator at a number of IT and Security conferences. In 2018 Marc was nominated for and a finalist for the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) North America Executive of the Year award and the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) People’s Choice award; in 2016 Marc was nominated for and a finalist for the T.E.N. ISE (Information Security Executive) Central Executive of the Year award and T.E.N. ISE Financial Services Executive of the Year award.

Synopsis

This panel will address the dramatic shift toward a virtual workforce. Join our speakers to hear how they are balancing the security and access requirements to provide successful collaboration for remote and on-site employees. This session will include audiance Q&A.