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Join Intel 471 along with Charlotte’s top cybersecurity industry experts and esteemed peers at this exclusive vendor-neutral UnConference.
This event will take you through an immersive demonstration of how to Operationalize Threat Hunting through CTI. Discover how experts combine exclusive CTI insights and pair them with unparalleled behavioral threat hunt capabilities to defend against the industry’s top threats. Our keynote speaker, Ken Payton, a Sr. Manager, Detection and Response at Avalara, will share key insights into building a successful low-cost but high-impact threat research program. Read more about the keynote here. The event will close out with interactive roundtable discussions after lunch, fostering information sharing among fellow experts. Join the Intel 471 team and other attendees for optional networking afterward. Stay tuned for more details!
The Agenda
9:30 AM: Arrival & Registration - Light Refreshments
9:45 - 10:00 AM: Welcome by Eric Sigman | VP of Threat Hunt Solutions
10:00 - 10:45 AM: Low-Cost, High-Impact: Building a Threat Research Program That Works by Ken Payton | Sr. Manager, Detection and Response at Avalara
10:45 - 11:00 AM: Break
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM: Intel for Hunting: RMM Misuse and Illumination | by Patrick Wilhelm | Sr. Intelligence Collection Manager
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Move Threat Hunting from Tactical to Visionary: How Threat Intelligence Advances Hunting to the Next Level by Mike Mitchell | VP, Threat Hunt Intelligence
12:45 - 1:30 PM: Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 PM: Interactive Roundtable Discussions - Optional Networking to Follow
Meet Your Keynote Speaker
Ken Payton | Zero Trust Evangelist – Preaching the gospel of “Trust No One”.
Ken is currently the Senior Manager of Detection and Response at Avalara, where he spearheads Security Operations (SOC), Incident Response (SIRT), Threat Intelligence, and Insider Threat functions. With a passion for fortifying organizations against evolving cyber threats, he has built and led high-performing security teams that proactively defend critical assets.
Before joining Avalara, Ken held pivotal roles at MetLife, Verizon, SecureWorks, and JPMorgan Chase, where he honed his expertise in threat detection, risk mitigation, and security operations at scale. His career began in the United States Army, where he spent nearly a decade leading teams in dynamic global environments, learning to adapt to diverse challenges, and immersing himself in new cultures.
Ken’s journey in cybersecurity started with a deep focus on technical skill development, but his true impact has been in strategic leadership—partnering with key stakeholders, securing executive buy-in, and obtaining critical funding to advance security programs. His approach blends technical acumen with people-first leadership, ensuring teams are empowered and resilient.
Keynote Abstract: In large organizations with ample budgets, establishing and maturing security functions—including Threat Research—can be relatively straightforward. However, not all organizations have the luxury of extensive resources. How do you build an effective Threat Research function when staff and funding are limited?
This session provides a practical roadmap for identifying your organization’s specific security needs, leveraging existing tools and talent, and strategically engaging key stakeholders to maximize impact without overspending. Attendees will gain actionable insights into:
- Assessing the current threat landscape and business priorities
- Optimizing existing security tools and personnel for threat research
- Securing executive buy-in and aligning with business objectives
- Designing a scalable, cost-effective Threat Research program
Whether you’re in a startup, mid-sized enterprise, or a resource-constrained team within a larger organization, this session will equip you with the strategies to do more with less—without compromising security.
Meet Your Hosts
Brandon Hoffman | Chief Strategy Officer
Hoffman is the Chief Strategy Officer at Intel 471, leading a global team in product and R&D. With 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, he served as CISO and Head of Security Strategy at Netenrich, and as VP of Intelligence Solutions at Intel 471, where he was responsible for Fortune 500 and government customers globally.
Mike Mitchell | VP, Threat Hunt Intelligence
Mike is VP of Threat Hunt Intelligence, and prior to joining Intel 471 he was a co-founder of recently acquired threat hunting provider, Cyborg Security. While at Cyborg, he was a cross-functional founder focused on technical implementation, sales, product architecture, and managing the content development team and its deliverables. Mike has 12 + years of diverse cyber security experience from Senior Solutions and Security Engineer, Director of Sales Engineering to Co-Founder of Cyborg Security. Prior to his career in cyber security, Mike spent a number of years in pro baseball with the Colorado Rockies.
Patrick Wilhelm | Sr. Intelligence Collection Manager
Patrick Wilhelm is a retired federal agent, having served as a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for 20 years. As a Special Agent, Wilhelm primarily worked cyber investigations as an investigator and as a digital forensics agent. In addition to his agency’s training, Wilhelm holds multiple industry certifications. In 2020, Wilhelm was promoted to the HSI Cyber Crimes Center (C3) in Fairfax, Virginia, where he served as the National Program Manager for Cyber Threat Intelligence. In this role, Wilhelm was responsible for coordinating cyber threat intelligence between industry leading cybersecurity partners and the HSI field offices. Wilhelm later served as the Acting Section Chief for Network Intrusion, overseeing the HSI’s Network Intrusion program. After retiring from the government in December 2023, Wilhelm took a position at the cyber threat intelligence firm, Intel 471. Wilhelm currently serves as a Senior Intelligence Collection Manager on the Public Sector Team, supporting law enforcement and government clients.
