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UPCOMING EVENTS

IT Infrastructure, Operations Management & Cloud Strategies: Chicago (Rosemont/O’Hare), Illinois

May 19, 2026

9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

7 CPE / 0.7 CEU / CISSP / 7 PDU Credits Awarded

Conference location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont (O’Hare) Illinois

   

 

Overview

Your business stakeholders and financial leaders demanding more value, reliability and agility from IT investments. But a dynamic economic and a rapidly changing technology ecosystem create tremendous challenges.

What You Will Learn

In this one day conference attendees will learn:

  • The Future Implications of ChatGPT and Generative AI on I&O
  • Using Cloud Services to Deliver Valuable Business Services
  • Is Quantum Computing the Right Path for Your Organization Regarding Future Opportunities?
  • How to Take Control of Your Cloud Strategy
  • How to Work Through the Challenges of Infrastructure Automation
  • How to Extract Business Value Through Technical Debt Management

CONFERENCE AGENDA

8:00am – 9:00am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00am – 10:00am: Operating at Scale: Modernizing Cloud & Network Infrastructure in a Complex Enterprise Environment
Patrick Kinard, Head of Cloud & Infrastructure, Chicago Public Schools

Delivering reliable, secure, and high-performing IT infrastructure at massive scale requires more than incremental improvement—it demands coordinated transformation across cloud, network, and operations. In this session, Patrick Kinard and Kyle Alston share how Chicago Public Schools is modernizing its infrastructure to support a highly distributed, mission-critical environment.

Attendees will gain insight into how CPS is evolving from traditional infrastructure models to a more agile, cloud-enabled, and resilient architecture—while still supporting legacy systems and operational realities. The session will explore how cloud and network teams are aligning to improve performance, strengthen security, and enable consistent service delivery across hundreds of locations.

Through real-world examples, this session will highlight the operational strategies, architectural decisions, and governance models that enable scalable infrastructure in one of the most complex public-sector environments. The focus will be on practical execution, cross-team alignment, and building a foundation for long-term modernization.

Key Takeaways:

  • Practical approaches to modernizing infrastructure across cloud and on-prem environments
  • How to align cloud and network strategies for improved performance and resiliency
  • Lessons learned in operating at scale across distributed locations and diverse user needs
  • Governance and operational models that support secure, reliable infrastructure
  • Key considerations for evolving legacy environments without disrupting critical services

 

   

      Kinard             

10:00am – 10:30am: Sponsor & Refreshment Break

10:30am – 11:30am: From Reactive to Predictive Operations (Fireside Chat)

Moderator: Dan Horwich, President & Executive Director, CAMP IT Conferences

Panelist: Faiz Khaja, Network Engineer, Ulta Beauty

Modern operations require anticipating issues, not just responding to them. This session examines how organizations are evolving from reactive support models to proactive and predictive operations.

Includes:

  • Observability vs. traditional monitoring
  • Event correlation and early-warning indicators
  • Reducing alert fatigue and noise

 

    Horwich                    Khaja

11:30am – 12:30am: From Shadow AI to Strategic Advantage

Bob Langys, Senior Solutions Engineer, Netskope

Employees are already experimenting with tools like generative AI, coding agents, and workflow automation. Organizations that ignore this reality fall behind—or lose control. This session shows how to turn unsanctioned usage into a governed, high-impact capability.

        Langys

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Lunch and Exhibit Break

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Connect & Collaborate: Peer Breakout Sessions

Topics Include:

  • Operating Models That Balance Stability, Speed, and Change
  • Tool Rationalization: Reducing Stack Complexity Without Losing Capability
  • Effective Incident Response in Lean I&O Environments
  • Simplifying Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments
  • Practical Prioritization Strategies for Infrastructure and Operations Teams

2:30pm – 3:00pm: Refreshment Break

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Running Infrastructure in the Real World ( I&O Leadership Panel)
This closing panel brings together infrastructure and operations leaders to discuss practical challenges, hard trade-offs, and lessons learned while running modern IT environments.

Includes:

  • Managing technical debt at scale
  • Balancing on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments
  • Skills and roles evolving in I&O teams
  • Audience Q&A

Moderator: Thomas Nicholoff, National Account Executive, Vector Security Networks

Panelists will include:

    • Nitesh Bhat, Enterprise Architect, Service Delivery Manager, HCL America Inc.
    • Shashi Kachale, IT Program Manager, Alight Solutions
    • Bernard Malkov, IT Operations Manager, Lake County Sheriff’s Office
    • Nikhil Pancholi, Associate Director of Information Technology, Crowe
    • Additional IT Infrastructure and Operations Executives sharing strategies, tactics and lessons learned

       

        Nicholoff                          Bhat                            Kachale                       Malkov                         Pancholi

Conference Price: $349.00 per person

Each attendee will receive a certificate awarding 7 CPE credits for CISSP continuing education, in addition to 0.7 CEUs and 7 PDUs. CISSP is a registered certification mark of (ISC)², Inc.

Exhibits

As is always the case at CAMP IT Conferences events, the talks will not include product presentations. During the continental breakfast, coffee breaks, and the luncheon break you will have the opportunity to informally meet representatives from the following sponsoring companies, who have solutions in the area of the conference.

 

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