TechMentor & Cybersecurity Live! @ Microsoft HQ 2027 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 & Cybersecurity Live! 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 three 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 several people for the same show. Next, please ensure 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.

Want 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 hands-on labs that will be offered as part of the 2027 IT Pro Training Course series.

Session, workshop, and hands-on lab proposals are welcome in the following topic areas: 

Client and Endpoint Management

Despite the shift toward cloud and SaaS applications, endpoint management remains one of the most operationally complex areas of IT. Windows continues to evolve rapidly, and organizations must plan for coexistence, modernization, and security—often simultaneously.

We are looking for sessions that go beyond theory and address real deployment, troubleshooting, and operational challenges in modern endpoint environments.

Topics of interest include:

• Windows 10 (end of support strategies)

• Windows 11 deployment, hardening, and operations

• Future of Windows and device management

• Copilot in Windows and AI-assisted endpoint operations

• Servicing, patching, and update strategies in the AI-powered threat landscape

• Microsoft 365 endpoint integration

• MDM and modern management

• Microsoft Intune and Intune Suite

• Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM)

• Configuration Manager (co-management, legacy coexistence)

• Windows Autopilot (design, failure modes, troubleshooting)

• Endpoint Analytics and operational insights

• UEFI, Secure Boot, and firmware security

• Driver lifecycle and management

• Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

• Windows 365 / Cloud PC

• Advanced desktop troubleshooting

• AI-assisted diagnostics and remediation

• Other relevant endpoint topics

PowerShell, Automation & DevOps

Automation is no longer optional. This track focuses on PowerShell and automation as foundational skills for modern IT operations, cloud management, and security.

We are especially interested in sessions that show real automation patterns, safe credential handling, and how AI can accelerate—but not replace—engineering discipline.

Topics of interest include:

• PowerShell state of the union

• PowerShell (Windows, Linux, macOS)

• PowerShell Core and cross-platform automation

• PowerShell tooling and debugging

• Desired State Configuration (DSC) / Azure State Configuration

• Microsoft Graph API

• Secure automation patterns

• JIT / JEA

• GitHub Copilot and AI-assisted scripting

• Automation for Entra ID, Azure, Microsoft 365, and Intune

• Infrastructure-as-Code concepts

• DevOps and GitOps for IT Pros

• AI-driven automation guardrails

• Other relevant automation topics

Core Infrastructure & Identity

Infrastructure is no longer just “on-prem” or “cloud”—it is hybrid, identity-driven, and security-sensitive. This track focuses on the foundational services that still underpin enterprise IT, and how they have evolved.

Topics of interest include:

• Windows Server 2019 / 2022 / 2025 / vNext

• Active Directory architecture, hardening, and modernization

• DNS, DHCP, and authentication flows

• Group Policy (legacy, coexistence, migration)

• Windows Admin Center

• Server migrations and upgrades

o File services

o Print services

o Active Directory

o DNS / DHCP

• Protecting and extending EOL systems

• IIS modernization and cloud migration

• Remote Desktop Services (RDSH)

• Networking fundamentals and troubleshooting

• Segmentation and micro-segmentation

• Azure Stack HCI

• Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)

• Identity integration with Entra ID

• MFA for infrastructure administration

• AI-assisted operations and troubleshooting

• Other relevant infrastructure topics

Soft Skills & Career Development for IT Pros

Technical expertise alone is no longer enough. This track focuses on the human side of IT careers, leadership, and resilience.

Topics of interest include:

• Living and working with AI

• How to benefit from AI without burnout

• Communication and presentation skills

• Selling technical ideas to leadership

• Documentation and knowledge sharing

• Remote and hybrid work realities

• Conflict resolution

• Professionalism in distributed teams

• Preventing IT burnout

• Blogging, speaking, and personal branding

• Writing books or long-form content

• Security awareness training

• Tabletop exercises

• Inclusion and diversity in tech

• Other career and soft-skill topics

Security for IT Professionals

Security today is identity-first, cloud-aware, and increasingly influenced by AI—on both sides of the attack. This track focuses on practical defense, not fear-driven theory.

Topics of interest include:

• AI in security (defensive and offensive)

• Identity and access security (Entra ID)

• Conditional Access and Zero Trust

• Passwordless authentication

• MFA deployment and bypass techniques

• Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

• Privileged Access Workstations (PAW)

• Endpoint and disk encryption (BitLocker)

• EDR, XDR, and detection engineering

• Microsoft Defender ecosystem

• Microsoft Sentinel

• Security baselines (Microsoft, CIS)

• Attack surface reduction

• Ransomware defense strategies

• Incident response and recovery

• Immutable backups

• Supply chain attack mitigation

• SOC design and operations

• AI-assisted security operations

• Patching in the new AI-assisted vulnerability landscape

• Other relevant security topics

AI for IT & Security Professionals

AI is reshaping how IT and security work is performed. This track focuses on practical AI adoption, real limitations, and emerging risks.

Topics of interest include:

• Copilot for IT and security

• Prompt engineering for administrators

• AI-assisted troubleshooting and operations

• AI in DevOps and automation

• AI in cybersecurity detection and response

• Deepfakes, impersonation, and synthetic identities

• AI governance and risk

• Data leakage and prompt injection risks

• AI supply chain and model trust

• AI in detecting vulnerabilities in code

• Responsible AI usage in enterprise IT

• MLOps for IT environments

• Edge AI and IoT

• Other relevant AI topics

Azure: Public, Hybrid & Operations

This track focuses on how Azure is actually deployed and operated—hybrid, connected, and constrained by reality.• Microsoft Entra-ID

Topics of interest include:

• Entra ID and identity integration

• Copilot for Azure

• Azure IaaS and PaaS

• Hybrid Azure architectures

• Networking, firewalls, and private endpoints

• Azure Backup and Site Recovery

• Azure cost management

• Azure automation and scripting

• Azure DevOps

• Azure security and Zero Trust

• AI-powered Azure operations

• Other relevant Azure topics

Microsoft 365 Operations & Identity

Managing Microsoft 365 requires balancing productivity, identity, security, and user experience.

Topics of interest include:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption and governance

• Teams administration and security

• Exchange Online operations

• SharePoint and OneDrive management

• Microsoft 365 security controls

• Entra Connect and hybrid identity

• Passwordless authentication

• Backup and recovery for Microsoft 365

• Reporting and auditing

• AI-enhanced productivity scenarios

• Other Microsoft 365 topics

Ransomware Industry

Ransomware is a mature criminal ecosystem. This track focuses on how it actually works, not headlines.

Topics of interest include:

• Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)

• Affiliate and IAB ecosystems

• Double and triple extortion

• Negotiation realities

• Cyber insurance dynamics

• AI use by ransomware groups

• Data leak sites and pressure tactics

• Defensive insights from attacker behavior

• Other ransomware industry topics

Threat Intelligence & Human Risk

One of the most important aspects of securing your environment is to understand who you are against. Threat Intel tries to identify, analyze, understand and predict what we are facing.

Topics of interest include:

• Threat intelligence workflows

• OSINT and adversary profiling

• Ransomware group tracking

• Human risk and social engineering

• AI-powered phishing and impersonation

• Intelligence-driven defense

• Other threat intelligence topics

Security Operations Center

Cyberattacks don’t happen during office hours but mostly during nighttime. 24/7 surveillance is mandatory for companies. A Security Operations Center tries to detect and isolate threats before they escalate to incidents. There are different kinds of, different levels, different sized, and different priced SOCs. 

• What is a Security Operations Center, and how do we get one?

• Establish or Outsource a SOC?

• What makes an effective SOC

• SIEM solutions

• Building a SOC

• Running a SOC

• AI’s role in SOC

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Incident Response

When an incident happens it’s the IR-teams job to jump in, identify the threat and restoring operations. IR-teams gather evidence, expel the enemy, fixes vulnerabilities, and restores company operations. 

• Incident Response in general

• AI’s role in Incident Response

• Preparing for Incident Response and Recovery

• Building a Cyber Security War Room with Microsoft Teams

• Recovering from Cyberattacks

• Disaster Recovery

• Building a secure fabric

• Backup and Restore

• Microsoft 365 recovery

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Blue Team

Blue Team is the proactive defensive side of security operations. They aim to prevent breaches or at least slow down the enemy. Red Teaming is very popular, especially for young people, as it gives you the permission to attack someone. People should remember that for every one Red Team job offering, there are six offerings in the Blue Team side. Red Teams find vulnerabilities – Blue Team blocks/fixes them.

• Encryption

• Patching

• Effective Hardware and Software Inventory

• Protecting On-Prem Infrastructure

• Protecting Azure Infrastructure

• Microsoft Defender for ***

• Microsoft Entra

• Securing Microsoft Teams

• So, you don’t know where to start – A beginners guide to hardening hybrid Windows infrastructure 

• Protecting Microsoft 365 Infrastructure

• Multi-Factor Authentication deployment made easy

• Microsoft Baselines and CIS

• Properly configuring Microsoft Attack Surface Reduction Rules

• Securing Linux Systems

• Zero Trust

• Anti-Malware

• EDR and XDR

• How to build secure code

• How to prevent supply chain attacks

• Secure CI/CD pipeline

• Firewalls

• Effective Patching

• Password Managers

• Privileged Access Management

• Privileged Identity Management

• Privileged Access Workstations

• Principle of Least Privilege

• Allow-Listing (Binary Control)

• VPN or not to VPN

• What makes a great Blue Teamer

• Tabletop exercises

• IAM – Identity and Access Management

• Protecting your home network

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Red Team

Red Team is the offensive side of security operations. Red Team uses tools and techniques that aim to find vulnerabilities and bypass the defenses companies have in place.

• Penetration Testing

• Hacking Windows Servers - can it be that easy?

• Hacking Linux

• Hacking Mac OSX

• Hacking Mobile OS’s

• Hacking Tools

• Hacking Techniques

• What makes a great Red Teamer

• Hacking Physical Hardware

• Physical Security – Getting through the door

• Hacking a bank

• Hacking Networks

• Reconnaissance

• How to find vulnerabilities in code

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Purple Team 

Purple Teams that perform both Blue and Red Team duties. They might be an external provider that analyses and audits the whole environment, both identifying vulnerabilities and fixing or mitigating them.

• Are you Blue, Red or Purple?

• What makes a great Purple Teamer

• Security Audits

• Threat Impact Analysis

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

OT & IoT Security

Operational networks, like in factories, are usually operated very different from Office networks. They might not have Internet access so Cloud Services are not usable. Defenses have to designed accordingly. Internet of Things, smart devices connected to and managed by Cloud Services, are an increasing attack vector to networks. Almost every home appliance now has a version with Wifi. Identifying, inventorying and protecting these new smart devices is vital.

• The S in IoT, stands for Security

• Protecting Smart Homes

• Protecting Air gapped Networks

• Microsoft Defender for IoT

• Network Detection and Response (NDR)

• Travelling over the airgap

• Other (If you have other topics to suggest not in the list above, we welcome your ideas)

Security in Education Institutions

Not only are education institutions prime targets for cyberattacks, but they also face a unique combination of security challenges: lack of resources (budgetary and personnel), strict privacy regulations, sensitive research data, a culture of open access to information, impermanent user roles, and a complex decision-making structure, to name just a few. This track will provide practical instruction on a wide range of security topics specifically for K-20 education IT professionals.

Topics of interest include:

• Ransomware

• Threat Intelligence

• Human Intelligence

• Security Operations Center

• Incident Response

• Patching

• Red/Blue/Purple Teaming

• IT / OT / IoT Security

• Artificial Intelligence

• Sector-Specific Security and Challenges

• AI impacts across all of the above

Final note to speakers

We value honest, experience-driven content. Sessions that discuss what didn’t work are just as valuable as success stories.

If you are unsure whether your topic fits—submit it anyway.

Submission Guidelines 

Please include the following information with your submission (failure to supply all requested information may limit opportunities for selection):

• Speaker's Name

• Speaker's Title

• Speaker's Company

• Title of Presentation

• 100-word Description of Presentation

• 3-5 Bullets, explaining what the attendee will learn from presentation (learning objectives)

• Speaker's Color Photo (hi-resolution)

• Speaker's Bio, including previous conference speaking/presentation experience

Speakers chosen to present at TechMentor & Cybersecurity Live! 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 & Cybersecurity Live! 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 chosen to present at TechMentor & Cybersecurity Live! @ Microsoft HQ 2027 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.