GPN Joins Arkansas for It’s Annual ARE-ON Conference

October 9, 2024

Mickey Slimp, GPN Executive Director, recently attended ARE-ON’s annual conference.  Here is a rundown of the speakers.  (This was taken from ARE-ON’s LinkedIn page. Please visit it to see the list of sponsors and stay in touch with ARE-ON.)

Day 1 Highlights (October 8)

  • ARE-ON’s 2025 Roadmap: Elon Turner, Executive Director of ARE-ON, and the rest of the ARE-ON leadership presented the organization’s strategic direction and goals for 2025. They provided updates on network investments and new services for the membership.

  • Partner Presentations:
  • Mickey Slimp from the Great Plains Network discussed regional research cyberinfrastructure and collaboration opportunities, highlighting the potential for enhanced network performance and major projects linking ARE-ON to wider networks.
  • Michael Wallace from UAMS E-Link provided insights on maximizing USAC rural healthcare benefits. Michael covered USAC RHC Program overview and technology refresh funding programs, offering valuable information for ARE-ON’s member institutions.
  • Technology Briefing by Juniper Networks : This session delved into AI-driven networking technologies, exploring how Juniper Mist integrates AI to predict network issues, optimize traffic flows, and automatically resolve problems in real-time.

Day 2 Highlights (October 9)

  • Keynote Address: Glen E. Howie, MPA , Arkansas Broadband Director, delivered a talk on “Broadband Beyond Cables: Unleashing BEAD’s Hidden Potential.” He explored innovative ways to leverage existing broadband connections under the BEAD program, discussing opportunities for education, telehealth, agriculture.

  • State of Higher Ed IT Fireside Chat: A panel featuring Mike Ming (UA Fort Smith), Ed Adams (East Arkansas Community College), and Stephen Tycer (UA Fayetteville) discussed current trends and challenges in higher education IT, offering insights from their institutional perspectives.

  • Breakout Sessions:
  • IT Leadership Round Table (Moderated by Elon Turner): Focused on topics for IT leaders & managers.
  • IT Security Round Table (Moderated by Eric Wall, CISSP, CISM ): A panel discussion with higher-ed security leaders on current cybersecurity issues and future trends.
  • IT Infrastructure Round Table (Moderated by Scott Ramoly & Steven Karp): Covered key infrastructure challenges and solutions.
  • Sponsor Presentations:
  • Logical Front showcased managed solutions for IT efficiency on the ARE-ON network, including state-of-the-art backups and disaster recovery solutions.
  • SentinelOne demonstrated the use of AI in reducing time and experience barriers in security operations, with live demonstrations of AI applications in cybersecurity.
  • Next Step Innovation explored the pros and cons of vCISO services, discussing cost-efficiency, expert guidance, and enhanced cyber resilience.
  • Complete Computing, in partnership with Barracuda Networks, presented strategies for Microsoft 365 tenant security, covering topics such as conditional access policies, data loss prevention, and advanced threat protection.