New York CISO Executive Summit

Governing Body members of the New York CISO community host this welcome reception for to kick off the Executive Summit with an evening of peer networking, food and drinks.

The modern CISO must navigate the complex balance between technological advancement and the need to simplify and secure IT environments. This requires overhauling legacy architectures to be VPN and firewall-free, responding to shifting threats with AI-enabled defenses, overcoming financial constraints, and accommodating cloud-first businesses with distributed workforces. Leaders must lay a secure foundation using zero trust principles – for users, devices, and workloads – and harness the power of AI to consistently stay one step ahead of the attackers.

Join this session to learn:

• AI’s role in enabling both organizations and their adversaries, with an emphasis on staying a step ahead of cybercriminals
• Navigating the evolution of the CISO roles in light of greater expectations and oversight from senior business leaders
• Securing organizations’ resources – from end users to branches and factories – reliably and cost-effectively with zero trust

Don’t you wish you could pop into your CHRO's head, instantly understanding their approach to important topics and decisions? Now’s your chance to pursue that candid context, pose questions and hear an insider HR perspective.

The questions in this session will be decided by this CISO community and will touch on themes like:

• Staffing infosec teams and addressing components of HR processes security leaders find challenging
• Understanding how CISOs can better support their HR counterparts
• More areas of opportunity for CHRO & CISO collaboration, such as insider threat initiatives

For security professionals, zero trust is a mantra built into the cornerstones of security strategies. So trusting AI to augment and improve all the protections we've spent our careers putting in place is no easy feat. But here’s the truth: AI needs time and data to grow and learn to support security teams. And we — as the real, live people managing these tools — need time and information to adjust to trusting AI.

Join this session to learn about:

• Establishing trust in AI to combat external threats like data leaks from shadow AI usage
• Managing internal threats through controlling permissions and implementing guardrails
• Using AI to empower security teams by automating tasks, addressing talent gaps, and preventing burnout

Maturing your security posture requires knowing how to objectively assess your organization, use industry best practices and frameworks, and select the right tools to advance your business. This complex, time-intensive process often takes a backseat to defending yourself against ever-evolving threats. Getting started can be overwhelming, so finding time to assess and improve your security maturity is a tall task.

Join this session to discuss:

• Benchmarking SOC performance using common assessment frameworks and tools
• Determining your security maturity level, and how to fill gaps you’ve identified
• Analyzing the impact of data and AI on your security posture

Today’s security operations centers are facing a barrage of “more.” More attacks. More threat actors. More devices and data. More security tools. More regulations. More specialized focus areas. More silos. With the modern security landscape changing fast, the SOC must evolve to meet current threats, demands and pressures.

Join this session to discuss:

• Balancing business demands and a stable security architecture at scale
• Gaining clarity with AI-driven intelligence
• Integrating incident responses for faster reaction

AI risk is quietly creeping into every corner of your enterprise, and you don’t even realize it. As more employees adopt AI-powered tools, applications, and processes, it is becoming deeply embedded in your tech stack — but it’s not just your employees using AI. Attackers are also leveraging AI to enhance their own tactics and sharpen their attacks. The real question for CISOs is: Do you have visibility into the countless ways AI is spreading, and what’s the best way to use AI to protect against AI?

Join this session to discuss:

• The hidden ways AI is entering your enterprise—from third-party tools to shadow AI projects—and why it’s slipping under the radar
• How attackers are using AI to improve their attacks and making them harder to detect by both legacy security tools and humans themselves
• Actionable steps for CISOs to gain visibility and control over AI use across the organization

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Is a bigger team, budget or scope always better? Or is it true that with great(er) headcount and visibility comes with great responsibility? And if you do find yourself at the helm of a bigger, more robust security program, how does that change your role and approach to leadership?

Join this session to hear insights from your peers on these questions and more as they tackle topics like:

• The good, bad and in-between of how the CISO role changes when leading a much larger security organization
• Adjusting your leadership style to meet the needs of a role with expanded responsibilities
• Staying grounded and avoiding burnout

This session introduces how AI/ML technologies are being integrated into SASE solutions for advanced threat detection, predictive analytics, and automated responses. Real-world case studies illuminate successful implementations, highlighting the challenges faced and the outcomes achieved. Explore the balance between AI-driven automation and the need for human decision-making and future trends. Join us on a journey into the evolving landscape of network security, hear and share best practices and strategies from your peers.

In this session you will learn:

• How AI/ML technologies can simplify your infrastructure and improve security posture
• Why AI is fundamental for real-time threat detection and automatic remediation at every edge
• Explore proven business outcomes and common challenges in deploying AI/ML enhanced SASE

As organizations become increasingly interconnected through complex supply chains, cloud security has emerged as a critical concern that affects all businesses—even those not operating directly within cloud environments. The challenges are compounded by a dynamic regulatory landscape that demands proactive attention.

Join this interactive roundtable session to discuss:

• Evolving challenges in cloud security and practical approaches to address them
• Strengthening detection and response capabilities against threats targeting cloud environments
• Developing an effective, timely cloud incident response plan aligned with regulatory expectations

The path to stronger identity security strategies lies within an agile and connected digital system. CISOs are often challenged with keeping disparate identities up to date, but when leveraged correctly, easy-to-use technology can be a game changer.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

• The essentials for building seamless and secure access
• The challenges faced when protecting against malicious actors
• How to automate the management of digital identities

With messaging apps like WhatsApp boasting over 2 billion users globally, demand on secure email to keep pace grows every day. The competing pressures of convenience, compliance, security and innovation have many CISOs wondering – what’s next for secure business communication?

Join this session to discuss:  

• Determining if secure email is still relevant
• Transitioning secure messaging to the cloud
• Preparing for the future in the era of direct messaging

Join us for an informal networking break for women in cybersecurity leadership and their allies to connect and build relationships with like-minded leaders in the greater New York area who are making an impact in their organizations and communities. Come prepared to share ideas, inspire and be inspired, and forge new connections that can help empower each other to achieve your goals and broaden your perspectives.

This session is intended for women in the New York CISO community leading the cybersecurity function at their organizations (CISO/equivalent) and women reporting directly to the CISO/equivalent. Priority access will be reserved for these groups, with allies welcome as space permits.

Complex, high-pressure and stressful -- three words many security leaders use to describe their roles. In this environment, it's vital to question the sustainability of the role of the modern CISO. How do we make such a demanding role appealing to the next generation of security talent? Can you remain productive at this level of pressure for the next 5, 10, or even 20 years? When you're ready to move on, what will your next step look like -- and who will replace you?

Join this keynote for a frank conversation between security executives that will cover:

• Advice for newer CISOs who are charting their paths to success
• Mentoring and bringing up the next generation of security leaders
• Planning for your own succession and for thinking about what's next