Versatility 2025

Breakfast Sponsored by Arrow Electronics

Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW) sources and engineers technology solutions for thousands of leading manufacturers and service providers. With global 2023 sales of $33 billion, Arrow’s portfolio enables technology across major industries and markets.

Jun Shi – CEO, Accton-Edgecore

The world of I.T. has changed overnight. For more than three decades, I.T. had been an incremental process of faster and higher density components being strung together in various and sometimes unique ways. Capacities increased (as did costs) but the fundamentals of computing remained the same.

In this session we’ll explore the huge opportunity in front of every IT professional to bring software-defined and high-capacity GPU-centric computing to the masses- at the very moment it is being demanded by their constituents! We’ll discuss the complementary nature of SD-WAN, high-performance AI Fabrics, and Composable Computing approaches to dramatically reduce cost and the time it takes to derive value from new investments. We’ll also set the expectations and outline the steps needed to make affordable AI a reality in your own infrastructure.

Break Sponsored by ambiFOX stellaneo

ambiFOX stellaneo enables data to flow safely. Whether IT outsourcing or complex network landscapes – We know our way around today’s network world. With our all-in-one solution, nocware, you can assemble your network modularly – and tailor it to your company’s requirements.

Mark Harris – Chief Marketing Officer, Accton-Edgecore

Bob Ghaffari – Vice President, Network and Edge Group, General Manager, Enterprise and Cloud Network Division, Intel Corporation

Sergey Schindler – Chief Technology Strategist, Dell Technologies

I.T. Professionals around the global are realizing that the infrastructures they spent their entire career learning and supporting have changed. The demands being placed upon I.T. are like nothing they have previously experienced and some may be wondering, How did this happen? What has really changed? Why does it appear to have changed overnight? What is the reality of AI, and how can it be leveraged and adopted outside of the hyperscalers? What are the biggest challenges to meet the computing demand of 2025 and beyond? Are real business applications catching up to consume AI? What are the key technologies that must exist to support this new GPU-centric and power-hungry computing model? And lastly, how can you explain all of this change to stakeholders and shareholders alike?

Peter Moorey – Global Network Engineering Manager, SLB

Deploying a global SD-WAN is no small feat, but optimizing it for performance, visibility, and automation is the real game-changer. Peter Moorey will share SLB’s end-to-end SD-WAN journey – from Proof of Concept (PoC) to full-scale global deployment and beyond – leveraging Versa’s platform to transform network performance and operations, including:

• SLB’s SD-WAN rollout strategy – Lessons learned from testing to global deployment.
• Optimizing network performance – How SLB leveraged Versa DNS Proxy, TCP optimization, and QoS enhancements to improve Office 365 and satellite/cellular connections while reducing MPLS costs.
• Network observability with Grafana – Harnessing data from Versa Analytics to provide customized reporting.
• Automating SD-WAN provisioning – Using Nautobot as a network source of truth to streamline Versa configurations.

Lunch Sponsored by Neeco

Neeco is a leading provider of complex, global ICT services. We leverage the knowledge of local environments to supply our customers with the most effective hardware and software implementations, services, maintenance, and additional support.

Gail Smith, Executive Director and Founder

Case study on a global technology services company transformation to an internet first architecture with hyperscaler backbone. Looks at design issues, using intelligence to efficiently scale global implementation, and the power of Versa API in supporting custom visibility and alerting for improving operations.

Mike Wong, Accton-Edgecore

I.T. Professionals have heard the terms “Scale-Up” and “Scale-Out” for years, but in this GPU-centric computing revolution commonly referred to as “AI”, what does this actually mean to the builder and architect? This session will walk through the details of each and see how these deployment strategies can become the cornerstones of modern infrastructure buildouts.

We’ll cover open Scale-Up through composable computing which can be applied to all modern applications (including AI), and we’ll explore Scale-Out approaches which take advantage of the massive investments silicon designers have made over the past few years. We’ll also spend some time positioning the industry’s fast-growing networking operating environment, SONiC, previously created to power Microsoft’s Azure, and now open-sourced and powering more than 20% of the world’s digital infrastructures.

Break Sponsored by ambiFOX stellaneo

ambiFOX stellaneo enables data to flow safely. Whether IT outsourcing or complex network landscapes – We know our way around today’s network world. With our all-in-one solution, nocware, you can assemble your network modularly – and tailor it to your company’s requirements.

One Platform, Many Functions: Maximizing Versa for Multi-Vendor Security and Edge Computing

Ray Wilcoski, Senior Networking Engineer

As organizations navigate the challenges of multi-vendor environments, security integration, and edge computing, the need for consolidation, efficiency, and innovation has never been greater. Booz Allen Hamilton has taken a cutting-edge approach, leveraging Versa as the foundation for integrating virtualized network functions in consolidated edge devices.

In this session, we’ll explore how Booz Allen Hamilton has:

• Consolidated multiple security and networking functions into a single Versa-managed edge device, eliminating the need for separate firewalls, IDS, and routers.
• Integrated Versa with leading technology partners like Netscout, F5, and Cribl to create a powerful, scalable security and observability stack.
• Virtualized critical enterprise applications on uCPE, enabling integrated monitoring, on-prem security stack, and localized compute at the edge.
• Streamlined security event logging and analysis, ensuring real-time insights and data efficiency across distributed environments.

We’ll also share lessons learned, including challenges, limitations, and best practices for managing a complex, high-performance security infrastructure at the edge. Whether you’re looking to maximize your existing Versa investment, enhance security and observability, or simplify multi-vendor integration, this session will provide actionable insights to help you expand & optimize your network architecture.

Sascha Odenthal, Director of Sales and Marketing

Boris Wetzel, Managing Director

In this session, we will show what ancient cities and modern cyber security have in common.

Join us on a journey that shows the transformation of IT-Security from a classic unstructured, on-prem-focused security setup to a modern, state of the art full stack SASE solution powered by Versa technology and the expertise of choin!

Cocktail Hour Sponsored by Advantech

Advantech is a leader in providing trusted, innovative products, services, and solutions. Advantech offers comprehensive system integration, hardware, software, customer-centric design services, embedded systems, automation products, and global logistics support.

Breakfast Sponsored by Comcast Business

Comcast Business offers leading global businesses the technology solutions and forward-thinking partnership they need. With a full suite of solutions including fast, reliable connectivity, secure networking solutions and advanced cybersecurity and a range of managed service options, Comcast Business is ready to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Jason Ness – CEO, CommandLink

AI is everywhere—yet many organizations overlook the single biggest factor that makes AI possible: connectivity. In this keynote, we’ll explore why “there is no AI without bandwidth and security” — and why ignoring a strong network foundation puts your AI strategy at risk.

Drawing on pivotal moments in business when bold leadership overcame legacy thinking, we’ll examine how forward-thinking CIOs and IT leaders must act decisively to avoid falling behind. From global carrier management and SASE integration to MDR/SIEM security, learn how to collapse complexity, safeguard massive data flows, and ensure your AI initiatives truly deliver. You’ll leave with a practical framework for transforming IT sprawl into a borderless foundation—one that propels AI rather than constraining it. Because if you’re ready to seize the future of AI, there’s one critical truth you can’t ignore: no connectivity, no AI.

Mohammad Alala, Sr. IP Network and Security Engineer, Wireless Maritime Services (WMS)

The cruise industry faces unique connectivity challenges, from unpredictable satellite link performance to the need for secure cellular voice, text, and internet services across vast and remote oceans. WMS is the 20-year leader in addressing these challenges through an advanced multi-orbit strategy, combining 3G, 4G, 5G, GEO, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks to deliver cellular connectivity on 200 ships for 25 cruise lines through 400 roaming partners globally.

In this session, Mohammad Alala will share insights into the deployment of the Versa Secure SD-WAN across 54 Royal Caribbean sites, enabling seamless, secure, and high-performance connectivity at sea on one of the world’s largest cruise lines. He’ll explore the technical and operational considerations of managing diverse WAN interfaces, the role of packet shaping and QoS optimization for LEO networks such as Starlink, and how Versa’s hosted shared head-end simplifies deployment across cruise ship fleets.

Srini Rao Pavuluri – AVP and Head of Strategic Products Group, North America, Tata Communications

Mohit Manral – Head of Product, Enterprise Networks, Colt

Aaron Hite – Co-Founder and Principal Engineer, Arrow Networks

The convergence of networking and security is redefining the role of telecom service providers – creating both opportunities and threats in an industry undergoing rapid transformation. With the rise of SASE (Secure Access Service Edge), telcos must decide whether to remain resellers or architects of the future network.

The panelists will discuss how SASE is reshaping telecom strategies, the imperative for security-native networks, and whether traditional telcos can compete with hyperscalers in delivering secure, high-performance connectivity. We will also explore the role of AI in network automation and security, how telcos can support enterprises in building an AI fabric, and the fundamental shifts required to rearchitect the core network for a security-first future.

Lunch Sponsored by Neeco

Neeco is a leading provider of complex, global ICT services. We leverage the knowledge of local environments to supply our customers with the most effective hardware and software implementations, services, maintenance, and additional support.