CIO & CISO Ohio Think Tank

Join us as we dive into the evolving landscape of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and unveil our top five predictions for the year ahead. 

Our cybersecurity expert will: 

• Analyze key market trends, emerging technologies, and industry shifts shaping the future of SASE. 
• Explore how SASE is transforming cybersecurity strategies for modern enterprises. 
• Showcase upcoming innovations in SASE that can help you stay ahead in securing your hybrid workforce. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert insights and a competitive edge in the fast-changing world of cybersecurity. 

We will explore the evolution of Gen AI, from its inception to its transformative impact across various industries. Experts will discuss the disparity between the media-driven hype and the technology's real-world capabilities, sharing case studies and addressing current challenges. The conversation will also cover the economic and ethical implications of Gen AI, providing insights into its future advancements and regulatory landscape. Attendees will gain a nuanced understanding of Gen AI's potential and the strategic considerations necessary for its successful integration into diverse sectors.

Businesses and their leadership teams are increasingly being targeted – physically and digitally. Research from The Ponemon Institute shows that 42% of CISOs report attacks targeting executives' personal lives – a number that will only climb as cybercriminals evolve their attack methods.

Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging executives’ personal digital presence as an entry point into corporate networks. Traditional cybersecurity focuses on corporate systems, leaving executives’ personal digital lives exposed – creating a significant risk vector for organizations.

This Fireside Chat between Richard and Chris is going to explore the ways that CISOs and CSOs can address this phenomenon to protect leadership, corporate assets, and brand reputation.

Imagine a scenario where your client’s CEO joins a call—and it turns out to be a deepfake. With generative AI making fakes nearly undetectable, social engineering attacks are escalating, as seen in multimillion-dollar losses across industries. The quality, scale and complexity of these attacks are growing exponentially—leaving traditional content-based defenses struggling to keep pace.

Consider recent high-profile incidents: the sophisticated attack on MGM costing $30 million, a video-based deepfake assault on Arup's Hong Kong finance team, resulting in a $25 million loss, and impersonation schemes posing as new hires to compromise critical systems. As GenAI evolves, the challenge is clear: how do we effectively block these advanced threats from the get-go?

Leaders in mission-critical industries are beginning to assess solutions that address the prevention of AI-driven impersonation and classic social engineering scams. Let’s envision a defense framework that integrates seamlessly across all collaboration tools and communication channels—calls, video conferences, messaging, SMS, emails—providing real-time, first-encounter verification without cumbersome pre-registration, and doing so with rigorous privacy safeguards.

This session will explore what to do when content based filtering is no longer enough to protect organizations from the escalating risks posed by advanced social engineering generated threats.

In the context of effective cyber risk management, the challenge lies in keeping up with evolving technology, particularly during cloud or technology transformations. The adoption of threat intelligence, Gen AI, the metaverse, and machine learning presents both opportunities and challenges, with a need for technology leaders to grasp the security implications. While these technologies enhance cyber risk management, they also offer efficiencies through task automation. Striking a balance between risks and rewards is crucial for gaining trust and staying competitive. Looking forward, organizations must explore innovative approaches to cyber risk management, emphasizing resilience against third-party risks. Collaboration with the leadership team is essential to take an enterprise-wide view of current and future threats, develop action plans, safeguard critical assets, and facilitate quick recovery. Early collaboration with the executive team is encouraged to integrate risk management into transformation strategies and extract maximum benefits from emerging technologies.

Bridging the gap between business and technology is not easy and requires discipline and balance between technology, people, and business. For so many organizations today, technology is the business. Technology needs to be understood as a critical enabler in every part of the organization from the front line to the back office. It creates new value by crunching data to deliver new insights, it spurs innovation, and it disrupts traditional business models.

For business and technology leaders alike, new actions and behavioral changes can help their organizations make this shift. CIOs and CISOs must take responsibility for problems, they should convey that when technology fails, many people typically share responsibility.

Digital transformation is often talked about, but rarely fully realized. Why? This session takes a hard look at the hidden cultural norms, organizational silos, and legacy mindsets that quietly sabotage innovation.

We'll explore how bold leadership — particularly from CISOs and tech executives — can challenge the status quo, foster a culture of adaptability, and champion the responsible use of data as a strategic asset. From shifting internal behaviors to redefining risk in a data-driven world, this conversation offers practical insights into breaking through resistance and turning transformation into action.

AI is not just reshaping workflows—it’s redefining the workforce itself. As automation accelerates across industries, business leaders face a critical question: are we preparing people to lead with AI, or letting AI quietly take the lead?

With over 40% of U.S. jobs expected to be impacted by AI technologies and nearly half of today’s core skills projected to shift by 2027, the pressure to act is no longer theoretical—it’s immediate. And in cities like Cleveland, where traditional industries meet innovation, the challenge becomes even more complex: how do we drive transformation without leaving our people behind?

This session will explore the human side of AI adoption—rethinking roles, building real reskilling strategies, and redesigning leadership for the Human + Machine era. Expect bold insights and fresh perspectives on what it truly means to build an AI-ready workforce—one that empowers, not replaces, human potential.