Exclusive Events - TechTalk Summits

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Lone Tree, CO

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille

8433 Park Meadows Center Dr, Lone Tree, CO, United States, 80124

Technology Executive Summit | Cybersecurity | Denver, CO

Are CISO’s better aligned to the business?

Thursday, February 26th | 6:00 PM MT

Cyber risk rarely fails at the firewall—it fails when security leaders struggle to translate risk into business reality.

While aligning cybersecurity to the business has technically been part of the CISO mandate since the role was first defined, the last decade has brought a sharper—and more urgent—expectation: CISOs must operate as business leaders first, technologists second. But what does “business alignment” actually look like in practice?

Join Merlin Namuth, Chief Information Security Officer for the City and County of Denver, for a candid, experience-driven conversation that cuts through the buzzwords. Drawing from his leadership across one of the nation’s largest and most complex municipal environments, Namuth will share real-world lessons on how CISOs can move beyond purely technical initiatives to drive outcomes the business actually values. He’ll reflect on a recent RSAC 2025 breakfast, where—when asked to name a current initiative—he was the only CISO at the table who cited a non-technical, business-aligned priority. That moment crystallized a hard truth about where the role is headed.

Expect practical insights on governance, risk, legacy constraints, executive communication, and the leadership decisions required to protect modern, hybrid environments—while enabling innovation, AI adoption, and scale.

This intimate Technology Executive Summit delivers the perspectives senior technology leaders need to navigate an escalating threat landscape without slowing the business or defaulting to overengineered solutions.

As the #1 leader in short-format tech events, TechTalk Summits creates a premium forum for decision-makers: direct access to credible experts, focused peer conversations, curated interactions with solution providers, and a high-end dining experience.

Secure your spot and join the leaders redefining what it truly means for cybersecurity to align with the business.

Speakers

Merlin Namuth Chief Information Security Officer at the City and County of Denver Merlin Namuth is the Chief Information Security Officer at the City and County of Denver supporting over 50 agencies and departments. ?He has worked in cybersecurity for over 27 years. His comprehensive experience spanning several industries includes leading several different security programs, creating strategy and building security programs from the ground up, advancing existing security programs, mergers and acquisitions, managing incident response teams, compliance, architecture, and engineering complex security solutions. Namuth has served as an advisor to security startup companies. He has presented at numerous conferences, including RSA Conference both domestically and internationally, been interviewed on renowned security podcasts, and frequently writes blogs and articles.

Mike Healy, Host Founder & Managing Director Mike Healy is a veteran technology-events executive with deep roots in the industry. He began his career at Giga Information Group, later joining IDC, where he served as Show Director for the launch of LinuxWorld, one of the most influential global open-source conferences. He went on to break new ground at EarthWeb, launching The Bazaar, the first large-scale open-source software conference. Today, as Founder & Managing Director of TechTalk Summits, Mike continues to design and deliver high-impact technology events that connect IT leaders with the solutions shaping the future.

Agenda

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Registration & Networking over drinks

6:30 pm - 6:50 pm

First course dropped, Host's opening remarks

6:50 pm - 7:00 pm

Fastly

Fastly’s powerful and programmable edge cloud platform delivers some of the best and fastest online experiences possible through edge compute, delivery, security, and observability offerings. Together, we're making the internet a better place where all experiences are fast, safe, and engaging.

7:00 pm - 7:10 pm

Delinea

Delinea is a pioneer in securing human and machine identities through intelligent, centralized authorization, empowering organizations to seamlessly govern their interactions across the modern enterprise. Leveraging AI-powered intelligence, Delinea’s leading cloud-native Identity Security Platform applies context throughout the entire identity lifecycle – across cloud and traditional infrastructure, data, SaaS applications, and AI. It is the only platform that enables you to discover all identities – including workforce, IT administrator, developers, and machines – assign appropriate access levels, detect irregularities, and respond to threats in real-time. With deployment in weeks, not months, 90% fewer resources to manage than the nearest competitor, and a 99.995% uptime, Delinea delivers robust security and operational efficiency without compromise. Learn more about Delinea on Delinea.com, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

7:10 pm - 7:20 pm

Stefanini Group

Stefanini Group is a global technology consultancy company, offering a broad portfolio of technological solutions with a presence in 41 countries and support in 44 languages. Driven by a shared entrepreneurial spirit, the company helps clients transform their businesses through digital innovation, working agilely and co-creating solutions for a better future.

7:20 pm - 7:30 pm

Pure Storage

Pure Storage uncomplicates data storage, delivering a cloud experience that empowers organizations to maximize their data while reducing the complexity and expense of managing the infrastructure behind it. With certified customer satisfaction in the top 1% of B2B companies, Pure's customers are among the happiest in the world.

7:45 pm - 9:00 pm

Dinner, Networking & wrap up with dessert and raffles

Technology Executive Summit | Denver, CO | Perry's Steakhouse & Grille

Technology Executive Summit | Cybersecurity | Denver, CO

Are CISO’s better aligned to the business?

Thursday, February 26th | 6:00 PM MT