Opening address by members of the IT Summit Advisory Committee
Attendee forum discussion introduction and information sharing
Benefit office introductions and sharing of current IT environment as well as the top three IT initiatives/projects they are undertaking
TPA introductions
Artificial Intelligence: Readiness, Governance and Risk
This session will help benefit office leaders and administrators assess how to approach artificial intelligence responsibly before or during adoption.
The discussion will focus on the governance, policy, data, privacy, security and accountability considerations needed to evaluate whether and how AI tools are appropriate for environments that handle sensitive participant and operational information.
Attendees will gain a structured framework and practical criteria for evaluating AI opportunities, identifying readiness gaps and introducing new capabilities with appropriate safeguards, oversight and stakeholder confidence.
The session will emphasize how to determine where AI belongs within existing operations, how to apply governance in a practical and scalable way and how to align adoption decisions with organizational risk tolerance and accountability.
AI in Action: Use Cases, Adoption and Lessons Learned
This panel session examines how benefit offices are beginning to apply artificial intelligence to practical, day-to-day business functions, including drafting communications, summarizing documents, supporting research and improving routine analysis.
It explores how organizations have approached early adoption, highlighting where they started, how tools were introduced to staff and the operational factors that influenced successful uptake.
Drawing on implementation examples, demonstrations and peer experiences, the session will provide attendees with a realistic view of current AI use cases, lessons learned and practical considerations for identifying next steps within their own environments.
Strategic Planning Meets Workforce Transformation: Building the Future-Ready Benefit Office
This panel session explores how benefit offices can align strategic planning with workforce transformation to build a more future-ready operating model.
It will examine key decisions related to systems, data, reporting, vendor management and long-term organizational priorities, while also considering how staffing structures are evolving in response to cloud platforms, automation, managed services and changing expectations for IT leadership.
Attendees will gain practical insights into succession planning, knowledge transfer and staff development strategies that support continuity, adaptability and long-term organizational resilience.
Sponsor introductions
Keynote speaker presentation
Cybersecurity in the AI Era: Evolving Threats and Strengthening Defense
This session explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape for benefit offices and similar organizations, accelerating the speed, scale and sophistication of familiar threats such as phishing, social engineering and unauthorized access.
The discussion will focus on how AI amplifies existing control gaps and raises the stakes for operational readiness in environments that rely on sensitive data and interconnected systems.
It will highlight the core controls organizations should strengthen to reduce exposure, including identity protection, access management, configuration discipline, layered monitoring and improved visibility into AI-enabled vendor and third-party risk.
Attendees will gain practical guidance on how to better leverage existing security tools, internal processes and vendor support to improve prevention, preparedness and resilience, with an emphasis on operational controls, accountability and disciplined execution in an AI-enabled environment.
From Incident to Recovery: Real-World Lessons in Response, Resilience and Continuity
This panel session will examine how organizations respond to and recover from significant cybersecurity incidents, with a focus on the decisions, coordination and operational discipline required during high-pressure situations.
Using real-world scenarios such as ransomware attacks and third-party breaches, the discussion will explore incident response roles, internal and external communications, and coordination with legal counsel, insurers, investigators and other key parties.
Attendees will also gain practical lessons on recovery, business continuity and post-incident resilience to help strengthen preparedness and support more effective response planning.
Compliance Update for Retirement and Health Funds
This session will provide an overview of current legal and regulatory compliance issues for retirement and health plans, including benefits-related provisions in the reconciliation bill, mental health parity, PBM regulation and litigation, SECURE 2.0 implementation and more.
Enhancing the Participant Experience: Self-Service, Technology and Digital Engagement
This panel session explores how benefit offices are enhancing the participant experience through self-service tools, digital communication strategies, automation and more intuitive service delivery models.
It will highlight practical approaches for improving accessibility, responsiveness and engagement while examining key considerations in selecting and implementing participant-facing technologies, including the balance between internal capabilities and vendor-supported solutions.
Drawing on peer examples and real-world approaches, attendees will gain insight into how front-end technology and service design can better meet participant needs and support a more modern, efficient benefits experience.
Closing session
Open forum discussion, share ideas on how to structure future summits, topics of interest, etc.
