Overview
In the face of regulatory changes, economic pressure and an expanding attack surface, many organizations struggle to pinpoint the security solutions and processes to best suit their unique needs. Expert insights can help IT leaders reduce risks without hindering innovation, productivity, flexibility or other critical business requirements.
Join us for the CDW Solution Forum on Security to discover how you can make progress toward your IT modernization and business goals.
This two-day event prioritizes collaboration: Gain actionable guidance for building a multilayered security strategy that takes advantage of assessments, data protection and threat mitigation to safeguard your full technology stack — and your business outcomes — now and in the future.
Get ready to explore strategies designed to help your organization:
- Consolidate your security solutions and processes to minimize complexity and develop a holistic security posture
- Build security into your full stack and make your organization more resilient
- Leverage a strong security strategy as a business enabler that allows IT teams to pursue innovation and digital transformation
- Elevate cybersecurity conversations to the C-suite and make security an enterprisewide priority.
- Evolve your security strategy to account for hybrid work and an ever-evolving threat landscape
Thursday | October 19
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 1:05 p.m.
Welcome
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
Friday | October 20
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 9:05 a.m.
CDW Welcome
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
See More of the Agenda
1:05 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
CDW Keynote
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
9:05 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Physical Security as Part of a Holistic Security Landscape
- Link Simpson, Physical Security Practice Lead, CDW
1:40 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Core Principles and Benefits of a Zero-Trust Strategy
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
- Peter Romness, Cybersecurity Principal, CISO Advisors Office, Cisco Systems
- Joseph Salazar, Identity Security Technologist, SentinelOne
- Jeremiah Salzberg, Chief Security Technologist, GSSO, CDW
9:40 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Business Spotlight from IT Leadership Peers
2:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.
Protection User Identities Against Ever-Evolving Social Engineering Tactics
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
- Jeremy Smolik, Manager, Solutions Architecture, CrowdStrike
10:05 a.m. - 10:25 a.m.
Cracking the Code on Novel Attacks: Ransomware Mitigation Via Behavior Analysis
- Wanda Miles, Senior Security and Compliance Program Manager, Exabeam
- Jeremiah Salzberg, Chief Security Technologist, GSSO, CDW
2:35 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
BREAK
10:25 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
BREAK
2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Navigating the Digital Frontier: Supply Chain Digital Risk Management
- Larry Burke, Principal & Vice President, GSSO, CDW
10:35 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.
Cyber Resilience in a Threat-Driven Digital Landscape
- Jason Cook, Field CTO, Americas, Rubrik
- Gary McIntyre, Managing Director, Cyber Defense, CDW
3:20 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.
CDW Leadership Fireside Hot Topics
- Gary McIntyre, Field Strategist, GSSO, CDW
- Walt Powell, Field CISO Team Lead, CDW
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Security = Technology Done Right
- Amna Awan, Head of Security Risk Manager, CDW
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
3:45 p.m. - 4:05 p.m.
How to Continue Managing Risk During a SOC Transformation
- Larry Burke, Principal and Vice President, GSSO, CDW
- Patrick Lyons, Director, Ecosystems GTM Strategy, Palo Alto Networks
11:35 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Ensure Your Cyber Insurance: A 4 Phrase Approach to Cyber Liability Claim Readiness
- Walt Powell, Field CISO Team Lead, CDW
4:10 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
How Data Can Make Your Security Strategy More Innovative and Proactive
- Travis Guinn, Principal Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft
- Apollo Hernandez, Security Advisor, Splunk
- Jeremiah Salzberg, Chief Security Technologist, GSSO, CDW
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Working Tabletop Session: Addressing Today's Business Challenges
4:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Working Tabletop Session: Addressing Today's Business Challenges
12:30 p.m. - 12:40 p.m.
Closing Remarks
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
5:20 p.m. - 5:25 p.m.
Event Close
- Buck Bell, EVP, GSSO, CDW
12:40 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Grab-n-Go Lunch
5:25 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Free time
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Evening Networking Event
Please check back here for live updates as we finalize your event experience.
Amna Awan
Head of Security Risk Management, CDW
Amna Awan is the head of security risk management within the global information security organization at CDW. She came to CDW in 2023 from a financial sector background.
Awan’s team is responsible for security governance, risk, and compliance activities. She has an extensive technology background, including in development, and has held cybersecurity roles in the past with program ownership of multiple domains. She is a periodic speaker and advisor for industry events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Awan is a co-author of the book, The CISO Mentor: Pragmatic advice for emerging risk management leaders. She has a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in management information systems. She holds several certifications, including CISSP, CRISC, CCSP, and ITILv4.
Buck Bell
Executive Vice President, GSSO, CDW
Buck Bell is the executive vice president for CDW’s global security office, bringing more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and risk management to the role.
Prior to CDW’s acquisition of Focal Point Data Risk, Bell served as executive vice president of Focal Point’s technology integration division, leading identity and access management, data analytics, SIEM, and elements of cloud security. Prior to Focal Point, he led identity and access management consulting at Optiv Security, with teams across consulting, project management office and offshore operations. In addition, Bell has held several industry roles in Fortune 50 insurance and media companies. Bell worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology on role-based access control standards and NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework 1.1. He also worked with Oasis on the development of SAML 2.0.
Larry Burke
Principal and Vice President, Global Security Strategy Office, CDW
Larry Burke is the principal and vice president for CDW’s global security strategy office. In this role, he serves as an executive leader focused on cybersecurity, assisting clients with governance, risk and compliance services.
He also serves as the lead audit executive for certain internal audit outsource and co-source engagements, reporting to the audit committee. Prior to Focal Point being acquired by CDW in 2021, Burke served as a practice leader and the managing partner of Focal Point Data Risk Assurance, a CPA firm that issued SOC 1/2/3 and HITRUST reports. He’s also served as the chief financial officer of a national healthcare services firm and has held financial leadership positions in both publicly traded companies and in public accounting. Burke recently completed a Ph.D. in philosophy at Florida Atlantic University and has research interests in audit, cybersecurity, governance and regulatory impact.
Jason Cook
Field CTO, Americas, Rubrik
Jason Cook is the field CTO of the Americas for Rubrik. He brings over 23 years of experience in information systems and technology.
He’s held various roles and responsibilities in disciplines ranging from sales to consulting to project management. Cook’s true passion is engaging with clients, both current and prospective, as well as partners and industry personas in fact-based dialogues to the betterment of the IT community as a whole. In addition, delivering premium customer experiences and technology solutions through thought leadership, passion, and expertise. Cook has been with Rubrik for 6+ years and is based in Nashville, TN.
View Additional Speakers
Travis Guinn
Principal Partner Solution Architect, Microsft
Travis is a principal partner solution architect for and has been at Microsoft for 17 years. In his role he is responsible for preparing and supporting the Microsoft partner community with building security solutions in Microsoft 365.
He also works to identify new opportunities for partners to develop and deliver strategic solutions to customers in an era of expanded security perimeters, remote workforce, and constant attacks.
Apollo Hernandez
Security Advisor, Splunk
Apollo Hernandez is a security advisor for Splunk. He is a security professional with almost two decades of experience in both the physical and cybersecurity worlds.
After a few combat deployments to Iraq as a young, enlisted infantry rifleman, Hernandez earn his way into a special operations capable unit serving as a team leader in the elite and storied Marine Recon community. He also served as a civilian defense contractor in Afghanistan, before working in executive protection where he helped protect some of the world's most influential people and enterprises. After his military career, he pivoted to cybersecurity, aiming to continue to keep people safe. Hernandez has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and graduate degrees from the McCombs School of Business at UT and the Texas A&M School of Law.
Patrick Lyons
Director, Ecosystems GTM, North America, Palo Alto Networks
Gary McIntyre
Field Strategist, GSSO, CDW
Gary McIntyre is a field strategist at CDW’s Global Security Strategy Office, focused on developing complex, cross-disciplinary solutions to improve customer cybersecurity resiliency, defense and operations.
He is a seasoned information security professional with over 25 years of experience working with a wide range of public and private sector organizations around the world to design, build and maintain large-scale cyber security programs. McIntyre is currently leading the development of cyber recovery solutions for CDW customers. He is co-author of Security Operations Center: Building, Operating and Maintaining your SOC. He is a certified information systems security professional (CISSP) and certified information security manager (CISM).
Wanda Miles
Senior, Security and Compliance Program Manager, Exabeam
Wanda Miles is a senior security and compliance program manager at Exabeam. She is an information security professional with more than ten years of providing program and project management for compliance programs, risk operations and security vulnerability management.
Miles worked as a consultant for Microsoft Azure, helping them build their compliance program and obtain several certifications. She has also managed data center migrations from on-premises to the cloud, risk management assessments for clients, and assisted companies obtain SOC 2, ISO, PCI, FedRAMP and other third-party assessments including penetration testing.
Walt Powell
Field CISO Team Lead, CDW
Walt Powell is an accomplished cybersecurity leader, ethical hacker, and certified executive coach with a passion for understanding cyber risk. As lead field CISO and a founding member of the global security strategy office at CDW, he and his team of former CISOs leverage their vast experience to offer executive direction on risk, governance, compliance, and IT security strategies.
Powell’s expertise lies in translating complex cybersecurity concepts into business-focused language. His influential presence in the field is reinforced by his industry talks, white papers, his series of “CISOs Guide to…” articles, and his active involvement in certification exam development committees. Prior to his CDW role, he was an educator and owner of the Left Brain Security consultancy. Powell has worked on both sides of the table as both a cybersecurity leader and a presales advisor, architect, & engineer. He also holds countless professional certifications, including Carnegie Mellon CISO, the Stanford advanced cybersecurity certificate, CISSP, CISM, C|CISO, and numerous technical and sales certifications from leading cybersecurity firms. Beyond his professional life, Powell is a former professional musician and multi-instrumentalist who cherishes spending quality time with his children, traveling, and learning new languages.
Peter Romness
Cybersecurity Principal, CISO Advisors Office, Cisco Systems
Peter Romness is a cybersecurity principal for CISO advisors at Cisco Systems. In this role he brings Cisco’s advanced cybersecurity solutions to departments and agencies at federal, state, local governments, and educational institutions.
He works with NIST and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and has contributed to their 1800-Series Special Publications. Romness helps the broader IT community understand the very latest cyber capabilities and risk mitigation methods to effectively address cyber threats. For over 30 years, he has been devoted to helping government and education organizations securely accomplish their goals. He is honored to be able to help leaders understand and implement the latest cyber strategies to defend against threats, maintain individuals’ privacy, protect sensitive information, and secure government intellectual property. His technical background and passion for clearly conveying high-tech topics allows him to explain advanced concepts to all audiences from engineers to business leaders. Prior to Cisco Systems, Romness held leadership positions at Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and Panasonic. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University.
Joseph Salazar
Identity Security Technologist, Product Marketing, SentinelOne
Joseph Salazar is a veteran information security professional with over 25 years of military and civilian experience.
He is a retired Major from the U.S. Army Reserves, having served 22 years as a counterintelligence agent, military intelligence officer, and cybersecurity Officer. He held many roles in his civilian information security career, including CSIRT analyst, security operations manager, and computer forensic investigator. He maintains the CISSP, CEH, and EnCE certifications, holds a bachelor of arts in legal studies from UC Berkeley, and currently works for SentinelOne in product marketing as an identity security technologist.
Jeremiah Salzberg
Chief Security Technologist
Jeremiah Salzberg is chief security technologist at CDW.
In this role, he is charged with evaluating current and emerging security technologies to ensure that clients can effectively address their cybersecurity challenges and take a forward-leaning approach to prevention, detection and response. He also engages with CDW clients to discuss their security strategies and speaks at conferences. Salzberg is a security leader with over 25 years of security leadership experience in the financial, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors. He has held security positions in engineering and architecture, pen testing, and incident response, as well as numerous CISO-level positions.
Jeremy Smolik
Manager, Solutions Architecture, CrowdStrike
Jeremy Smolik leads channel solutions architecture for CrowdStrike’s alliance partner community. He is a passionate InfoSec evangelist who is convinced that all organizations can achieve security maturity with the right combination of tools plus skills inherent to all humans.
Smolik has worked with CrowdStrike’s channel partners in various roles for over 5 years, with a focus on enablement and development. He formerly supported national partners in a senior systems engineer role with Kaspersky Lab, as well as other leadership roles in and around the channel. Smolik found his love for all things security with foundational network engineering and telecom experience at Polycom, Verizon, and Adtran. A Chicago native, he is a lifetime learner who strives to pass on to his wife and two daughters a healthy obsession with DIY hobbies like gardening, backyard barbecue, and too many project cars.
Link Simpson
Physical Security Practice Lead, CDW
Link Simpson leads the physical security practice at CDW where he leverages over 30 years of experience in IT solutions integration. He and his team help CDW’s customers reduce risk and add business value by defending against threats to people, property and premises. By modernizing an organization’s physical security solutions, they help deter criminal activity and use computer vision to uncover new operational insights.
