NETech

Work From (Not) Home
2023-02-10 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | Rwanda Bean Company, 290 Thompsons Point Rd, Portland, ME, United States
If working remotely has you missing that water cooler talk, then join us at Rwanda Bean Roastery on Thompson’s Point to enjoy some great company while you work!
This event is very casual and will repeat every two weeks. 10-2 is just a window; feel free to come and go whenever works best for you.
The Rwanda Bean café is spacious. You can find your own spot if you need to focus or gather when it’s time for a break. For more information about Rwanda Bean coffee, go to: https://rwandabean.com/
Hope to see you there!

[Description from organizer’s event page. Please visit that page for updates.]

How To Register

Contact Organization: Maine Women in Tech
Host / Event Website: https://www.meetup.com/mainewomenintech/
Event Link: https://www.meetup.com/mainewomenintech/events/jvqkxsyfcdbnb/

VPN's are Internet Snake Oil
2023-02-08 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | ME
On February 8th, we look forward to hearing from James Troutman.
VPNs are Internet Snake Oil
His presentation covers:
❖ History lesson on “snake oil” & VPNs.
❖ Why people may want to hide their identity online
❖ What a commercial Virtual Private Network (VPN) service can and cannot do for you.
❖ The surveillance problem in your pocket.
❖ Beyond VPNs: Recommendations to help limit online tracking and
surveillance, for various levels of paranoia.
James helps run a regional Internet Exchange in Maine (NNENIX.NET) and is President of IMA, a consulting firm focused on helping ISPs build Internet and broadband infrastructure.

How To Register

Contact Organization: ISC2
Host / Event Website: https://www.isc2mainechapter.org/
Event Link: meet.google.com/oee-jtdd-biv
Contact Person: Justin LaFontaine
Contact Email: justin.lafontaine@isc2mainechapter.org

Portland Peers & Beers -- a CyberSecurity User Group & Professional Education mixer!
2022-10-27 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | Bruno’s Restaurant & Tavern, Portland, 33 Allen Avenue, Portland, Maine, United States
Make Cybersecurity Awareness Month last All Year Long!

At this first “Peers & Beers” in years MTUG featured “speed presentations” from local Cybersecurity User Groups and Security Education Programs. Each of 7 groups had a chance for a brief presentation, with plenty of time to connect before and after. Over 50 registered, and over 40 attended. Attendees learned about the cybersecurity groups meeting in our region, plus the education and certification programs available for supported or formal learning. And there were flyers and stickers!

If you have a Security User Group or Cybersecurity Education Program serving Maine and Northern New England, and missed this event, please feel free to create an Account (top-right of our website), and once your account is approved you may then create a “Company” listing for your school or user group. There’s plenty of room in the listing fields to describe your user group meetings, or educational programming. Final User Group and Education Program listing entries go under additional MTUG review. See all our regional User Groups and Educational Programs in the MTUG Directory here.
Photo credits: Kate Carpenter.

2022 I.T. Summit & Tradeshow
2022-05-26 07:30 - 16:00 UTC | Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, 88 Spring St, Portland
Please Join Us for our 2022 I.T. Summit & Tradeshow!
Our 35th year! The Annual I.T. Summit & Tradeshow is scheduled for Thursday, May 26, 2022, with a goal of bringing together approximately 400 tech professionals, 50 exhibitors, 12 competitively-selected workshops. Many of exhibitors, sponsors, and workshop presenters have already registered for this event — we hope to see you there! Click below for full Summit information…

Cybersecurity Update: Laws, Global Risks Abroad & At Home, Threat Hunting & Prevention
2022-04-13 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Please join MTUG as we host an update on the latest threats and cybersecurity considerations from security expert Frank Appunn!
[Our 2nd panelist, Erika Voss, could not be present today due to unforeseen circumstances.]
Frank Appunn, a professor of cybersecurity and tech, and security expert with the Maine Chapter of InfraGard, will start with a focus on two key areas:

Significant legislative changes are coming affecting cybersecurity data loss / ransom reporting for an array of broadly-defined critical infrastructure companies – think that’s not you? Banking, healthcare, education, retail, and more – come discover who needs to be concerned (hint: everyone), and the unique reporting speed for those using cryptocurrency for ransom payments. Frank will also touch on new legislative issues regarding privacy.
New and heightened global cybersecurity risks, and not just from the headline countries like Russia and China, but from other cybersecurity criminal centers as well. Frank will discuss cases of attacks that have occurred, as well as how risks are evolving — including internally-sourced threats, issues with supply chains, and new ransomware methods
Threat hunting & Prevention – Frank will give an overview of recent threats, hunting methodologies & will discuss the changing realities of prevention and that the ongoing cost of cyber defense must be incorporated in the total cost of tech.

ExecTech Webinar #2 - Adding No Code / Low Code Solutions to your IT Toolkit
2021-12-08 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Please join William Wade as he discusses the recent trend for “Low Code” or “No Code” software tools. In particular, he explores two of the more popular tools – Zapier and Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) and how they fit within an organization. Additionally, he will look at some practical examples of how to use them to solve day-to-day tasks. Attendees will gain familiarity with both Zapier and Power Automate, which they can add in their toolkit to simplify processes and improve productivity for themselves and their organizations.

Helpful Resources!
Some of these are mentioned during the session, some are for furthering your learning.
Power Automate

Main Site – https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/
Blog – https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/
Microsoft Learn Courses – https://bit.ly/3pqao60

Zapier

Main Site – https://zapier.com/
Blog – https://zapier.com/blog/
Automate It with Zapier Book by Kelly Goss – https://bit.ly/3lyKHil

Brunswick Peers & Beers -- CyberSecurity Liability Requirements
2021-12-07 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | Nomad at Fort Andross (formerly Frontier Cafe), 14 Maine Street, Brunswick
Our first Brunswick Peers & Beers! Almost 40 people registered for MTUG’s December Peers & Beers at Nomad at the historic Fort Andross in Brunswick to for networking, learning, and refreshments, sponsored for the MTUG audience by Arctic Wolf !

Our Tech Spotlight presenters Peter Luciano and Dennis Tuttle of Cross Insurance discussed Cybersecurity Liability Requirements – the 3rd leg of the cybersecurity tripod.

Tech Spotlight Presentation Description:

Presenter Dennis Tuttle, IS Architect at Cross Insurance, provides a brief overview of what perils cyber security risk insurance covers — and what it doesn’t. Trends indicate increasing threats from email through sophisticated phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks, including via third-party attackers using attack platforms, known as “Ransomware as a Service”, to monetize unauthorized network access.

Dennis then focuses on the insurance application process — looking at various applications from 3 major insurance providers — to highlight which controls insurance companies are looking for when they measure a customer’s residual cybersecurity risk. He will then briefly discuss how you may assess and remediate your company’s potential gaps using internal and external resources.
Co-Presenter Peter Luciano will be available to further address insurance and additional coverage topics and questions.

ExecTech Webinar #1 - Learn to Hack Modern Websites with OWASP Juice Shop
2021-10-27 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Ben Allen — an experienced penetration testing manager and force behind the local hacker / security learning collaborative DC207 — gives the audience an understanding of what security testing looks like for web applications, as well as some basics on how to perform web application security testing, and some resources to learn more.
Session Description:
Have you ever thought about getting into web application hacking? Maybe you know a few things and you would like to sharpen your skills in testing modern single page web applications? Well, this is the session for you. In this guided hacking workshop tour, Ben Allen (www.dc207.org) digs in to one of OWASP’s flagship projects, Juice Shop (owasp.org/www-project-juice-shop). Juice Shop emulates an ecommerce web application and is meant to show how modern JavaScript-based applications can be compromised.
In this follow-along workshop we will cover:

What OWASP Juice Shop is
How to deploy your own Juice Shop on the internet for free
How to set your computer up for testing
How to hunt for bugs
An interactive walk-through of a few challenges

Canceled: 2021 I.T. Summit & Tradeshow
2021-10-05 07:30 - 16:00 UTC | Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, 88 Spring St, Portland
The 2021 MTUG I.T. Summit & Tradeshow has been canceled due to the recent surge from the Delta variant of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the unexpected strain on local health and school systems. Please see our full statement on the MTUG Summit event page here.
Our 34th Annual I.T. Summit & Tradeshow had been scheduled for Tuesday, October 5th, with a goal of bringing together approximately 400 tech professionals, 40 exhibitors, 10 competitively-selected workshops. Due to cancelation, we are now setting our sights for the next MTUG Summit scheduled for Thursday, May 26th, 2022 — many of our exhibitors, sponsors, and workshop presenters have committed to this next event. We hope to see you there.

Mid-Summer Webinar - Accelerating Tech Internships in Maine
2021-07-28 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Tech industry internships are a vital way to help new career professionals step into the industry and shape their education to better serve their future employers.
What’s involved with establishing technology internships? And what can it do for your organization, and the quality and stability of your future workforce?
Please enjoy this dive into internship mechanics and case studies!

MTUG Summer Webinar #2 - Accelerating Tech Internships in Maine
2021-07-28 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

Early-Summer Webinar: How to Create an Incident Response Exercise
2021-07-01 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Jockel Carter and Gary Soucy, active members of the Maine Chapter of ISC(2), discuss how to build an Incident Response exercise for your organization. Such exercises are key to understanding how prepared you and your team are for the next, inevitable breach or other incident.
This session explores:

How to set objectives and goals for the exercise.
How to build an engaging story to draw in participants.
How to operate the exercise to get maximum value for the time and effort spent.

Questions and scenarios from attendees encouraged!

About (ISC)2 Maine:
(ISC)² is an international nonprofit committed to helping their members learn, grow, and thrive in the information #security industry. The (ISC)2 Maine Chapter meets once a month from September to June to network and learn more about IT Security in its many forms, with the hope that attendees find IT Security as much fun as they do. www.isc2mainechapter.org

MTUG Summer Webinar #1 - How to Create an Incident Response Exercise - Jockel Carter Gary Soucy
2021-07-01 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

Webinar: Managing Complexity in Tech Projects
2021-04-29 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
In this casual, interactive discussion, Kevin Callahan of Interaction Agility Inc., along with panelists Jennifer Thomson of Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Kathy Warren of the Maine Department of Education, will focus on the audience’s favorite capacity planning and prioritization topics in the dynamo of tech project management.

Audience members were invited to contribute discussion points and questions to the panelists via email or the LinkedIn Group and throughout the session.
Topic Description:
Deciding what to do, how, and with whom, can be daunting, paralyzing, and carry substantial risk. If the world were perfectly predictable, we would always know what to work on, how long it would take, the impact it would have, and who we would need help from.
For better or worse, this isn’t today’s world of business. On the contrary, organizations are constantly reacting to new information and having to make critical decisions in the midst of uncertainty. While there are no easy solutions, there are some proven rules of thumb to help stack the deck in your decisions.

Managing Complexity in Tech Projects - Interaction Agility
2021-04-29 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

Webinar: The SolarWinds Hack - What We Know, and What to Look for Next
2021-03-18 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
In this session, industry experts Douglas Mauro of FirstLight and Frank Appunn of Infragard Maine Chapter, pull back the veil on the SolarWinds hack.
Douglas explains what happened in the SolarWinds “back door” attack, explore its extent, and get into the details of its methods. He’ll discuss how so many entities became so vulnerable, and what the response has been thus far.
Frank explores which entities were targeted, and what we know about foreign influence in the attack. The presentation will then propose who may still be vulnerable to this and future attacks, and what prevention tactics enterprises can implement. Our speakers close with a broader discussion of the pivotal nature of this escalation of cyber threat, and how the industry can meet it.

Webinar: Decision-Making in a Crisis - Preparing for Your Next Tech Disaster
2021-02-24 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | ME
Jamie Popkin, digital technology strategist and former vice president and research fellow at Gartner Inc. will bring the MTUG audience through a tabletop exercise of rapid decision-making using the OODA Loop approach in IT.
The acceleration of digital business has been turbo-charged by the COVID pandemic. Innovative and leading edge technologies surrounding work-at-home, online customer support and the move to all-digital commerce has overwhelmed the decision-making capabilities of many organizations.
In this session we will introduce an approach for applying Colonel John Boyds OODA Loop to your decision-making processes.

MTUG Webinar #5 - Decision Making in a Crisis - OODA Loop
2021-02-24 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

Webinar: Legal Considerations for Technology Contracting
2021-01-27 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
As businesses rely more and more on third party software, data, and technology in order to function, those third parties have become increasingly critical to ongoing operations, security, and legal compliance. In this presentation, attorneys Kyle Glover (Pierce Atwood) and Kara Alesi (IDEXX) discuss the legal considerations in entering into contracts with these third parties and how businesses and IT and technology professionals can work to better protect against these risks and ensure efficient and effective management.

MTUG Webinar #4 - Legal Considerations for Technology Contracting
2021-01-27 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

ExecTech Webinar: Tech User Groups - Catalyzing the Maine Tech Community
2020-12-16 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
his MTUG webinar panel introduces several regional User Group leads, and explores the purpose and activities of tech user groups in Maine.
Panelists from 4 regional User Groups discuss the role of tech groups in the Maine technology community. Panelists include: Larry Cushing who runs the SMMUG users group (SMMUG.info – formerly Southern Maine Microsoft Users Group), Ben Allen who organizes the InfoSec/hacker group DefCon207 (DC207.org), Dave Moran, board member and longtime participant in AgileMaine and Agile coach (www.agilemaine.com), and Gary Soucy, an officer and longtime member of the security users group, (ISC)2 Maine Chapter (isc2mainechapter.org).
Panelists discuss the contributions of tech user groups in the tech education/career pipeline, lifelong learning and professional development, tech community networking, and in fostering tech adoption in Maine organizations. We also highlight the MTUG “Tech User/Advocacy” Groups Directory, self-service Community Tech Events page, and point out various ways to find tech groups in your region.
MTUG thanks our volunteer board members James Harder and Eugene Slobodzian, who assisted with this event’s speakers and topic.

Webinar #3 - PANEL: Tech User Groups - Catalyzing Maine Tech
2020-12-16 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

ExecTech Webinar: Cyber Threats vs. Humans & the Future
2020-10-14 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Cyber threats are increasingly targeting individual users in small to large organizations  initiating attacks via social engineering, spear phishing, or even attacking through their trusted suppliers. Technology based counter threats are trying, but sometimes failing, to keep up with the constant pace of threats change. More future focused strategies are needed.
This workshop explores current cyber threats targeting technology users, and presents and discusses technology based as well as other strategies to help counter those threats. Predicting future threats and preparing for future threats is a further emphasis.
This session helps attendees:

Understand current landscape of key technology based threats targeting our users.
Learn of proven strategies to counter those threats  both IT technology based and helping users be part of the defense (and response).
Learn how to predict future threats and identify needed defenses.

MTUG thanks our volunteer board member Eugene Slobodzian, who coordinated this event’s speakers and topic.

Webinar #2 - Cyber Threats vs Humans & the Future
2020-10-14 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

ExecTech Webinar: HACK the SHIP - the Security, Functionality, Usability Triangle Gone Wrong
2020-09-30 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
MTUG thanks Josh Moss and Jockel Carter for bringing this unique presentation to the MTUG audience: “HACK the SHIP: An overview of Shipboard ICS Cybersecurity… OR… the Security, Functionality, Usability Triangle Gone Wrong.”
In this session, presenter Joshua Moss explores the lack of applied security across the Maritime Transportation System (MTS). Merchant shipping is especially vulnerable due to the insecure protocols used in the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) aboard large merchant ships. Josh walks users through the network layout of a merchant ship, and discusses how a malicious attacker can take control of ships similar to the large, liquid natural gas, and bulk carriers that come to port here in Portland, Maine. The lack of “baked in” security is then used as an analogy and a reminder to Maine technology users to have foresight when designing processes and technologies, and ensure that security is always a thought, not an afterthought.
Participants are exposed to a common security situation that is typical for naval systems, industrial controls systems, and other infrastructure that is often considered beyond the reach of cyber-attack but is not. Co-collaborator in this session, Jockel Carter, represents the layman’s voice, assisting in clarifying concepts and questions to key sections of Josh’s presentation, and how similar issues impact a variety of environments.
To get involved with Hack the Ship and similar events, please visit https://HackTheMachine.ai

MTUG thanks our volunteer board member Kristen Kucera, who coordinated this event’s speakers and topic.

MTUG ExecTech Webinar #1 - HACK the SHIP - Maritime Transportation System Security
2020-09-30 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME

Late-Summer Webinar: Upgrading Your Scripting Toolkit
2020-09-02 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Long time MTUG community participant and tech consultant William Wade discusses his perspective and key tips in using a variety of scripting tools and environments, including PowerShell, Visual Studio, Source Control (such as GIT), and more.
This session’s goal is to introduce these tools — traditionally thought of as the domain of the programmer/developer world — in an accessible way that shows their importance to a range of IT professionals. For instance, knowledge of PowerShell is key in many Microsoft network/server certification exams. William’s session gives an overview of these tools, including demonstrations of major features, and some quick useful tips relevant to developers and non-developers alike. His presentation also includes reference articles and books to extend your learning further.

MTUG thanks volunteer board member Tonia Ennis for assistance coordinating this month’s speaker and topic.

Mid-Summer Webinar: Maine IT Micro?Credentials
2020-08-19 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
A diverse panel discusses the development and implementation of a series of aligned micro-credential pathways in digital literacy and technology using a unified state framework.
We will discuss:

What are Maine employers IT and foundational skill needs?
How can we implement a series of micro-credential pathways to fill those skill gaps?
What industry credentials are most valuable for Maine citizens to obtain?
What are the challenges and barriers within a rural state?
What input, support, and in-the-job training can employers offer?

The University of Maine System, in close partnership with the Maine Department of Education has received a grant to work with partners across the state to build I.T. Micro-credential pathways to aid in hiring, workforce development, and adult degree completion. In addition to the Maine DoE, parters includ the Maine Dept of Labor / State Workforce Boards, the Maine Department of Corrections, Educate Maine, the Maine Community College System, and employers and others to achieve Maines 60% Credential of Value attainment goal by 2025 (see link info below). IT employers and tech industry involvement and input are crucial to the success of these efforts — this session features a request from employers and tech professionals to give their input about this program. This is an ongoing request – Please see the slide deck PDF below for team contact information if you would like to get involved.
Learn more about the Maine I.T. Micro-Credentials program & grant at these links:

Maine Spark 60% “Credential of Value” Goal for 2025: https://mainespark.me/
Educate Maine: https://www.educatemaine.org/about
Lumina Foundation’s “All Learning Counts” Grant Program: luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/recognizing-learning-outside-the-classroom-lumina-foundation-awards-3-5-million-in-grants-for-all-learning-counts-initiative – Maine is one of 9 such Micro-Credentialing programs funded across the nation.

MTUG thanks volunteer board member Uli Stewart for coordinating this month’s speakers and topic!

Early-Summer Webinar: Business Continuity in the Cloud - Disaster Recovery as a Service
2020-07-22 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
Organizations are responsible for implementing technologies to enable the business while keeping critical data, applications and processes secure and running 24×7. Would failure to prepare for technological or natural disaster disrupt your business and lead to financial catastrophe? Is cloud based virtualization DR technologies for your servers, desktops and backups appropriate for your IT environment needs and budget?
David Andrews, Infrastructure Manager at Mass Property Insurance, and Brian McCarthy, Senior Cloud Specialist at Whalley Computer Associates discuss cloud building blocks and present a customer perspective as to the automated processes they have put into place ensuring that computing resources are verifiable and available.

MTUG thanks our volunteer board member James Harder for his assistance coordinating this event.

Webinar: Maine's Internet Infrastructure, Libraries & Workforce - the Impact of COVID-19, and the July Bond Vote
2020-06-24 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | ME
This webinar presentation discusses Maine’s Internet Infrastructure as it has been endeavored to be made available through the Maine Library System. How connectivity concerns have been amplified during the pandemic, and how our perspective on high speed / high quality internet infrastructure will be different going forward, are further extended in this discussion.
Lisa Shaw, Maine State Libraries specialist for Rural and Small Libraries, brings a unique perspective on educational and workforce demands across the state. Andrew Butcher discusses the details of the (then) upcoming High Speed Internet Infrastructure bond issue in up for vote on July 14, 2020, as well as the changing landscape of internet connectivity across Maine’s communities. (This webinar happened 3 weeks before the bond vote.)

MTUG’s position on the July 14th ballot, Question #1, regarding the Internet Bond, can be found here:
mtug.org/news/2020-06-18-mtug-supports-july-14-2020-internet-broadband-bond-referendum
