TOLA 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: Rob Strickland, Interim CIO, Infovista

Panelists:

Marlon Shears, Chief Information Officer, IDEA Public Schools

George Kanyotu, AVP Global Infrastructure Services, General Motors Financial

Chakrapani Maturi, Vice President, Technology Services, AIG

Cliff Donathan, Principal Technologist for Responsible AI , Formerly AWS

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: Kazbek Khumush, Regional Technical Director, Trend Micro

Presented by: Trend Micro

In the past 12 months, 87% of F1000 businesses were affected by significant cyber incidents as a result of a third-party. And yet, most rely on ‘snapshot in time’ questionnaires. While necessary, snapshots are insufficient by themselves, and must be augmented with continuous monitoring in support of ongoing security operations. This requires a different approach, that includes external threat detection capabilities by using AI across Public Data.

• The Public Data opportunity: collect, process, alert across multiple languages / modalities
• Real-time external threat detection on a rapidly evolving threat landscape
• The most advanced AI techniques for automating the collection, processing, delivery, and initial analysis of millions of public data sources

Speaker: Jack Carraway, Director, Corporate Solutions Practice, Dataminr

Presented by: Dataminr

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Ransomware continues to evolve, with threat actors leveraging increasingly sophisticated tactics to disrupt operations and maximize impact. This presentation explores how organizations can mature their ransomware recovery capabilities, transitioning from basic protection to a predictable, orchestrated recovery and incident response. Drawing on current threat actor trends, we will outline a strategic roadmap to enhance resilience, reduce operational disruption, and accelerate recovery times. Attendees will gain insights into actionable steps and metrics that deliver measurable business outcomes, ensuring continuity and confidence in the face of evolving cyber threats.

Speaker: Aaron Murphy, Field CTO, Veeam Software

Presented by: Veeam Software

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: Mo Patel, RVP, Technical Account Management, Tanium

Presented by: Tanium

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

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: Ross Tucker, CIO, Texas United Corporation

Panelists:

Jeff Green, Chief Information Officer, Strike

Dan Durkin, Managing Director of Technology, YES Prep Public School

Cynthia Dixon, Sr. IT Director, PepsiCo Inc

Scott Shultz, SVP, Infrastructure & TechOps, Exeter Finance

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:

Mike Egli, CX Client Principal, RingCentral

Rob Strickland, Interim CIO, Infovista

Presented by: RingCentral

As organizations increasingly rely on SaaS applications, the risks associated with misconfigurations and emerging threats continue to rise. This session will explore how advanced SaaS security solutions provide the visibility, detection capabilities, and response tools needed to identify vulnerabilities, secure configurations, and mitigate threats in real-time. Discover tactical solutions to strengthen your SaaS security posture, protect critical data, and reduce risk in your cloud environment.

Speaker: Allan Jes Kristensen, Chief Customer Officer, AppOmni

Presented by: AppOmni

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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: Chris Rollinger, Principal Solutions Consultant, OpenText

Presented by: OpenText

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

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: Ray Texter, CISO, Texas United Corporation

Panelists:

Billy Sainz, CISO, Citizens Medical Center

Wei Dong, VP, CISO, Michaels Stores

Damian Mobley, CTO, Immunotec Research Inc

Bhavesh Advani, Head of Cybersecurity, Cenlar

In this session, explore cutting-edge strategies for modernizing infrastructure and applications. In this discussion, we delve into the intersection of AI-powered observability security, emphasizing how organizations can enhance their operations, ensure data protection, and comply with regulations. We will discuss the transformative potential of AI, including Generative AI, in boosting overall productivity.

Speaker: Asad Ali, VP, Center of Excellence, Dynatrace

Presented by: Dynatrace

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The result of digital transformation: It’s easier to do business with your customers and partners. But with new architectures, web apps and APIs now deployed from on-prem servers to the cloud, it is harder than ever to get a holistic view of all of these potentially vulnerable assets – never mind defend them.

What are your biggest challenges today in defending these diverse assets? What are the known gaps in your current defenses? What are you seeking in the future to defend your apps and APIs?

Topics covered will include:

• How are adversaries preying upon unprotected web apps and APIs?
• How are traditional web application firewalls deployed, and what are they missing?
• What does the future look like with unified web app and API security solutions?

Speaker: Ad Ghauri, Director Enterprise Architecture, Former Baker Hughes

As we stand on the precipice of a technological revolution, the convergence of Digital Twin technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity for industries, particularly manufacturing, finance, and the other critical infrastructure sectors. While Digital Twins have been in existence for over two decades, their potential is only now being fully realized due to recent advancements in AI and a renewed focus on investing in US manufacturing. The affordability and accessibility of AI are catalyzing a shift that enables businesses to harness these technologies for unprecedented operational efficiency and innovation.

This session will explore how organizations can leverage Digital Twins to simulate “what-if” scenarios, allowing for faster and more cost-effective testing of strategies and solutions in a virtual environment. By integrating AI into Digital Twin applications, businesses can gain real-time insights, optimize processes, and enhance decision-making, leading to improved performance and competitiveness in an ever-evolving market landscape.

Key takeaways will include showcasing successful implementations across various sectors, strategies for overcoming common challenges in adoption, and a forward-looking perspective on the role of Digital Twins and AI in shaping the future of business operations. Senior executives will gain valuable insights into how to strategically position their organizations to capitalize on these emerging technologies, ensuring resilience and adaptability in a rapidly changing economy.

Speaker: Clif Triplett, Executive Director for Cybersecurity and Risk Management, Kearney

While the pool of talented cybersecurity professionals is increasing daily, there is still a shortage of cybersecurity professionals to go around. This sessions will dicuss how your organization can stand out from the crowd and attract the best. The session will cover the following topics: – How being an active CISO and Thought Leader is the best marketing for new talent – Creative ways to compete and assets that are important outside of salary – Increase training and access to non-cybersecurity experts that are already excelling at your company and how to determine that talent you already have in house.

Speaker: Heather Phelps Director IT & Information Security, Ribbon Communications

To meet the speed and agility demands of digital business, CIOs are transforming their IT departments and shifting a growing share of IT work from projects to products. At the same time, growth in business-led IT has expanded the span of employees across the enterprise who are responsible for technology initiatives.
This session will explore a cost management model and discuss how evolving IT cost management efforts to focus on value over pure cost will reduce (and even eliminate) reactive calls to cut IT costs. This session will provide a model and tactics to elevate the maturity of IT to focus on value over costs, while still meeting the business directives.

Speaker: Dan Durkin, Managing Director of Technology, YES Prep Public School