Mississippi Tech Expo

Event Agenda

April 9, 2025

Jackson Convention Center

105 E. Pascagoula St.

Jackson, MS 39201

Breakout Session – Room 209
Sponsor: MNJ Technologies

Topic:  Future-Ready IT: Scalable, Secure, and Smart Solutions for the Public Sector

Speaker: Bruce Friedman, Principal Architect

“Join Bruce Friedman, Principal Architect at MNJ Technologies, as he showcases MNJ’s vendor-agnostic, scalable, and cost-effective IT solutions for the public sector. He’ll highlight key services, including connectivity, security, networking, endpoint devices, hybrid cloud, and infrastructure—all designed for agility and efficiency.”

Breakout Session – Room 210

Sponsor: Logicalis

Speaker: Mike Mahurin, Security Solutions Architect

Topic: Securing the Future: AI’s Impact on Cyber Defense

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is radically transforming industries and reshaping the threat landscape. While AI delivers significant business value, it also enhances the capabilities of both attackers and defenders in cybersecurity. This session will explore pragmatic strategies to protect organizations while embracing advanced technologies. We will delve into real-world examples of how organizations are navigating these changes, highlighting best practices and innovative approaches.”

Breakout Session – Room 209
Sponsor: Proofpoint

Speaker: Shana Holt, Senior Sales Engineer

Topic: Bypassing MFA: The Dark Side Stole Your Cookies

“What do browser session hijacking, Adversary-in-the-Middle attacks, and stealing authentication cookies have in common? The threat actors are using these techniques to gain access to employee cloud accounts, web applications, and internet services — without needing credentials and bypassing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). In this session, we will review the MITRE ATT&CK T1539 technique which has become pervasive in public sector attacks. We will discuss how the “Dark Side” is stealing cookies and taking over accounts with access to sensitive data. Finally, we will show you how Proofpoint Account Take Over (ATO) can address and mitigate risks related to this enterprise-level technique. Avoid the Dark Side cybercriminals and keep your cookies!”

Premier Sponsor Breakout Session – Room 210
Sponsor: Next Step Innovation

Speaker: Dr. David O’Gwynn, Director of Cybersecurity

Topic: Peace Through Pentesting

“By proactively testing and strengthening systems, we can prevent cyber threats, reduce chaos, and create a peaceful digital world.”

Breakout Session – Room 209
Sponsor: Cohesity / BCI

Speaker:  Jerry Parra, Cohesity Solutions Engineer

Topic:  Cyber Resilience ≠ Disaster Recovery: 5 Steps to Strengthen Your Defense with Cohesity

“How resilient is your cyber recovery strategy? Join us to discover five proven steps Cohesity can help you take to strengthen your overall cyber resilience. Learn how to move beyond traditional disaster recovery and build a more robust, responsive defense against modern threats.”

Breakout Session – Room 210
Sponsor: SentinelOne

Speaker: Armin Smailhodzic, Senior Sales Engineer

Topic: ThreatOps Workshop

“SentinelOne’s ThreatOps Challenge incorporates both known and advanced persistent threat attack vectors and methodology. Help neutralize the threats. Be a Threat Hunter!”

Breakout Session – Room 209
Sponsor: CSpire

Speaker: Gary Nalley, Service Design and Simplification Manager

Topic: Overview of Microsoft’s AI Assistant CoPilot

“An overview of Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI assistant designed to enhance productivity in Microsoft 365 applications by providing intelligent suggestions, automating tasks, and helping with various tasks like brainstorming, writing, coding, and searching.”

Breakout Session – Room 210
Sponsor: WorldTech IT, LLC / F5

Speaker: Josh Brooks, Distinguished Technologist

Topic: F5 AI Gateway with WorldTech IT GPT-in-a-Box

“Are you concerned about the potential risks and governance challenges that public-facing GPTs bring to your organization? WorldTech IT has partnered with F5 to deliver GPT-in-a-Box powered by AI Gateway, a solution that guarantees the security of your proprietary data, audits, and monitors network GPT usage, and leverages hardware acceleration for local models. Whether you’re an AI expert or just starting out, join us to explore the transformative benefits F5 AI Gateway and GPT-in-a-Box can offer you and your organization.”