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AI is Moving Fast. Your Infrastructure Has to Keep Up.

AI isn’t just a software shift. It’s an infrastructure shift.
As organizations move from experimentation to real-world AI workloads, the pressure is landing on your network, your data strategy, and your ability to support low-latency inference at scale.
The question isn’t if AI will impact your environment. It’s whether your infrastructure is ready for what comes next.

Join experts from Ciena and FirstLight for a practical discussion on how organizations are actually approaching AI infrastructure today, including:

• Where AI workloads are running (cloud vs. private vs. hybrid)
• How inference is changing network design and latency requirements
• What increasing data movement means for bandwidth and architecture
• The role of regional infrastructure in supporting AI performance
• What IT teams should be planning for over the next 12–24 months

No hype. No theory. Just what you need to be thinking about now.

  • Overcome common UC objections
  • Position UC solutions with confidence
  • Match customers with the right technology and calling plans
  • Sell the value of modern communication
  • WHAT: Webinar – Network and Data Management in the Age of AI
  • WHEN: Wednesday, May 6th
  • TIME: 11:00 a.m. EST
Register Now!

For FirstLight Channel Partners Only

Our Speaker

Raj Vadi
Senior Solutions Architect at Corero Network Security

Raj Vadi is an innovative technology leader with more than two decades of experience architecting secure, scalable, and resilient enterprise solutions across BFSI, telecommunications, service provider, and cloud native environments. He began his career at Bell Labs and AT&T Research before moving into security focused leadership roles, most recently serving as a Senior Solutions Architect at Corero Network Security and previously as Director of Solutions Architecture at Radware. A CISSP and CCSP certified security professional, Raj has specialized in DDoS mitigation since 2003 and was part of the team defending against the Anonymous/Occupy Wall Street attacks, giving him deep, real world insight into large scale threat operations.

Guest Speaker:

Greg Sysak
Senior Manager of Sales Engineering
Ciena

With an impressive 25-year career, Greg has gained extensive experience working with enterprise customers across various industries, building some of the largest and most intricate optical networks. His tenure and expertise provide him with a unique perspective on the business trends that drive connectivity requirements. His deep knowledge of optical connectivity and architectures allows him to anticipate current and future trends in the industry, ensuring he can provide strategic insights and guidance to customers and colleagues.

Our Panelists:

Adam Locklin, U.S. Small Business Administration, Vermont District/Former Director of Vermont Tech Alliance

Adam Locklin is the newly hired U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) District Director for Vermont, and was most recently Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Alliance. He is a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, volunteer firefighter, and passionate advocate for small business growth and innovation. Adam brings over 20 years of diverse experience, including military intelligence operations and global financial technology roles at institutions like JP Morgan Chase and Nasdaq.

Nick Saunders, Board Member, New England Technology Hub

Nick Saunders is an Advisory and Audit Consultant with Deer Brook Consulting. Born and raised in Bath, Maine, Nick has spent the last seven years partnering with Mainers and business leaders across Northern New England to help demystify IT and make technology more accessible, understandable, and strategically valuable. His work focuses on guiding organizations through complex technology challenges.

Julie Demers, Executive Director, New Hampshire Tech Alliance

Julie Demers is Executive Director of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance, a statewide technology association dedicated to supporting companies at every stage of growth and development. A former small business owner, Demers has also served in various roles throughout the state with the NH Sector Partnerships Initiative, the University of New Hampshire-Manchester and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

Emma Stappenbeck, Director of Memberships, TechRochester

Emma Stappenbeck is currently the Vice President of the WNY Region at FTS and serves as the Director of Memberships for TechRochester. At FTS, Emma oversees revenue growth and market strategy across Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse. She leads a high-performing recruiting and sales team specializing in contract and direct-hire placements within the IT, Engineering, and Accounting sectors. Her background is IT & Engineering recruitment and client services across the east coast.

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