Time
Event
8:15AM – 9:00AM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
9:00AM-10:00AM
Welcome: Brad Strom & Paul Tsaparis
Opening Keynote: Brad Wasson
Location
Main Presentation Hall B2
Industries, organizations and individuals are facing unprecedented change economically, politically, environmentally, and socially. In this key note, Brad examines this moment we are in and introduces the critical lenses we all need to not only find our way forward but thrive.
Brad Wasson is an Executive Partner with Gartner’s Executive Programs (ExP). Brad brings over 30-years of entrepreneurial and digital leadership across multiple industries which includes: Chief Digital Innovation Officer at NB Power, co-founder of AI-based healthcare startup NeuroAI , co-founder of Business Bridge management consulting company, and Hewlett-Packard. Brad has been recognized globally and nationally and is invited to speak at numerous national and international events on topics spanning business strategy, career planning, and technology.
10:00AM – 10:30AM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
10:30AM – 11:15AM
Presenters
Vlad Ivankine, Safraz Iqbal, Brent Brodie
Category
Service Excellence/Process Improvement/Business Transformation
Location
A2
In this presentation we will discuss IT Asset Management (hardware & software) and why we need to manage and inventory assets. We will elaborate on the benefits of a unified, university-wide approach to asset management and working with procurement to establish university-wide policies and guidelines for all purchases (SmartBuy & exceptions). There will be an example of current program where a unified understanding and implementation approach will be beneficial to all (new CRP policy). The learning outcome will be understanding the nuances of the asset lifecycle model (procurement, management, and disposal) and benefits of a unified approach and how progress can be measured by the institution to provide value and cost savings
Presenter:
Greg Milligan (Microsoft)
Category
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Location
E2
In this session, we’ll look at the current state of AI technologies and go under the hood to discuss how machine learning works, and the impact of generative and transformer models. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of what AI can and can’t do, as well as some resources for further learning.
Presenters
Yama Kazim, Stephen Shen, Anto John
Category
Innovation
Location
C2
In this talk we will be discussing Digital Credentials. MyCreds.ca is a digital credentialing platform that empowers learners and institutions. It provides a secure and reliable way to manage, share, and verify digital credentials.
Presenters
Mario Testa
Category
Enterprise Solutions/Operations/Security
Location
D2
This presentation will offer a brief background in SQL HA/DR concepts and definitions within the context of addressing business service needs and organizational requirements. It will provide a high-level and basic review of available Microsoft SQL HA/DR technical solutions. It will illustrate current implementations of both legacy and SQL HA/DR environments relative to wider, ongoing database service high availability and resiliency migration project and profile the practical utilization of available infrastructure resourcing and capabilities in our solutions. There will be an examination of a balanced review of effective solution advantages against both infrastructure costs and support overheads, and a discussion about some configuration advancements and other functional opportunities going forward.
Panelists: Branka Halilovic, Revital Gorsht, Reem Ibrahim Ali, Laurie Mobilio and Karen Furlonge
Moderator: Vanessa M Capogreco
Category
Leadership
Location
B2
In the Information Technology field traditionally led by men, more women are now taking on leadership roles and spearheading innovation. This panel moderated session will discuss the specific challenges and opportunities that women encounter in technology. Topics will include leadership strategies, career growth, work-life balance, mentorship, and networking. Female technology leaders from York IT are set to share their experiences to provide you with the tools and insights necessary for success in the tech field and beyond.
11:15AM – 11:30AM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
11:30AM – 12:15PM
Presenter
Milan Padukka and Rick Sambhi
Category
Service Excellence/Process Improvement/Business Transformation
Location
A2
This presentation will showcase how Process Mining can be used to accelerate service transformation in ITSM by identifying bottlenecks and improving workflows. Using the CTS Computer Procurement process as an example, the presentation will demonstrate how service owners can leverage this technology for continuous process monitoring and optimization.
Presenters
Patrick Thibaudeau, Vidur Kalive
Category
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Location
E2
Happy Birthday Cria! Join us for an insightful presentation on Cria (also know as AURA) where we delve into the significant milestones and key lessons learned over the past year since the inception of Cria. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of our journey, highlighting the challenges we faced, the strategies we employed, and the successes we achieved.
Presenter
Raiman Dilag
Category
Innovation
Location
C2
In the quest to continually “add value” we’re all being asked to perform beyond our norms. This talk highlights how Glendon ITS is doing its part to support student Recruitment, Retention and helping to shape the on-campus student life experience. We’ll talk about our efforts to drive student engagement using our media lab, XR micro-credential program, and our team’s own hobbies to stimulate clubs, and student “third-spaces”.
Presenters
Scott McBride, Sunil Manikonda
Category
Enterprise Solutions/Operations/Security
Location
D2
This presentation will have a general discussion on the Academic Resource Management System (ARMS) and the various underlying application programming frameworks that are being used in its technical debt renewal upgrade. It will touch on all aspects of the application from security to the supporting database to data-delivering APIs to the quickness in deploying new functionality. The learning outcome is to demonstrate how these new underlying Python frameworks enable us to deliver timely solutions to the end users and management with our limited resources.
Presenters
Arjun Bhardwaj & Jules Czarniak
Category
Security
Location
B2
In the face of relentless cyberattacks, a reactive approach is no longer enough. This presentation focuses on providing an overview of the current threat landscape and highlights what threat actors are doing to infiltrate organizations and enact harm. We’ll examine real-world case studies that highlight the importance of a unified approach to security and the importance of a security first culture. You’ll learn how to leverage threat intelligence to stay in lock step with threat actors and ensure we foster a security-first culture across the organization to enhance our resilience to a cyber attack.
The goal of the presentation is to provide knowledge to build a resilient cyber defense capability and stay ahead of the curve.
Time
Event
12:15PM – 1:15PM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
1:15PM – 2:00PM
Presenters
Luke Gagliardi, Ramon Kagan
Category
Service Excellence/Process Improvement/Business Transformation
Location
A2
This session will introduce the foundational concepts of Knowledge Management (KM) and Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS)—a structured methodology designed to effectively capture, organize, and leverage institutional knowledge. As we navigate a future of rapid technological change, enhancing our knowledge creation and sharing practices is crucial. Adopting KCS will enable our IT teams to: Improve operational efficiency, elevate the experience of students, faculty, and staff, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We’ll share our strategic approach to implementing KCS within UIT, including the tools and processes we’ll employ. This initiative will not only build a strong, shared knowledge base but also position us to harness the power of AI in knowledge creation, dissemination, and service delivery. By the end of this presentation, participants will have a clear understanding of KM principles, actionable strategies for implementing KCS within their teams, and UIT’s vision for a university-wide KM solution that strengthens York’s resilience, adaptability, and service delivery.
Presenter
Violeta Gotcheva
Category
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Location
E2
Discover how the Faculty of Science IT Team began their journey to harness the power of prompting for various tasks, from analyzing user feedback and writing user documentation to script coding and even creating a birthday card. We will explore why “AI won’t take your job, but someone using it might”. This hands-on session encourages participants to bring their mobile phones and engage in a creative prompt challenge using copilot with commercial data protection.
Presenter
Mansoor Khan
Category
Innovation
Location
C2
This presentation will be on the new network architecture and how the network transformation helps the York community to meet future demands in terms of scalability, reliability and security.
Presenters
Oliver Chan Kong, Aladin Alaily, Rick Sambhi
Category
Enterprise Solutions/Operations/Security
Location
D2
This presentation will discuss how the UIT endpoint roadmap provides clarity and direction to our partners towards modern endpoint management. We welcome opportunity to discuss the common pain points and solutions where UIT can help.
2:00PM – 2:15PM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
2:15PM – 3:00PM
Presenters
Domenico Bruce, Jaime Duran
Category
Service Excellence/Process Improvement/Business Transformation
Location
A2
In this presentation Domenico will demonstrate real-world example of a change to Azure infrastructure. Discussion of GitHub actions vs other tooling currently in use. Jaime will demonstrate what is coming next for on-premise infrastructure, focus on the improved automation for system provisioning and configuration management.
Presenters
Patrick Thibaudeau, Vidur Kalive
Category
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Location
E2
Are you curious about the latest advancements in Microsoft 365 AI? Join us for an insightful presentation on MS 365 Copilot where we will dive into this innovative feature and its implications for your workflow. We’ll also look at the differences between the free version of Copilot and MS 365 Copilot.
Presenters
Tim Hampton
Category
Innovation
Location
C2
During this presentation there will be a comparison between System 1 and System 2 thinking, using AI inference and AI training as practical examples to distinguish between the two systems. Additionally, I will explore Conway’s Law, focusing on how silos can support organizational stability but become detrimental during periods of change. The goal is for participants to understand the interplay between stability and change, both in cognitive processes and organizational design. The learning outcome is to equip participants with the ability to identify when to rely on fast, intuitive thinking (System 1) versus slower, more analytical thinking (System 2), while also gaining an appreciation that both systems have their uses. Conflict often arises when individuals prefer to apply different systems to the same situation, and participants will learn to recognize and navigate these tensions.
Presenter
Raiman Dilag
Category
Enterprise Solutions/Operations/Security
Location
D2
Feel like you’re limping through the day, or that you’ve got a cramp in your step at work? We’re in for the long haul and this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. This is an amusing side by side of how getting through our IT operations and projects can be like running a 26.2 mile race. Exuberant starts, getting in over our heads, hitting the Wall, and bounding… or stumbling to the finish. Let’s laugh together about how to Go the Distance.
Presenter
Maxime Delwaid
Category
Data & Digital Resilience
Location
B2
In this session, you'll learn how leveraging the power of the data with Splunk can help you achieve greater digital resilience across your entire organization.
3:00PM – 3:30PM
Location: Outside Main Presentation Hall B2
3:30PM – 4:30PM
Closing Keynote: Sarah Bay-Cheng
Closing Remarks: Brad Strom & Carol McAulay
Location
Main Presentation Hall B2
Dr. Sarah Bay-Cheng is the Dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and a Professor of Theatre & Performance Studies at York University. Her research looks at the intersection of media, performance and emerging technologies and includes 4 books, most recently, Performance and Media: Taxonomies for a Changing Field. More info here>>