Guidepost Technology Conference

October 16, 2025

8 AM - 5 PM

The Baird Center - 405 W. Kilbourn Ave. , Milwaukee WI

Event Details

Sessions spanning a variety of technology topics, including data analytics, cloud migration, zero trust, identity and access management, workload migration, and much more! See full event agenda below.

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8:00 am
-
8:50 am
-
Main Hall
Registration & Exhibition Hall
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
8:50 am
-
9:00 am
-
Ballroom D
Welcome
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services

Event welcome and introduction to the days schedule.

9:00 am
-
10:00 am
-
Ballroom D
Keynote Speaker - Jason Cook
Data Science
Cloud & Dev Ops
Infrastructure
Network
Security

Backup is Not Equal to Cyber Resilience

Presented By: Jason Cook - Field CTO, Rubrik

As organizations face the growing threat of ransomware and data exfiltration, many are reevaluating their preparedness for a large-scale data loss event. The problem is that legacy backup systems, which were designed to protect against hardware failure or natural disasters, are now being targeted by cybercriminals as their first point of attack. In this session, we will discuss why traditional backup systems and cyber recovery solutions are fundamentally different capabilities. We will also explore the steps that organizations can take to prepare for and recover from a cyber-attack, including implementing a modern cyber recovery tool like Rubrik.

10:00 am
-
10:15 am
-
Break 1
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
10:15 am
-
11:15 am
-
Ballroom A
Double Breakout Session - Self-Driving Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Networks
Network
Artificial Intelligence

Presented By: Brennan Klensch, Channel Systems Engineer - HPE Aruba Networks

A.I. hype is fading fast - customers only invest when it gives them what they really want: time, money, and assurance. Let's look together at how secure, self-driving, ai-native networks are delivering these things today and how you can get your customers lining up for more!

10:15 am
-
11:15 am
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Ballroom G
Double Breakout Session - Cracking AI's Weak Spots: Real Threats, Real Fixes, Made Simple
Security
Artificial Intelligence

Presented By: Dan McInerney, Principal AI Threat Research - Palo Alto Networks

AI is transforming cybersecurity - but it's also creating new attack surfaces. In this session, see how Palo Alto Networks uncovers real-world AI threat and delivers simple, scalable ways to stay ahead of adversaries.

10:15 am
-
11:15 am
-
Ballroom F
Double Breakout Session - Isolated Recovery Environments
Infrastructure
Security

Presented By: Patrick Ruffino - AE Business Solutions, Josh Colvin - AE Business Solutions

Having immutable backups is only the first step in recovering from a ransomware  event: you still need somewhere to restore those backups to. For a variety of reasons, restoring onto your normal production hardware may not be a  possibility. Join us for a joint presentation from AE's Infrastructure and Security practices on designing and building isolated recovery environments  that address this need.

10:15 am
-
11:15 am
-
Ballroom B
Double Breakout Session - Intro to Cloud Networking
Cloud & Dev Ops
Network

Presented By: Dan Placek - AE Business Solutions

This session is for engineers already familiar with traditional networking who want to dive into the world and nuances of cloud networking. We will cover cloud networking from the bottom up including some of the underlying architecture that drives the differences between Cloud and on-prem networking.

10:15 am
-
11:15 am
-
Ballroom C
Double Breakout Session - Getting Started with AI Governance
Security
Artificial Intelligence

Presented By: John Moser - AE Business Solutions, Alex Holt - AE Business Solutions

Join AE's Security and AI teams to learn about getting started with governance and visibility strategies for workforce and developer AI use cases.

11:15 am
-
11:30 am
-
Break 2
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
11:30 am
-
12:30 pm
-
Ballroom D
Keynote Speaker - Anwesh Rijal
Security
Artificial Intelligence
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure

Empowering the Revolution in Work AI

Presented By: Anwesh Rijal, Head of Solution Engineering - Glean

AI is moving from experimentation to execution. Join this keynote to learn how to architect an intelligent enterprise that achieves durable, measurable impact. The next edge will come from leaders who connect the enterprise with agents that act as teammates, an open platform strategy to avoid fragmentation, and a system of context that makes institutional knowledge usable in the flow of work. We'll codify the playbook: when to standardize vs. specialize, how to design for interoperability and model choice, and the guardrails that make autonomy safe.

12:30 pm
-
1:30 pm
-
Ballroom D
Lunch
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom A
Breakout Session - The Automation Advantage: Unlocking Public Cloud Savings with Zero Effort
Cloud & Dev Ops

Presented By: Colby Garcia, Head of Cloud Services Partnerships - ProsperOps

Cloud spend continues to rise, yet most organizations struggle to capture the savings available through traditional, manual FinOps practices. ProsperOps has managed to find their clients $3 Billion in net-new public cloud savings through FinOps automation. This session will explore how ProsperOps delivers effortless, automated rate optimization that maximizes savings across AWS, GCP, and Azure. Drawing on data from the State of FinOps report and real-world customer examples, we'll show how automation reduces risk, improves cloud costs, and enables teams to achieve lasting financial outcomes without additional overhead.

1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom G
Breakout Session - Cyber Resiliency: Learnings from the Front and the Do's and Don'ts of Surviving an Attack
Infrastructure

Presented By: Michael Massee, Technical Expert - Hitachi Vantara

In today's landscape, cyberattacks are no longer a matter of if but when. True leadership means preparing the business to withstand disruption and recover without compromise. This session highlights how organizations can build cyber resilience strategies - grounded in immutability, isolation, and automation - that protect revenue, safeguard reputation, and ensure continuity even in the face of ransomware.

1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom F
Breakout Session - Security + SOC: Why Attackers Still Win and How the Modern SOC Can Stop Them
Security

Presented By: Robert Chuvala - AE Business Solutions

Enterprises continue to invest in tools, but attackers adapt faster, using automation and identity abuse to slip past defenses. This session looks at the SOC from the attacker’s viewpoint, highlighting where blind spots remain and how telemetry pipelines, AI-driven detection, and stronger identity controls can close the gap. Attendees will walk away with a clear sense of what attackers exploit today and what a modern SOC must prioritize to stay ahead.

1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom B
Breakout Session - Supercharge IT Operations with Agentic AI
Infrastructure

Presented By: Jason Magill - AE Business Solutions, Chris Babcock - AE Business Solutions

Operational efficiency often relies on repetitive scripts that manage infrastructure, monitor systems, and resolve common issues. In this session, we explore how Agentic AI can transform the way organizations create, maintain, and execute operational scripts. Attendees will learn how AI-driven agents can autonomously generate and optimize scripts across IT operations by reducing manual effort, minimizing human error, and acceleration time-to-resolution.

1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom C
Breakout Session - Data Science for Security Engineers
Data Science

Presented By: Phil Henrickson - AE Business Solutions

Are you a Security Engineer or Analyst who wants to do more with the security data  your organization has? Join Phil Henrickson, AE's Senior Data Scientist, for an introduction to data science with a security focus.

1:30 pm
-
2:00 pm
-
Ballroom E
Breakout Session - Cloud Journey: Migration and Modernization
Cloud & Dev Ops

Presented By:  Zhen Li, Product Owner for Cloud Services - Alliant Energy

Cloud transformation isn't just an IT project - it's the cornerstone of enterprise digital transformation, driving innovation, agility, and data-driven decisions. In this session, Zhen Li, Product Owner for Cloud Services at Alliant Energy, shares real-world lessons from leading a full-scale hybrid-cloud migration to Azure in his previous organization. Using Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework and Well-Architected Framework as guiding principles, Zhen emphasizes the critical roles of strong leadership, trusted partnerships such as Microsoft Unified Support, uncompromising talent development, and relentless automation. Attendees will gain practical insights to map, measure, and modernize their own cloud journey while building sustainable, future-ready platforms.

2:00 pm
-
2:15 pm
-
Break 3
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom A
Breakout Session - System Security Beyond EDR: How to Harden the OS and Eliminate Shadow IT
Security

Presented By: Austin Allen, Sr. Director, Global Solutions Architecture - Airlock Digital

In this session, we will talk about how Application Control is finally ready for widescale adoption. We’ll explore why system hardening is essential, how to enhance EDR detection fidelity, and why a deny-by-default model is the best way to eliminate Shadow IT while putting security control back into the hands of your IT & Security team.

The Importance of OS Hardening

  • Why securing your operating systems is foundational to overall system security
  • Practical steps to harden servers and endpoints effectively

Improving Threat Detection Beyond EDR

  • Understanding why EDR alone isn't enough to prevent all threats
  • Strategies to improve detection accuracy and enhance security measures

Eliminating Shadow IT with a Deny-by-Default Model

  • How a deny-by-default approach can put control back in the hands of IT and security teams
  • Reducing risk and improving compliance with stronger security policies
2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom G
Breakout Session - Future-Proofing Your Infrastructure with the Nutanix Cloud Platform
Infrastructure

Presented By: Dennis Arnold, Sr. Channel Systems Engineer - Nutanix

Explore how to seamlessly migrate from VMware/Broadcom toa modern, more flexible infrastructure with Nutanix. Learn how Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) can enable your transition from virtual machines to containers on a modern, hybrid platform that is perfect for AI workloads. This session will provide practical insight to help you build a resilient, future ready IT environment.

2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom F
Breakout Session - Can you copy/paste your network? An analysis of Digital Twin Platforms
Network

Presented By: Dan Yatzeck - AE Business Solutions

Digital twins aim to streamline network testing by creating perfect virtual replicas of your production network, but how well do they actually work? We'll explore  the current state of digital twin platforms and see how they compare

2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom B
Breakout Session - Homo Technologicus: Evolving Your Career for the Age of AI
Services
Artificial Intelligence

Presented By: Corey Rockwell - AE Business Solutions

The role of the IT professional is undergoing rapid evolution. From the early days of mainframes and sysadmins keeping the lights on, to today's  cloud-native, security-first, and AI-driven environments, survival in IT has  always been about adaptation. In this session we'll explore the  "evolutionary tree" of IT careers, examine how natural and artifical selection apply to technical skills, and predict how artificial  intelligence will accelerate change in the industry. Most importantly, we'll discuss practical strategies IT professionals can use to not only avoid  extinction, but thrive in the competitive landscape of tomorrow.

2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom C
Breakout Session - Cloud and Landing Zone Architecture 101
Cloud & Dev Ops

Presented By: Dan Placek - AE Business Solutions, Alex Holt - AE Business Solutions

This talk will cover Cloud architecture from the ground up. Learn what Landing  Zones are and how they are implemented in practice.

2:15 pm
-
2:45 pm
-
Ballroom E
Breakout Session - Single Pane of Glass Network Automation
Network

Presented By: Joe Henderson & Colin Poulakos - WEC Energy Group

This presentation outlines a strategy for network automation by leveraging Nautobot as the authoritative Single Source of Truth and using n8n for intelligent, AI-enhanced workflow orchestration. It details how these components work together to provide centralized visibility, increase operational efficiency, and enable advanced, automated network management capabilities.

2:45 pm
-
3:00 pm
-
Break 4
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services
3:00 pm
-
4:00 pm
-
Ballroom D
Keynote Speaker - Ladd Wiley
Artificial Intelligence
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Network

Epic - America's Electronic Healthcare Engine

Presented By: Ladd Wiley, Head of Public Policy & Board Member - Epic

Rapid development of AI capabilities position Epic as a place for medical intelligence about care. In addition, with growth outside of the traditional hospital space, Epic is working with payers, labs, specialty diagnostics and more. These changes mean Epic is no longer just an EHR use by hospitals and clinics, but is rapidly becoming America's Electronic Healthcare Engine.

4:00 pm
-
4:15 pm
-
Ballroom D
Closing Remarks
Security
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Services
4:15 pm
-
5:00 pm
-
Ballroom D/Main Hall/Terrace
Networking & Happy Hour
Cloud & Dev Ops
Data Science
Infrastructure
Security
Services