There's plenty to get your teeth into
Check Out Our agenda
PLAN YOUR DAY, YOUR Way
Thursday, September 26th, 2024
08:30 - 09:00
registration
Tea, coffee and breakfast rolls on arrival.
09:00 - 09:25
Welcome
Karen Meechan, CEO, ScotlandIS
09:25 - 10:25
Keynote - The Most Important Decade for Mankind and How Software Will make it happen
Professor Joe Little, Futurist
Joe Little is an Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling and Senior Advisor to the Chief futurist at Deloitte.
In his keynote, Joe will be using his perspective both as an Emerging Technologist and Futurist to look at the next 10 years, the problems we face, and how we can expect technology to evolve to a new state of exponential capability in all of the sciences, arts and business to help solve it all.
10:25 - 10:50
coffee break
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, with the chance to network and browse the exhibition hall.
11:00 - 11:40
The Rise of application vulnerability: a call for action
James Allman-Talbot, Head of Incident Response and Threat Intelligence, Quorum Cyber
Cybercriminals are increasingly taking advantage of vulnerabilities in applications to breach organisations’ networks and gain access to valuable data. The race to develop and release applications as quickly as possible has left many of them open to exploitation. Security lapses have led to the theft of business information and the personal data of employees and customers on a huge scale. James Allman-Talbot will explain why and how threat actors are targeting weaknesses and why it’s essential to act now. He’ll emphasise the importance of designing and building software with security in mind from the outset to help protect confidential and sensitive data from getting into the wrong hands.
11:00 - 11:40
The Future of Serverless is WebAssembly: Serverless Measured in Nanoseconds
David Flanagan, Founder, Rawkode Academy
WebAssembly is reshaping and delivering a new wave of cloud computing. WASI Preview 2 brings server-side applications to the forefront of serverless with a component model that provides networking, files, and more; paired with an invocation time that is measured in nanoseconds instead of milliseconds. The growing support for WASM and WASI means we can write services in TypeScript, Rust, Go, Zig, and many more languages which can seamlessly inter-opt with each other over common APIs. In this session, we'll explore the leading toolchains for building and shipping WASM + WASI stateful serverless functions to the edge. Let's dive in.
11:00 - 11:40
**SESSION NOW FULL**
Unlocking the power of AI: Private conversations with your docs using Langchain JS
Patty O'Callaghan, Technical Director, Charles River Laboratories
Do you like AI, but hate sharing data? What if I told you all the fun of Large Language Models like ChatGPT is available quickly, locally, and privately? With Langchain JS, an open-source framework for developing applications powered by language models, this dream becomes reality! In this workshop, you will go from zero to hero by learning how LLMs and Langchain work and then we will build a node.js app bringing together your data with publically available LLMs - while also preventing your data and responses from going through third parties & keeping your data private.
11:00- 11:40
Ransomware: Understanding the Threat and How to Prepare for It
Brian Boyd, Head of Technical Delivery, i-confidential
Ransomware is a top concern for cyber security teams everywhere. Organisations of all kinds are being successfully targeted, and there is a constant stream of news stories charting the often devastating consequences of these attacks. This session will explore exactly what ransomware is, how it works, and what makes it such a successful form of attack for cyber criminals. Crucially, it will also outline what can be done to defend against this threat, and the responses available should the worst happen, including some complex legal and ethical considerations. Finally, the session will explore what the future may hold for criminals and victims alike.
11:00 - 11:40
panel: How business leaders can be climate leaders
Sheryl Newman, CEO of Appetite for Business; Gemma Jones, Director of Enterprises Sustainability at PwC
During the talk Gemma and Sheryl will discuss, from the perspective of a multinational company and an SME, how business leaders can do their bit to help climate change. Both panelists will explain the approach their business is taking before opening the discussion to the room. We hope that you take away from the discussion some steps that you can implement within your own organisation.
11:00 - 11:40
**SESSION NOW FULL**
Accelerating Successful Data and AI Product JourneysProfessor Stephen McArthur, CTO, Bellrock Technology; Robbie MacIsaac, Product Marketing, Bellrock Technology
Stephen will highlight examples of how business and industry can use data and AI, including the opportunities they hope to unlock, barriers they face before they can unlock the opportunity, and how partnerships can help – such as companies, suppliers of software, research teams. He will offer an insight into Bellrock’s case studies and experience of building value-adding data and AI solutions, and how the companies tackled the technical and operational challenges. Stephen’s talk will culminate with a deep dive into how AI can help to build AI products through self-organising systems, and what the future of building data and AI products looks like.
11:50 - 12:30
All Cyber Crime is Organised Crime
Jordan Schroeder, Managing CISO, Barrier Networks
Cybercrime has evolved far beyond the lone hacker stereotype. It has become a complex and well-organised ecosystem, involving networks of attackers, businesses, services, and specialised tools. This talk presents recent research based on recent data breaches from ransomware groups, complemented by insights from intelligence agencies. We will explore the true nature of modern cybercrime, dispelling common myths about the motivations behind these attacks. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the organised nature of cybercrime today and the broader implications for their organisations and industries.
11:50 - 12:30
Encrypt All Transports - Networking and Cryptography in JavaScript
Eleanor McHugh, CoFounder, InIdSol
A fast-paced introduction to networking and cryptography in JavaScript, demystify the use of standard network protocols and cryptographic techniques such as symmetric encryption, public-key encryption, signatures, and zero-knowledge proofs. Each technique will be explored through code for NodeJS and the browser environment.
11:50 - 12:30
Empowered Leadership: Crafting Strategy Through Employee Collaboration
Le'Anne Whiteford, Design Lead and Strategist, Sparck
11:50 - 12:30
Is this AI good enough? Assessing AI using PHAWM
Simone Stumpf, Professor of Responsible and Interactive Artificial Intelligence, University of Glasgow
AI auditing has, until now, been left solely in the hands of AI experts. There is no agreement of what counts as ‘good enough’ to pass an audit, and stakeholder perspectives may not be fully captured. PHAWM, one of three RAI UK-funded keystone projects, is driving change in AI testing and evaluation through the novel concept of participatory AI auditing, where a diverse set of stakeholders without a background in AI, such as domain experts, regulators, decision subjects and end-users, are empowered to undertake audits of predictive and generative AI, either individually or collectively. Outputs will include workbenches that support stakeholders in auditing AI, with audits embedded in methodologies that define how, when and who carries out the audit. The focus will then move to training stakeholders to carry out the audits, to embed project outputs in practice. The team will work towards a certification framework for AI solutions, democratising AI development and ensuring that AI is safe and trustworthy.
11:50 - 12:30
How Important is tech to the new labour government? And, how best to influence it
Matthew Revett, Director, Grayling Public Affairs
During the general election campaign, the Labour Party promised to harness the potential of technology to underpin its five national missions. Matt Revett will explain what the sector can expect from the new government on the regulation of artificial intelligence, outline the measures contained in the King's Speech, including the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill and Product Safety and Metrology Bill. The session will also explore the new faces in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and how best to engage with the new government and draw insights into how the relationship between the new UK government and Scottish government develops as we head towards the Holyrood elections.
11:50 - 12:30
User research that works: Usability testing and beyond
Chris Rourke, CEO, User Vision
Deeply understanding user needs and behaviour can make or break the success of any product, regardless of its technical prowess. Most IT projects include some user research, but when poorly performed it leads to misinformed decisions that impact product success, especially in the heat of agile delivery cycles. Drawing on extensive experience in the user experience field, Chris will describe the user research essentials and provide practical takeaways to improve your user insights. These include recruitment, remote research, key experience indicators, benchmarking and research repositories. He will also discuss common user research pitfalls and the essential skills needed to plan and perform user research.
12:40 - 13:30
Lunch
13:40 - 14:20
**SESSION NOW FULL**
Security Operations – Develop, not operate, your way to successKevin Robertson, COO and Co-Founder, Acumen Cyber
Kevin will dive into why focusing on quality detection is better than just piling on alerts. We'll talk about how a flat team structure can beat out the old-school tiered approach and why you should automate as much as possible—until you can't, and that's where the human touch still makes all the difference. This session is all about finding the right mix of automation and human skill to make your security operations smarter and more effective.
13:40 - 14:20
Balancing Innovation with Responsibility: The FinTech Community's Approach to ESG in Emerging Technologies
Keith O'Donnell, Managing Director, Feynic Technology
In a rapidly evolving world where technology is advancing at breakneck speed, the FinTech industry stands at a unique crossroads. As financial technology companies push the boundaries of innovation, they are also increasingly tasked with addressing the complex challenges of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities. Join us for an insightful discussion where we delve into how the FinTech community is not only embracing ESG principles but also driving the technology readiness of emerging innovations. This talk will explore the strategies and frameworks that leading FinTech companies are adopting to ensure that their technological advancements are sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible. We’ll examine real-world examples, highlight key challenges, and consider the future of FinTech in a world where doing good is as important as doing well. Whether you are a technology enthusiast, an industry professional, or someone passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and sustainability, this talk will provide valuable insights into the future of FinTech and its role in shaping a better world.
13:40 - 14:20
**SESSION NOW FULL**
AI App Builders and the Future of Software DevelopmentSachin Chudasama, Data Engineer Specialist, TAAP
For the last 50+ years, the software industry has focused on the challenges of “Implementation” – how to write software. This has been slow, costly, prone to errors, and attracts heavy maintenance costs and technical debt, until finally the software has to be re-written again. This is the software industry, but not any longer. Sachin Chudasama of TAAP will be talking about AI App Builders and how the future of the Software Development industry is pivoting from “Implementation” to “AI-Assisted Knowledge Engineering”. He will talk about how TAAP’s technology is now generating fully functional enterprise-scale applications in minutes, machine-generated and bug-free. This is the next stage in the evolution of the no-code paradigm, further accelerating the process of developing software, not just by Citizen Developers and Domain Experts but professional programmers; the more you know, the more you can do!
13:40 - 14:20
Find your brand voice: Making the most of digital communications in 2024
Michael MacLennan, Founder and Managing Director, Faur
In this presentation, Michael will explore how to define and amplify your brand voice in today’s digital landscape. Learn how to define your digital purpose, construct compelling messages, choose the right platforms, and capitalise on emerging trends to build stronger B2B relationships, drive engagement, and stay competitive in 2024’s unpredictable and turbulent online environment.
13:40 - 14:20
Panel: Investment Ready
Peter Proud, CEO, Forrit; Rhona Campbell, Chair, Investing Women Angels; Jennifer Nicoll, Investor; Paul Atkinson, Founder & Partner, Par Equity
Join this session for a discussion around gaining investment for your business. With the help of our panel, made up of investors and people who have gone through the process of seeking investment, we will consider what investors are looking for and what the journey can be like from a founder's perspective. The talk will offer guidance and insights for the audience around what they should prepare and how to raise their profile when looking for investment, and will also address some of the challenges and solutions if you are looking for investment for your company.
13:40 - 14:20
Observable, Secure Architectures using FINOS Architecture as Code
James Gough, Distinguished Engineer at Morgan Stanley, and Nick Ebbitt, Technical Lead (VP) at Morgan Stanley
FINOS (Financial Open Source Foundation) hosts the open source CALM Architecture as Code project. CALM aims to provide a modelling environment for complex systems, but it is not necessarily tied to finance. In this presentation, James and Nick will explore the motivations behind CALM, how it works, and the usage in complex platform teams. They will cover how they introduced Observability, SRE, and security concepts into the CALM model as a supplementary domain and the value of this for different teams. The pair will look at patterns and how they are structured, using an example from Mastering API Architecture. Using the CALM CLI they will create a visualisation of the architecture, generate a pattern instantiation, and validate the pattern integrity. From here, they will demonstrate how CALM can be used to deploy their Observable example on Kubernetes.
14:30 - 15:10
Single pane of glass
Trevor Bolden, Head of Technical Centre of Excellence, Resillion
Trevor will highlight how you can unify, streamline, and accelerate your security remediation processes with Single Pane of Glass (SPoG). Intelligently aggregating and prioritising vulnerabilities, SPoG transforms findings into actionable remediation items. Tailored to your business objectives and seamlessly integrating with existing tools, SPoG automates workflows and enhances data with intelligence, experiencing fewer vulnerabilities, significantly less manual tasks, improved productivity and ROI, and robust security management.
14:30 - 15:10
The rise of the meta framework
Daniel Roe, Core Team Lead, Nuxt
An exploration of the evolution and impact of meta frameworks in modern web development. Daniel will examine the recent trend towards meta frameworks like Nuxt, Next, Solid Start, Remix, SvelteKit, and others, exploring the factors driving their rise in popularity. He'll discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks of using meta frameworks, when they are the best solution, and scenarios where other options may be preferable. Daniel will showcase the current capabilities of meta frameworks and offer predictions on how this landscape may evolve over the next year.
14:30 - 15:10
**SESSION NOW FULL**
AI Emerging Trends: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Urgent Need to Reimagine How We Do Things
Professor Eyad Elyan, Machine Learning and Computer Vision, Robert Gordon University
Eyad will guide you through the AI landscape, highlighting emerging trends and the advantages of adopting AI in our societies. He will also address concerning challenges, potential risks and provoke thought on the urgent necessity for us as societies to maintain or rethink our current practices.
14:30 - 15:10
Cyber Essentials: Changes and Developments
Neil Furminger, Head of Cyber Essentials, IASME Consortium
Cyber Essentials is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024 and over the years it has to adapt and develop to meet the changing cyber landscape, that is no different in 2024. In late September an update to the Cyber Essentials Requirements will be published and Neil will be presenting on these changes. Also the Pathways proof of concept (an alternative way to achieve CE+) will be in progress and Neil will provide an update alongside discussing CE assessment challenges.
14:30 - 15:10
Transformation Leadership: Strategies for Lasting Change
Jo Martin, Business Transformation Consulting Manager, Sopra Steria Next
As organisations struggle to get to grips with Gen AI, what can we learn from the successes and failures of previous digital transformations? From operating models to people and leadership, to governance and decision making, we’ll look at how to set up organisations to create valuable change that sticks.
14:30 - 15:10
From promises to products: the highs and lows of devOps
Abhinav Anand, Product Developer and QA Manager, Inoapps
Product development involves phases: from the initial launch of a prototype, to moving beyond conceptual ideas to the delivery of a first viable solution, and then finally delivering on the promises made. As operations stabilize, user feedback becomes crucial, requiring the development of new features whilst supporting existing products. The journey is about transitioning from initial sales promises to a sustainable delivery model, creating valuable products loved by your customers. And that journey is full of highs and lows, mistakes and successes, opportunities for continuous improvements. Join this session to learn how product owners, project managers, and others can navigate this process effectively.
15:15 - 15:35
coffee break
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, with the chance to network and browse the exhibition hall.
15:45 - 16:45
keynote - the human firewall
Tom Johnson, Ethical Hacker and Social Engineer
Tom Johnson’s fascination with hacking began at a young age. Despite facing legal troubles as a teenager for his hacking activities, he redirected his skills towards positive contributions in cybersecurity. This talk will not only highlight Tom Johnson’s personal journey through the clandestine underworld of hacking, but also stress the importance of building a robust Human Firewall within organisations to combat ever-evolving cyber threats, exploring things that would make your toes curl.
16:45 - 17:00
conference close
Karen Meechan, CEO, ScotlandIS
Young Software Engineer awards dinner
18:15 - 18:45
champagne reception
We’ll kick off the evening with our champagne reception and networking.
18:45 - 21:25
Dinner
Welcome and housekeeping, before three-course dinner and wine.
21:25 - 22:00
young software engineer of the year awards
For over 30 years, we’ve been celebrating the young software engineers of tomorrow from each of our Scottish universities; many have gone on to perform some incredible roles and achievements around the globe. We will award the 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and Best Engineering Prize to students on the night, with prizes kindly sponsored by Sopra Steria, BCS, Resillion and Leidos respectively.
22:15 - 23:00
after dinner entertainment
A brief welcome from After Dinner Entertainment sponsor, Lloyds Banking Group, will be followed by a set from the brilliant Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
23:00
official event close
23:55
coach to glasgow leaves
01.00
bar closes
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