OpenVPN Announces Agenda for [Con]nected 2026, a Free Virtual Event on Network Security in the AI Era

Speakers from Google Cloud, SecureW2, and Buildertrend join OpenVPN to cover Zero Trust, agentic AI security, and product roadmaps on October 22

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OpenVPN is pleased to announce the agenda for [Con]nected 2026, a free virtual event on Thursday, October 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Built for IT managers, network and cloud engineers, security leaders, MSPs, and partners, the event covers Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), securing AI workloads, and what's next for Access Server and CloudConnexa®. Registration is open at events.openvpn.net.

OpenVPN CEO Francis Dinha will open with a keynote on what 45 businesses shared about security in the AI era, including access control challenges and barriers to Zero Trust adoption. Co-founder James Yonan follows with a look back at 25 years of the OpenVPN protocol.

Two roadmap sessions follow: upcoming and new Access Server features, including Access Server Link and ZTNA updates, and CloudConnexa updates and betas.

Guest sessions include:

• Zack Dunning, Senior Manager of Cloud Engineering at Buildertrend, on pairing CloudConnexa with Google Cloud Private Service Connect.
• Assaf Namer of Google Cloud on Zero Trust architecture for agentic AI workloads using SPIFFE workload identity and continuous verification.
• Micah Spady of SecureW2 on 2026 network layer attacks, including MAC spoofing and Wi-Fi threats, and how to remediate them.

A live panel brings together Sean T. Furman of STF Consulting, Luis Tarango of TGC, and OpenVPN's Brian Litzinger and Andrew Proctor for a conversation on real-world threats, AI's impact, and ZTNA strategy.

"[Con]nected brings together our team, customers, and industry experts to share practical ways to secure access in the new reality,” said Rohit Kalbag, OpenVPN's VP of Product Marketing and Alliances. “Every session is highly interactive and gives attendees the opportunity to speak directly with our team to share feedback we use to improve our products.”

Additionally, OpenVPN's support team will be available all day for one-on-one help, and attendees can network with each other. Attendees can join the sessions they choose, and replays will be emailed to all registrants.

To view the full agenda and register, visit events.openvpn.net.

About OpenVPN

OpenVPN's network security platforms provide secure remote access through both self-hosted, and cloud-delivered VPN solutions for business with the core tenets of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). Built on the high-performance, open-source OpenVPN protocol, OpenVPN’s business solutions, Access Server and CloudConnexa®, help teams securely access company resources, SaaS platforms, the web, and data via cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.). With nearly 20,000 business customers, OpenVPN is trusted for security, speed, and simplicity.