Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- The Hybrid Identity Protection Conference 2026 takes place September 8–10 in Nashville, Tennessee
- Focus areas include identity threat detection and response, Active Directory and Entra ID security, and AI-driven attack defence
- Keynote speakers include Tim Brown (former SolarWinds CISO), Sarah Gosler (Wells Fargo), and Stuart McClure (former Cylance CEO)
- Designed for security practitioners, CISOs, identity architects, and incident response professionals
- Sessions address hybrid identity environments spanning on-premises Active Directory and cloud identity platforms
Introduction
The Hybrid Identity Protection Conference (HIP Conf) returns in 2026 as a technical forum for cybersecurity professionals responsible for securing identity infrastructure across hybrid environments. Organised by Semperis, the event brings together identity and access management specialists, Microsoft MVPs, and enterprise security leaders to address the operational realities of defending Active Directory, Entra ID, and interconnected identity systems against increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Identity-based attacks have become a primary vector for enterprise compromise, with threat actors targeting authentication protocols, privileged access pathways, and directory services as entry points for lateral movement and persistence. The conference addresses these challenges at a time when organisations must balance legacy infrastructure dependencies with cloud identity modernisation efforts.
About This Event
HIP Conf 26 takes place September 8–10, 2026, at the Embassy Suites in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The conference has established itself as a technically focused gathering, distinguishing itself from broader security events through its concentration on identity-centric security challenges. Sessions span strategic planning, incident response, and hands-on implementation guidance for practitioners working across hybrid identity environments.
The event format emphasises peer-to-peer knowledge exchange alongside formal presentations. Attendees gain access to identity security experts who work through similar operational constraints, threat landscapes, and architectural decisions in their own organisations.
Keynote Presentations on Crisis Leadership and AI-Driven Threats
The 2026 programme features keynote presentations addressing both the human and technical dimensions of identity security. Tim Brown, former CISO of SolarWinds and current General Partner and CISO in Residence at Team8, delivers insights drawn from leading security operations during one of the most scrutinised cyberattacks in recent history. His session examines real-time decision-making under crisis conditions and the organisational resilience lessons that emerged from that experience.
Sarah Gosler, Head of Cyber Resilience and Human Defense at Wells Fargo, addresses the intersection of artificial intelligence and human behaviour in attack scenarios. Her presentation explores how AI-fuelled attacks exploit human decision-making patterns and why defending the human layer has become a strategic priority for large financial institutions.
Stuart McClure, cybersecurity entrepreneur and former CEO of Cylance, provides a forward-looking perspective on AI-driven defence strategies and the trajectory of identity security technology.
Technical Sessions and Discussion Topics
The conference programme covers technical subjects relevant to practitioners managing hybrid identity infrastructure. Topics include multifactor authentication implementation, identity governance frameworks, privileged access management, and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). Sessions address the practical challenges of securing environments where on-premises Active Directory coexists with cloud identity platforms such as Microsoft Entra ID.
Technical content extends to protocol-level security considerations, including the deprecation of legacy encryption standards such as RC4 in Kerberos implementations. These sessions provide guidance on identifying affected configurations and planning remediation without disrupting production environments.
Who Should Attend
HIP Conf 26 is designed for security practitioners with direct responsibility for identity infrastructure. The audience includes CISOs and security directors setting organisational strategy, identity architects designing authentication and authorisation systems, incident response teams handling identity-related breaches, and engineers implementing security controls across directory services.
The conference serves professionals across industry sectors who share common challenges in protecting identity systems that underpin enterprise access control. Whether managing legacy Active Directory forests, migrating to cloud-native identity, or operating complex hybrid environments, attendees benefit from sessions that address real-world operational constraints rather than theoretical frameworks.