Tuesday, October 21st, 2025
Smarter MDR: How to Achieve Better Protection
4:00pm – 5:30pm ET | Virtual
Event Overview
Tool sprawl, talent shortages, tight budgets, siloed technology stacks and ever-persistent adversaries. These factors inhibit organizations of all sizes and sectors as they attempt to manage and monitor their security infrastructures.
Add AI-powered attacks and cyber defenses to this complex landscape, and you quickly conclude: Managed detection and response isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a game changer, shifting organizations from reactive firefighting to proactive resilience.
But with so many MDR options out there, how do you choose the one that’s right for you? Do you even know what the business needs you to secure, and what a mature MDR relationship looks like?
Register for this session now to gain insights into the smarter MDR – and how to achieve better protection.
Among the discussion points:
- How has your enterprise approached MDR in the past – what’s succeeded and failed?
- What does your business need you to secure in today’s threat landscape, and how do you measure your success?
- What role does AI need to play in your detection and response?
Request to Attend
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*Please note that this is an invitation-only event and space is limited. All requests to attend will be reviewed by our event staff and approved based on professional qualifications and event capacity. Additionally, these events will not be recorded and the Chatham House Rule will apply.
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Moderator
Tom Field
SVP Editorial
ISMG
Benjamin Spencer
Director
Optiv
Darren Ford
Security Sales
Engineer – Partners
Google Cloud
Speakers
This roundtable discussion brings together IT decision-makers and security leaders to discuss Smarter MDR: How to Achieve Better Protection. Join your peers and thought-leaders from event sponsor Optiv.
This session will be:
- Chatham house rules
- Peer driven
- Pitch free
Subject matter expert
Justin Williams
Managing Partner, Strategy and Risk Management
Optiv
Justin is a security risk management leader known for building, transforming and leading teams that create and protect value for organizations across multiple industries. His strategies create value, while delivering practical risk reduction for businesses with a keen focus on operational and cost optimization. Justin’s two decades of developed strategies are shaped by a deep technical understanding, threat awareness and passion to protect America’s National Security.
Justin currently serves as a cyber and strategic risk leader at Optiv, where he leads the organization’s most influential clients and markets. He is responsible for delivering practical risk-reducing programs that span cybersecurity, product security, supply chain security, physical security and resiliency. Justin is an expert on the application of federal regulatory matters, including Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.204-7012 and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), against commercial organizations doing business with the federal government. He is further responsible for go-to-market efforts and creating new market opportunities to deliver value realization from technology-enabled capabilities. Justin is a regular speaker, advising boards and leaders on security risks, resiliency, and revenue protection.
Subject matter expert
Peter Newton
Senior Director of Products and Solutions
Cisco
Peter Newton serves as Senior Director of Products and Solutions at Cisco, where he oversees the company’s SSE, SD-WAN, and SASE offerings. With 20 years of experience in computer networking and security, Peter has worked on both chip-level and system-level solutions at organizations including Fortinet, AMD, and Netgear. He is also a former officer in the US Navy.
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Get a Preview of this Roundtable
Venue
Willie G's
1640 West Loop S, Houston, TX 77027
Underwritten by
Optiv is the cyber advisory and solutions leader, delivering strategic and technical expertise to nearly 6,000 companies across every major industry. We partner with organizations to advise, deploy and operate complete cybersecurity programs from strategy and managed security services to risk, integration and technology solutions. With clients at the center of our unmatched ecosystem of people, products, partners and programs, we accelerate business progress like no other company can. At Optiv, we manage cyber risk so you can secure your full potential.
Google Cloud accelerates organizations’ ability to digitally transform their business with the best infrastructure, platform, industry solutions and expertise. It delivers enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology – all on the cleanest cloud in the industry.
Rules of Engagement
By taking part in this discussion you agree that:
- These events follow Chatham House Rule. Nothing shared will be recorded or distributed anywhere online.
- If for any reason you need to cancel your reservation, we ask you to let us know 48 hours prior to the event commencing so we can open your seat up to someone else.
- These are interactive discussions, so we ask that all attendees participate in the discussion. If this is a virtual event, we ask all attendees to join via video.
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