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About ‘Nexus Presents: Brilliance’
We have an event series we call ‘Nexus Presents’; we bring you inspiring people on business-relevant topics.
Brilliance. A byword for bright ideas and a job well done.
Bringing together world class tech leaders such as Dell, local-based global successes such as The Met Office, Exeter City Council, plus experts in culture, law and cyber security, Nexus has pulled together a fascinating day of thought leadership, insight and networking.
Event Summary
Full Agenda
All agenda items may be subject to change.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Registration |
| 09:30 – 10:45 | Welcome and Keynotes |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Break |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Lightning Talk |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | Workshops A and B (pick one, see workshops) |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Workshops C and D (pick one, see workshops) |
| 12:15 – 13:15 | Lunch |
| 13:15 – 14:30 | Quiz, Afternoon Speakers and Lightning Talks |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Break |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Speakers, Panel Debate and Close |
| 16:30 17:30 | Networking |
All Day
After Party
Workshops
We have four workshops, two per session. You will be able to pick one from A and B and pick one from C and D.
Information remains subject to change.
A: Countermeasures for Cyber Defenders: SonicWall’s 2023 Mid-Year Cyber Threat Report
Alexis Holmes
SonicWall
Charting cybercrime’s shifting frontlines.
Join SonicWall’s Cyber Security Expert, Alexis Holmes, as he dives into the 2023 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, covering the importance of implementing key countermeasures to protect against cyber threats and to stay updated with the latest threat intelligence. As cyber threats continue to evolve, it’s essential for organisations to have a comprehensive understanding of the behaviours and tactics of threat actors in order to protect against potential attacks. This session covers the importance of implementing countermeasures based on coalesced yearly data on threat actor behaviours and tactics. By understanding and addressing the specific tactics and techniques used by threat actors, organisations can more effectively defend against cyber attacks.
SonicWall provide firewalls for IT security and are a leader in solutions for cybersecurity.
B: The Elegance of Automation
(with Case Studies)
Graham Bidwell
CEO, OfficeLabs
Accelerate your Business with Process Automation
Learn the process automation benefits of your M365 licencing. We will discuss how you can deliver more and increase accuracy with what you already have.
We will also showcase a number of solutions based on SharePoint and Power Platform.
Nexus have partnered with OfficeLabs, so a number of our clients are benefitting from their skills in business analysis and delivering the powerful benefits of Microsoft’s tools.
C: Tales of a Security Operations Centre (SOC)
John O’Mahony
Kaseya
Join this workshop to gain a comprehensive understanding of the significance of a SOC (Security Operations Centre) and how it plays a pivotal role in defending against real-world cyberattacks. Exploring real-world security data and learning about the five essential reasons for implementing a SOC.
Attendees will leave with an enhanced awareness of cybersecurity challenges and strategies to mitigate them.
Kaseya are one of the world’s largest providers of tools for managing and automating IT tasks, including the Rocket Cyber SOC tool.
D: Transforming Teamwork with Microsoft Teams
Holly Sharp
Gamma Communications
Unlock the potential of Microsoft Teams with an in-depth look at the latest features and the future roadmap. Dive into live demonstrations, best practices, and valuable insights to supercharge your team’s collaboration journey. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay ahead in the world of modern teamwork.
Gamma are communications technology specialists for business.
Speakers
The following speakers and businesses are all confirmed. However, we reserve the right to amend or substitute the programme as necessary. We are grateful to the speakers and their employers for making their time available.
Click on the profile pictures for LinkedIn pages.
From rain clouds to remote clouds – the power of technology on meteorology
The Met Office has world-renowned scientists and and an almost incomprehensible requirement for computing power. Jon will reveal some of the numbers and challenges in keeping the wheels turning, producing forecasts and conducting research.
He’ll discuss the benefits they’ve experienced by consolidating tools and fully embracing the Microsoft 365 platform, with a special focus on the success of their intranet implementation. Jon will then share how this has led to what is set to be Microsoft’s biggest migration to date as they move their on-site supercomputer from Exeter to Azure, and explain how partnerships are now vital to the way they work.
Happy people do great work! The reality of putting happiness at the heart of your business.
Jaye Cowle is the Founder and Managing Director of Launch, the happy performance agency. Based in the South West, Launch turned 11 this year and has scaled from a kitchen table business to a £2m+ agency with 27 digital marketing experts and is recognised as one of the top 1% of Google Premier Partner agencies.
Earlier this year Launch was named in the Campaign Top 100 Best Places to Work and European PPC Agency of the Year, adding to the ever-increasing awards shelf. In 2023, Launch went public with its mission to be the happiest agency in the world, madness or genius? That’s what we’ll explore.
Navigating the Hybrid Minefield
Julius is a Product Architect at Dell EMC, the global IT products and services company.
New findings from IDC show that over 90% of organisations are adopting hybrid and multi-cloud setups or have plans to do so soon.
Your business has likely ventured into the realm of cloud and hybrid solutions, but finding the right balance can be a puzzle. Is a full cloud approach the long-term answer? In this session, we’ll unravel the best approach together and share some recent announcements in this space from Microsoft and Dell.
Beyond Planning: unlocking brownfield land in Exeter
Liveable Exeter exists to transform brownfield land and build 12,000 homes in the city, delivering at least half by 2040.
Ian will explain the challenges and opportunities in delivering this strategy which anchors the city’s new local plan, The Exeter Plan. He will also explore the range of other tools needed to deliver such an ambitious city making initiative.
We have an IT Team to do that!
The responsibility for cyber security is often delegated to the IT Team and not elevated to the highest level of the company. Reported high-profile cyber-attacks continue to rise but understanding the cyber issue can be difficult for boards to understand, let alone take ownership. This is why cyber security is pushed to the already-overstretched IT team to manage and mitigate. This presentation will discuss how cyber security can be broken down and owned at board level by looking at business risks and the impacts of a cyber-attack.
Dave Woodfine will explain his method of cyber scenario-based planning to show how cyber threat actors could attack and exploit company information and assets, and how these risks can be mitigated.
The Boost Effect
James is well known on the business circuit in the South West. Numerous people have attended his packed-out networking events.
James doesn’t often take the limelight himself, but we’re pleased to say he’s agreed to present for us. James says:
Humbled to have an incredible crowd of followers, I’m delighted to share my story, revealing the power of authentic connections, engaging content, and the magic of word-of-mouth marketing that turned attendees into our biggest advocates. Join me as I unveil the key elements that took us from single digits to waiting lists, attracting engaging speakers and becoming a well-known champion for business in the Exeter area.
AI: The Legal Need-to-Knows
Are you one of the many businesses using, deploying, or exploring AI?
Do you know what the law says about the creation of AI or AI-generated works? From ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, BARD to your own software – what should you put in place if you are using an AI tool in your business?
This 15-minute lightning talk will give you a whistle-stop tour of the AI legal landscape in the UK and help you undertake a risk assessment for your business.
Cyber-crime case studies: Key insights and lessons learned
Join the SWRCCU as they explore real life case studies of operations that the unit have worked on. This presentation will highlight lessons that can be learned from these incidents, along with current trends and best practices within cyber security.
A Protect officer will also go through how to prepare and plan your response to a cyber-attack, and cover technical and socio-cultural practical advice that can be used by both individuals and organisations in the fight against cyber crime. The key takeaways for the audience include; gaining an insight into the work of the South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit and the crimes that they investigate with key lessons that could be learned from these incidents, as well as practical steps that can be taken to reduce their cyber risk, whether as an individual, an employee, or an employer.
Panel Debate
Dan will be hosting our panel debate session.
Watch out for our online survey questions during the day and the chance to pose questions to the panel.
Dan Pritchard is the co-founder of Tech South West and CEO of Program marketing agency. His specialism is building communities for brands, and with a long history in media, PR and leadership, he’s also an excellent host for our debate.
Our panel will consist of some of our speakers from the day: Jon Murch, Amy Ralston, Julius Clayton, David Woodfine and John Brett.
John Brett
Nexus Open Systems
Co-Pilot: Your Co-Passenger on the 2024 Tech Journey
With a look to the future, John will take us on a whistle-stop tour of what’s just around the corner with Co-Pilot from Microsoft.
We all know that AI is ‘the next big thing’ but how can it be genuinely useful to transform the kind of work we’re doing today?
John will show us a few choice examples of tools soon to be widely available, so you can see the kind of revolutions that’ll be hitting our businesses from next year.
A closing talk demonstrating inspiring innovation.
Sponsors
We are grateful to the following sponsors for their contributions to Nexus Presents: Brilliance.
Kaseya
Market leader in IT & security management, Kaseya provide integrated technology platforms trusted by over 500,000 IT professionals. Nexus use Kaseya software.
Kaseya will be presenting a workshop. You can also visit their booth and learn about their innovations.
Dell Technologies
Amongst the world leading technology companies, delivering hybrid cloud solutions to high-performance computing.
Dell will be presenting an insightful keynote talk. You can also visit their booth to discuss their current solutions.
SonicWall
Since 1991, SonicWall have been providing firewalls for IT security and have solutions for cybersecurity. Nexus deploy SonicWall products.
SonicWall will be talking us through their cyber threat report in an insightful workshop. You can also visit their booth to talk about their services.
Gamma
Leading provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) across the UK and Europe. Gamma sell innovative voice, internet connectivity and mobile services. Nexus use Gamma services to make unified communications solutions.
Gamma will be running a workshop explaining how telephony works within Microsoft Teams. Find out why so many people are making the switch.
Anywhere365
Rethink your contact centre. Anywhere365 is a communication layer on top of Microsoft Teams that connects your service users with the right information and the right people at the right time.
Anywhere365 are sponsoring our last talk of the day and you van visit their trade stand to hear about their innovations.
The Venue
The Forge at Winslade Manor
Our venue is The Forge at Winslade Manor, selected for its exquisite rooms, easy access and parking, and great hospitality with good food.
It’s at Clyst St Mary near Exeter, a short way from M5 junction 30.
After entering the Winslade Park site, park in the first car park on the right.
Make your way towards the manor, and staying at the road level, pass the manor on your left. The entrance will be 100m or so in front of you.
