Chapter Meetings

September 2020: How VPNs Work- The Ins and Outs

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Presented by Daniel Lenski, PhD

Abstract

Virtual private network (VPN) software creates a connection between peers across a wide-area network (normally, the Internet!) and builds an encrypted tunnel that behaves like a direct connection to the same local, private network. VPNs have become a pervasive feature of modern workplaces, and even more indispensable in this era of COVID-19 and widespread remote work.

The most widely-deployed VPN client and server software in workplace environments — including Cisco AnyConnect, Juniper/Pulse Networks, PAN GlobalProtect, and others — is all proprietary and closed-source. These VPNs differ in idiosyncratic ways, ranging from authentication to security requirements imposed on the client computers. Combined with bugs, missing features, and often mystifyingly vague error reporting, they can be very difficult to use, especially for those who need to access multiple VPNs. Under the hood, however, they all work in extremely similar ways.

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Chapter Meetings

June 2020: Predictive Analytics with BigQuery ML

Presented by Jimmy Ruiz, Google Cloud Platform Engineer

Abstract

What is BigQuery?
BigQuery Architectural Overview
BigQuery Demo
Introduction into BigQuery ML
Demo: Predict GA 360 User Conversions with BigQuery ML

In this session, a Customer Engineer from Google will provide an introduction to BigQuery and BigQuery ML. Attendees will learn some key concepts, use cases, and see BigQuery in action.

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Chapter Meetings

May 2020: Data Prep using Microsoft Dataflows

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Presented by Dharmesh Godha, Advaiya

Abstract

Preparing and defining ETL for insights is a significant challenge for businesses today — as ingestion, cleansing, transformation, and enrichment are labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks which require deep technical skills.

With this in mind, Microsoft has recently introduced advanced data prep with dataflows for the Power Platform, a suite of self-service low-code/no-code features and capabilities for business analysts and citizen developers to easily process and unify their data and store it in Azure-based data-lake storage. With these new capabilities, Microsoft offers a solution for any business need — whether you want to prep your data with ease, using a familiar built-in Power Query experience, or leverage the full Azure stack for more advanced use-cases.

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Chapter Meetings

April 2020: MongoDB

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Presented by Jai Karve, MongoDB

Abstract

High level “Who is MongoDB”
MongoDB Architectural Overview
The Document Data Model
Intelligently Place Data Where You Need It
Freedom to Run Anywhere
Live Atlas demonstration

MongoDB has become one of the fastest growing databases since its inception a little over 10 years ago. In this session, representatives from MongoDB will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of the database, including data storage, data retrieval, and deployment. We will also walk attendees through a demonstration of Atlas, our fully-managed database-as-a-service. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of where MongoDB shines, and how to get started using MongoDB for their own projects.

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Chapter Meetings

March 2020: Data Monetization

NOTE: This event was held remotely via a Zoom bridge at 9:30am Thursday, March 19th

Presented by Justin Langseth

VP of Data Exchange at Snowflake

Abstract TBA

About the Speaker

Justin Langseth is the VP of Data Exchange at Snowflake. He and his team are highly involved in our most “data-forward” customers as it relates to the sharing and monetization of data. Snowflake’s unique architecture and multi-cloud presence allows for streamlined and scalable ways to monetize data through our Data Exchange.

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