TechMentor @ Microsoft HQ 2024 will offer a combination of in-depth and interactive sessions including workshops, hands-on labs, 75-minute breakouts, and 20-minute fast focuses. We invite you to submit sessions in any and all of these categories, and you may also submit across multiple topic areas at a single show.

To help you in creating successful submissions, we want to share some of the considerations that go into our process of selecting our speakers and sessions for a TechMentor event. First, each speaker will typically be selected to deliver two presentations. That means that it is in your best interest to submit at least two breakout sessions in addition to any Fast Focus topics you may be submitting. This ensures that the conference chairs have more than two options per speaker, particularly if the topic you are submitting is popular and is being submitted by a number of people for the same show. Next, please make sure that your title is clear and appropriate to the track you are submitting it to, and that your description includes enough detail to understand what audience members will walk away from your sessions having learned. Again, many speakers often provide submissions on the same topics, meaning it comes down to a meaningful title and a quality abstract.

Wanting to dig in even deeper and offer hands on experience and learning? We are also looking for speakers willing to deliver two-day workshops and two-day hands-on labs that will be offered as part of the 2024 TechMentor IT Pro Training Course series.

As always, TechMentor provides the real-world, independent alternative to the big first-part conferences. Our goal is to give attendees what they need today while preparing them for tomorrow. We have a goal at TechMentor to provide "Zero marketing-speak" and a strong emphasis on doing more with the technology they already own. We always want to focus on the future but still need to realize that most attendees will still be running on older platforms trying to get upgraded or migrated. 

With that in mind, we're asking you to propose topics in the following general tracks with sample session topics:

Client and Endpoint Management

Although apps are moving to the Cloud and web more and more, attendees still have to support, upgrade, migrate, and troubleshoot all of those client computers to use the apps. Windows client is evolving faster than ever. Microsoft just destroyed the myth of Windows 10 being the last Windows ever, with Windows 11. Windows 10 will be supported until 2025 side by side with Windows 11 but there is an upgrade to plan already! Windows 7 was EOL in January 2020, so it’s now out of date, but many still need to keep supporting it, and there are ways to have support – like Windows Virtual Desktop. We are looking for session submissions on the following topics:

• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Future of Windows
• Copilot in Windows
• Servicing and patching
• Microsoft 365
• MDM
• Intune
• Intune Suite
• Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM)
• Configuration Manager
• Autopilot
• Endpoint Analytics
• UEFI
• Driver Management
• Windows Virtual Desktop
• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Windows 365
• Advanced Desktop Troubleshooting
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

PowerShell and DevOps

TechMentor brings PowerShell, automation and scripting in general as core session topics. TechMentor is all about how to make an admins or devs life easier. It’s all part of the new DevOps approach so, sessions in this track teach attendees the tools and tech they need to make it happen inside their organization. PowerShell topics can now be cross-platform so, Mac/Linux topics are of interest to us.

• PowerShell State of the Union
• PowerShell
• PowerShell Core / Cross-Platform
• PowerShell Tooling
• PowerShell DSC / Azure State Configuration
• CloudShell
• JIT/JEA
• Graph API
• Github Copilot
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Classic Infrastructure

TechMentor’s Infrastructure track covers the services that make the server, client, application, and services work together in an IT environment. We are looking for submissions on Server 2016/2019/2022 network services, Certificate Services, network troubleshooting, and Group Policy.

• Group Policy
• Windows Server 2019/2022
• Windows Admin Center
• Migration and Upgrading to Server 2019/2022
•      File
•      Print 
•      Active Directory
•      DNS/DHCP
• Protecting EOL Windows Server 2012/2012R2
• Migrating IIS on-prem workloads to the Cloud
• Windows Defender for Servers
• Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) in Server 2019/2022
• Networking in Server 2019/2022
• Software Defined Networking (SDN)
• WireGuard and other VPNs
• Segmentation and Micro-segmentation
• Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)
•      Azure Stack HCI
• MFA in Server Management
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Security

Explore how attackers try to defeat your best security measures. Learn how to think like a hacker (threat actor) and prevent the black hats from getting anywhere near your electronic assets. TechMentor assembles some of the best presenters in the industry to guide attendees on Securing Windows clients, servers, and assets in the Cloud. We are looking for essential sessions on information in forensics, Blocking Malware, and monitoring. In 2020, there were more than 360,000 new malware samples found per day – Security has to evolve, and so do you!

• AI's role in Security
• Hacking techniques
• Security Baselines
• Proactive security
• Password Vaults
• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Security Tokens
• Entra-ID Security
• Microsoft Security Copilot
• Privileged Identity Management
• Privileged Access Workstations
• Allow-Listing (previously Whitelisting)
  
• 2nd generation anti-malware
• Microsoft 365 Defender
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
• Microsoft Defender for Identity
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud
• Microsoft Defender for IoT
• BitLocker
• IPsec
• Microsoft Sentinel
• Azure Security Center
• Teams Security
• Ransomware in 2024
•         CyberSecurity Insurance
• You are breached NOW WHAT?
• Supply Chain attack mitigation
• Successful SoC in-house or outsourced
• Incident Response
• Incident Recovery
• Immutable Backups
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Cutting Edge AI

Keep up with cutting-edge AI research and emerging trends at TechMentor that are impacting the IT industry now and in the near future.

• Natural Language Processing (NLP) - NLP techniques and advancements, including pre-trained language models like GPT-3, BERT, and their applications.
• Ethical AI
• AI in IT Operations - how AI and LLMs can be used to improve IT operations
• Conversational AI - chatbots and virtual assistants powered by LLMs for customer support, user engagement, and internal IT helpdesk
• AI in Cybersecurity - how AI and LLMs are leveraged for threat detection, anomaly detection, and security incident response in IT environments.
• Explainable AI (XAI) - Understanding methods and tools for making AI and LLMs more interpretable and transparent, which is crucial for IT professionals to trust and use AI systems.
• AI for DevOps - Exploring how AI can enhance the software development and deployment process, including automating code testing, deployment, and monitoring.
• AI in Data Management - Learning about AI-driven data management, data cleaning, and data integration techniques that can benefit IT professionals working with large datasets.
• Edge AI and IoT - Discovering how AI and LLMs can be deployed on edge devices and used in IoT applications, such as predictive maintenance and real-time data analysis.
• Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) - Understanding best practices and tools for deploying and managing machine learning models in production environments.
• Quantum Computing and AI - Exploring the intersection of quantum computing and AI, and how quantum AI can impact IT infrastructure and algorithms.
• AI Hardware and Accelerators - Keeping up with the latest advancements in hardware designed for AI and LLMs, such as GPUs, TPUs, and specialized AI chips.

Soft Skills for ITPros

Being a successful IT Pro requires more than just technology skills. These sessions will help attendees boost their careers by selecting sessions on the lighter side of technology. This track teaches attendees how to be successful in their careers and communicate their knowledge to others.

• Living with AI
• How to benefit from AI
• Presentation skills
• How to sell an idea to your boss
• Documenting
• Working Remote
• Dealing with Conflict
• Professionalism in a Work from Home Era
• IT Burnout – Coping with issues like COVID-19
• Blogging and Social Media for IT Pro’s
• Book Writing for IT Pro’s
• Security Training for end-users
• Tabletop Exercises
• Inclusion in the workplace and the industry
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Azure (Public/Hybrid)

At TechMentor, we leave the marketing presentations at home. Replacing them are real-world discussions on “the cloud” as you’re using it: Hybrid, connected, private, and the real world. From onsite Azure Stack to everything in the Cloud is what we want to cover!

• Microsoft Entra-ID
• Microsoft Entra-ID Premium
• Copilot for Azure
• Azure IaaS
• Azure Stack
• Azure DevOps
• Azure Zero to Hero
• Introduction to Azure Concepts
• Azure Labs
• Azure Backup
• Azure Site Recovery
• Azure Networking
• Azure Scripting and Automation
• Azure Resource Manager
• Azure Licensing
  
• Azure Virtual WAN
• Azure VPN
• Azure Firewall
• Azure AD Conditional Access
• Azure PIM (Privileged Identity Management)
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Office / Microsoft 365 for the IT Pro

Almost every person in IT needs to manage and support Office 365, now Microsoft 365. Exchange servers are moving to the Cloud faster than anything else. Admins may no longer have physical servers to administer, but the job hasn’t gone anywhere! At TechMentor we want to provide attendees with the up to date and real-life skills needed to manage all aspects of Microsoft 365 from the administrator’s perspective.

• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Migrating to Microsoft 365
• Managing Microsoft 365
• Troubleshooting Microsoft 365
• Optimizing Microsoft 365
• Teams
• Metaverse
• Mesh
• Exchange Online
• SharePoint Online
• Onedrive for Business
• Backup and Recovery for Microsoft 365
• Reporting for Microsoft 365
• Microsoft 365 Zero to Hero
• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Speakers chosen to present at TechMentor events will receive a full-conference pass and a stipend for each session they present. Speakers are responsible for their own travel costs and incidentals. That being said, the speaker stipend for two talks typically covers domestic flight costs and travel to/from the airport. TechMentor will also cover hotel accommodations (room and tax only) for a pre-determined number of nights at the host hotel as outlined in the speaker agreement. 

We look forward to your submissions!

~ The TechMentor Event Team

Speakers chosen to present at TechMentor @ Microsoft HQ 2023 will receive a stipend for each session they present. TechMentor Conferences will also cover hotel accommodations (room and tax only) for a pre-determined number of nights at the host hotel as outlined in the speaker agreement. Speakers are responsible for their own travel costs and incidentals.