The second quarter of 2026 was defined by a single, unifying theme at SBS CyberSecurity: helping leaders make sense of AI in a way that's practical, secure, and grounded in real-world experience. From the unveiling of our first-ever conference and a new podcast to the launch of a new peer community, Q2 brought momentum on every front.
Introducing Converge: A New Conference and a New Podcast
Q2 marked the public unveiling of Converge, a new SBS brand focused squarely on the intersection of cybersecurity and AI — spanning both a flagship in-person event and a new podcast.
Converge Cyber + AI Conference
SBS will host the inaugural Converge Cyber + AI Conference on Oct. 6–7, 2026, at the DoubleTree Omaha Downtown hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. Built for technical teams, executive decision-makers, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) leaders, the event is for organizations ready to stop theorizing about AI and security and start applying them.
Across the two days, attendees can expect:
- Hands-on AI labs covering prompt engineering and AI agent development
- A live capture the flag (CTF) cybersecurity tournament
- Workshops focused on practical, real-world implementation
Converge Lab Podcast
To keep the Converge conversation going year-round, SBS also launched Converge Lab: Navigating Cyber & AI. The podcast helps leaders cut through complex technology decisions, with episodes built around clarity, prioritization, and putting ideas to work. It's hosted by Jon Waldman, President and Co-Founder of SBS and a nationally recognized cybersecurity expert, who sits down with business leaders, practitioners, and subject-matter experts working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and leadership.
The first episode welcomes Chad Knutson, CEO and Co-Founder of SBS, who draws on more than two decades of helping organizations manage cyber risk, build stronger security cultures, and connect technology choices to business goals.
You can find Converge Lab: Navigating Cyber & AI on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Building the AI Conversation: The SBS AI Peer Group
SBS launched the AI Peer Group in late Q1, and Q2 was all about bringing that community to life. As financial institutions adopt AI across operations and risk management, many are discovering that innovation is outpacing their governance, security controls, and regulatory clarity. The peer group exists to close that gap, providing a practitioner-led community built specifically for banks and other regulated institutions. Members learn from one another and move toward responsible, practical AI adoption.
The group gathers banking professionals in a structured setting focused on real-world use cases instead of theoretical models or broad industry guidance. Monthly meetings dig into the challenges members face, from AI threat trends and model governance risks to regulatory shifts, vendor oversight, and hands-on prompting techniques.
Each month also includes:
- AI Use Case Lab, a hands-on working session where banks explore AI capabilities inside a regulated environment, walking through real implementations, tackling short prompt challenges, and building secure prompt variants, including practical uses of tools like Microsoft Copilot
- Quarterly insights via an AI Benchmark Report and an AI Maturity Scorecard, highlighting trends and tracking progress across AI adoption, governance, and security
Community, Collaboration, and Care
The momentum from our 2026 Community Outreach kickoff carried strongly into Q2. Our March Madness Bracket Challenge wrapped up with Information Security Consultant Mark Shiarla sweeping both the men's and women's brackets, sending the $820 raised by SBS participants to his local United Way.
We're already looking ahead to summer initiatives like the Mother's/Father's Day Picture Challenge that continue the SBS tradition of giving back.
Recognizing Our People: CyberStars of the Quarter
Each month, SBS recognizes a CyberStar, a team member nominated by their peers for embodying our values and going above and beyond. Q2 CyberStars include:
- April CyberStar: Antoine Gaton, Software Developer, nominated for consistently helping team members, overdelivering on projects, and showing passion in his work
- May CyberStar: John Helland, Services Sales Executive, nominated for the consistent care and intentionality he brings to client interactions, going above and beyond to make sure they feel understood
- June CyberStar: Amanda Dearing, Information Security Consultant, nominated for her outstanding willingness to step in and support our education efforts
Congratulations to our Q2 CyberStars, and thank you for setting the bar.
Industry Recognition & Thought Leadership
Q2 also kept the spotlight on SBS leadership, both on stage and in the national press.
In June, SBS CEO and Co-Founder Chad Knutson was invited to lead AI sessions at two of the month's most closely watched banking education programs, a back-to-back run that reflects his standing as a trusted, practitioner-first voice on AI in financial services. Chad's June lineup started with the AI in Banking Virtual Summit, a one-day program for financial institutions on June 3, 2026, then continued with the Graduate School of Banking's AI Innovation Series, a multiday virtual program held June 8–12, 2026. Both were designed for bank CEOs, senior leaders, and the operations, risk, compliance, IT, and lending teams charged with putting AI to work responsibly.
SBS experts also earned national media coverage this quarter. In a feature for the International Business Times, Knutson and Toni Meyer, Director of Product Development, tackled the spreadsheet compliance crisis. Their point: The spreadsheets that so many regulated organizations still lean on for GRC have quietly become a structural and cybersecurity liability. Their throughline was clear. Compliance is meant to be the floor of good security, not the ceiling, and static tools can't keep pace with the shift toward continuous, real-time risk management.
Knutson and Waldman also appeared in an Investing.com feature on fighting AI with AI, unpacking what it takes to defend at machine speed when attackers already operate there. They drew a sharp line between being AI-enabled, or simply having the tools, and AI-ready, which pairs those tools with aligned leadership, trusted data, and well-defined risk boundaries. Their takeaway: with shadow AI already in motion inside most organizations, governance has moved from a compliance exercise to an operational priority.
What's Next at SBS
Q3 will bring continued AI Peer Group sessions, new Converge Lab episodes, and the countdown to our first-ever Converge Cyber + AI Conference this October in Omaha.
As always, we're grateful for the people, partners, and clients who make this progress possible.
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