Northeast IT & Security Leaders Forum 2025

As the digital economy continues to expand, institutions must adapt to remain competitive and relevant. This session will explore the key trends shaping the future of the digital economy and how institutions can effectively enable their digital transformation. Topics will include advancements in digital infrastructure, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the importance of data analytics, and the shift towards digital-first business models. Experts will discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by these trends, providing practical insights on how institutions can leverage technology to enhance efficiency, innovation, and customer engagement. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategic steps necessary to thrive in the digital economy.

Moderator: Shravan Duvvuri, VP Technical Product Manager, State Street Financial Corporation

Speakers:

• Eugene Kogan, Global Director of IT, Head of IT & Security, Population Council 
• Nate Lee, Sr. Dir, Data Management and Governance, Hovnanian Enterprises
• Leo Rajapakse, Global Head of Platform Infrastructure & Advanced Technology, Bimbo Bakeries USA

What are the opportunities to proactively improve your cybersecurity posture? In this session, explore the impact of real-time attack surface risk management to optimize operational strategies and address modern cyber risks. Learn how critical components of exposure management, from initial attack surface discovery to the deployment of virtual patching and the pivotal role of next-gen endpoint protection can work together to shrink your attack surface, preemptively strengthen defenses and reduce the likelihood of a breach. Supported by a real-world inspired scenario-based workflow, you will walk away with actionable insights and strategies to elevate your security posture and readiness.

Speaker: Greg Young, Vice President Cybersecurity and CorpDe, Trend Micro

Presented by: Trend Micro

Get Advice for Speeding Up Velocity in 2025

DevOps pipelines thrive on speed. Yet too many organizations are still held back by slow, manual, and poor-quality test data. Data challenges like this create delays in DevOps pipelines. It’s time to eliminate DevOps delays, and that’s where data automation can help.

What You’ll Learn:

• Common data challenges in DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.
• Actionable strategies to help you shift left and improve quality.
• How to automate compliant data for DevOps.

Speaker: Carlos Cuellar, Solutions Engineer, Perforce

Presented by: Perforce

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The relentless growth of cyber threats and the increasing complexity of modern IT environments have stretched security teams to their breaking point. Autonomous solutions promise much-needed relief, but CISOs are rightly cautious. This session cuts through the hype, providing a pragmatic roadmap for incorporating autonomous capabilities into your security operations.

We’ll explore the spectrum of autonomy, from basic automation (Level 4) to true AI-driven decision-making (Level 5), clarifying what’s possible today and what lies on the horizon. Discover the compelling reasons driving the need for autonomous alert triage and response and understand the critical role of the “virtual analyst” in this evolution.

This session will equip you with the knowledge to:

• Demystify ” autonomous” and its varying levels.
• Grasp the urgency for autonomous solutions in modern security operations.
• Conceptualize the “virtual analyst” and its potential impact.
• Learn key criteria for evaluating virtual analyst solutions.
• Understand the challenges in building and deploying virtual analysts.
• Define the evolving role of human analysts in an autonomous future.

Join us to explore a realistic path toward autonomous security operations and prepare your organization for a more secure tomorrow.

Speaker: Stephen Morrow, Chief Solution Officer, AirMDR

Presented by: AirMDR

Join an intimate group of industry peers to experience a simulated cyber-attack, taking on a leadership role in a fictional company during a ransomware negotiation. Engage in a dynamic agenda with a realistic storyline inspired by recent high-profile breaches, confronting challenges and making critical decisions along the way.

Topics discussed:

Security Assurance, Identity and Access Management, Social Engineering, Threat Detection, Cyber Incident Response, Ransomware, Governance and Reporting Regulation in USA.

Guided by Commvault Security expert, attendees will navigate the ransomware journey and leave this session with an actionable toolkit and recommendations to evaluate their own company’s disaster recovery plan.

Our goal is for attendees to experience a realistic simulation of a complex cyber-attack scenario, enabling them to navigate demands and determine the next steps to protect their company’s data and restore business operations 

Speaker: Chris Bevil, Director, Commvault Enablement, Commvault

Presented by: Commvault

Open seating, Buffet-style lunch. Serving food for all tastes, palates, and preferences. Vegan, vegetarian, halal options available

We understand that there is a need for a new approach that transforms how IT and Security teams identify and execute changes safely – at scale, with confidence, and in real-time.

In this session you’ll learn how Tanium’s Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) platform can help streamline and secure your IT operations. Tanium’s next evolution of converged endpoint management platform leverages real-time AI derived recommendations to drive faster, better decision making that will improve an organizations security posture and accelerates risk mitigation by proactively managing vulnerabilities and incidents.

Join us as we dig deeper into the next evolution of endpoint management and security solutions. Learn how organizations can:

• Take advantage of Confidence Scores to predict the impact of endpoint changes in real time.
• Scale and extend the value of precious expertise by capturing and designing dynamic, reusable automations that span IT and security operations use cases.
• Minimize disruptions by rolling out endpoint changes in a way that matches the rhythm of the business.

Speaker: Patrick Hilley, Director, Solutions Engineering, Tanium

Presented by: Tanium

The hype around generative AI is only the beginning. This game-changing technology is poised to disrupt high-tech industries. But with new AI tools popping up every day, choosing the wrong one can have profound effects on a company’s security, customer satisfaction, and productivity.

As a trusted partner, OpenText is pioneering the era of new possibilities where generative AI complements human creativity to become tomorrow’s solutions across AIOps and ITSM.

In our talk, we will cover how OpenText AI Operations Bridge:

• Improve reliability of IT services with Observability and AIOps
• Increased Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes lead to better resource utilization. How OpenText uses AI.
• Enhanced Service Reliability: Proactive monitoring minimizes service disruptions
• Faster Incident Response: Quick resolution of incidents reduces downtime
• Continuous Improvement: Ongoing evaluation fosters a culture of enhancement in service delivery

Speaker: Matt Miller, ITOM Solutions Consultant, OpenText

Presented by: OpenText

In today’s dynamic business environment, companies face the imperative of delivering instant answers and assistance to customers engaging with digital channels. This informative discussion addresses the vital elements needed to produce tangible results to meet this demand. While AI tools and smart agents can minimize human intervention, professionals across sales, marketing, and customer service must navigate customer interactions and team collaboration in new ways. In this chat we will address the challenges to be aware of in the strategic deployment of these technologies and steps to take to ensure they deliver expected value.

Speakers:

Michael Brandenburg, Sr Product Marketing Manager, Verticals and Programmable Communications, RingCentral

Rob Strickland, Interim CIO, Infovista

Presented by: RingCentral

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Cloud computing has transformed data management and processing, providing unmatched scalability and flexibility. However, ensuring data security remains a major challenge. Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) offers a promising solution to address both scalability and security issues. This session will explore how AutoML can enhance data security while maintaining seamless scalability in cloud environments.

Quick Takeaway

Discover how AutoML can revolutionize data security and scalability in cloud computing, ensuring your organization stays ahead in the digital landscape.

Speaker: Charles Sun, Senior IT Executive, Undisclosed

As organizations adapt to technological advancements, remote collaboration tools, and changing workforce dynamics, the CIO emerges as a key strategist, orchestrating digital transformation initiatives and ensuring seamless integration of technology into the fabric of the modern workplace. This Panel will discuss how CIOs can drive innovation, enhance cybersecurity measures, and foster a flexible and inclusive work environment to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the future of work.

Moderator: Steve Demeritt, Chief Operations Officer, Farm Credit Financial Partners

Panelists:

• Montae Brockett, Deputy CIO/CISO, DC Department of Healthcare Finance
• Irving Bruckstein, CIO, Washington College

Aggressive attacks on Enterprise computer networks are continuing with increased frequency and threatening economic and national security. Actions like vulnerability reduction and passive defenses on their own simply are not cutting it and there needs to be a functional shift in the way we mitigate this substantial threat. Companies can seek to protect their most sensitive data by implementing an environment of actionable intelligence and detection to bring the fight to the adversaries and ensure a proactive approach to securing data. This session will discuss best practices in managing the constant evolution in the security environment.

Moderator: Nish Majmudar, CISO, Mathematica

Speakers: 

• Jon Garza, CISO/Global Director of IT Security & Compliance, PSA BDP
• David Goodpaster, Managing Director – Head of Data Protection & Insider Risk, State Street Global Advisors
• Jelani Campbell, Cyber Risk Director, Fannie Mae

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Join us as we explore how intentional AI strategies are transforming enterprise capabilities by 2025. We will discuss how to:

• Gain productivity and shorten time to market through organizational enablement on AI-driven SDLC
  grow business and reshape customer experiences using proactive intelligence
• Gain efficiencies though Agentic AI-based back office process automation
• Ensure robust fraud detection, proactive risk mitigation and continuous compliance via targeted real-time AI applications

Gain actionable insights on how to strategically deploy AI and shift to outcome-based business models that enhance organizational effectiveness across all four focus areas.

Speaker: Milkha Singh, Vice President, Business Enablement, mobileLIVE

Presented by: mobileLIVE

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Join us at the Northeast IT & Security Leaders Forum in Philadelphia for an insightful session on “Digital Cloud Transformation – Bimbo Bakeries Story.” Discover how Bimbo Bakeries, the world’s largest bakery operating in 35 countries, leveraged cloud solutions, data platforms, and IoT analytics to drive innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and empower its workforce. This session will explore how strategic alignment between IT and business can maximize the impact of digital transformation, ensuring scalable, data-driven success in modern manufacturing.

Speaker: Leo Rajapakse, Global Head of Platform Infrastructure & Advanced Technology, Bimbo Bakeries USA

Change is inevitable, but successfully navigating it requires more than just a plan—it requires understanding the people behind the process. In this session, we’ll dive into the core principles of effective change management, with a focus on addressing the often-overlooked emotional and psychological impacts on individuals. From minimizing resistance to identifying unintended consequences, you’ll gain practical strategies for aligning your team, ensuring buy-in, and measuring success. Whether you’re leading a large-scale transformation or managing smaller shifts, this session will equip you with the tools to drive sustainable change that sticks. Expect to leave with actionable insights on how to communicate, engage, and support your team through the entire change journey

Speaker: Jacque Rowden, Assistant Director, Innovation & Performance, City of Pittsburgh