9:00 - 9:15
REGISTER TODAY!
Reserve your seat for Connect 2026!
Register for Connect 2026
Reserve your seat for Megaport Connect 2026.
Megaport Connect 2026:
Legendary Networking
Reserve your seat for Megaport’s biggest event of the year for cloud, infrastructure, and AI professionals!
Megaport Connect 2026 is taking place on Thursday, 22 October, and you can join us live online at megaport.com. Megaport CEO Michael Reid will kick off a full day of presentations from networking experts in cloud, architecture, AI, and more. You’ll gain insights on the key trends, changes, and challenges in the industry today.
Local to Chicago and want to attend in person?
Then join us at Resolution Studios to watch the presentations and connect with industry peers, cloud providers, customers, and the engineers shaping the future of networking… and yes, there’ll be exclusive Megaport swag!
Either way, make sure you save your seat. We’ll see you on 22 October!
Register today! Reserve your seat for Connect 2026!
Megaport Connect 2026 Agenda
Click on each session to see presentation overview and speaker bio.
9:15 - 9:55
Keynote - Cloud Networking for AI Architectures with
9:55 - 10:35 (Session 1)
Cloud Networking 101: How Cloud Changes Traditional Network Architecture with
10:35 - 10:50
Mid-Morning Break with comedian
10:50 - 11:25 (Session 2)
Building Secure Hybrid Multicloud Architectures with
11:25 - 12:00 (Session 3)
The Full Stack Network: From Multi-Cloud to Bare Metal (And Everything We Broke Along the Way) with
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 13:35 (Session 4)
The On-Ramp Illusion: Connecting to AWS, Azure, GCP with
13:35 - 14:10 (Session 5)
The Next Cloud Is AI Infrastructure: GPUs, Storage, and High-Performance Networking with
14:10 - 14:25
Mid-Afternoon Break with comedian
14:25 - 15:00 (Session 6)
Internet vs Private Connectivity: Choosing the Right Architecture for Cloud with
15:00 - 15:45 (Session 7)
Beyond Networking: Building the Infrastructure Platform for AI with &
15:45 - 16:00
Closing Remarks with &
TEN LEGENDS. ONE DAY. OCTOBER 22.
Michael Reid
CEO,
Megaport
Michael Reid is CEO of Megaport, leading the company's transformation across products, go-to-market, and growth. Previously at Cisco, he led global sales organizations and has nearly 20 years of experience driving growth, innovation, and high-performing teams.
Alexis Bertholf
Global Technical Evangelist,
Megaport
Alexis Bertholf is Global Technical Evangelist at Megaport, where she helps engineers and IT leaders understand cloud networking, AI infrastructure, compute, and storage. She creates educational technical content reaching hundreds of thousands of IT professionals and regularly speaks at industry events worldwide.
Roy Chua
Founder and Principal,
AvidThink
Roy Chua is Principal at AvidThink, an independent research and advisory firm focused on infrastructure technologies. With 20+ years in networking, telecom, and security, he is a frequent industry speaker and former co-founder of technology media site SDxCentral.
Holly Podbielak
Solutions Consultant,
Palo Alto Networks
Holly Podbielak is a Solutions Consultant at Palo Alto Networks specializing in networking, cloud, and cybersecurity. Previously an SE at HPE/Juniper, she also co-hosts N Is For Networking, a Packet Pushers podcast for the next generation.
Jeremiah Johnson
US Cloud Engineering Manager,
Fortinet
Jeremiah is Manager of the US Cloud Field CSE team at Fortinet, with 20+ years in cybersecurity. He helps organizations securely adopt cloud technologies and is a frequent leader in cloud security, networking, and public cloud strategy.
Richard Olson
Tech Lead (Networking and Compute),
Canva
Richard has spent the past four years growing Canva's network from a single cloud region to a global, multi-cloud fabric spanning hyperscalers, neoclouds, and data centres. He has twenty years in networking, is a self-confessed automation hipster, and got his start in IT throwing rocks into trees.
William Collins
Director of Technical Evangelism,
Itential
William Collins is Director of Technical Evangelism at Itential, helping enterprises automate and modernize networking. He previously helped scale Alkira, co-hosts The Cloud Gambit podcast, and teaches cloud networking and automation on LinkedIn Learning.
Robert Benoit
Vice President,
WW Solutions Engineering VAST
Rob is Vice President of WW Solutions Engineering at VAST Data with 28+ years in enterprise technology. He helps organizations adopt scalable AI, data, and storage solutions, combining deep engineering expertise with a customer-first approach to drive innovation.
Kevin Nanns
Network Engineer & Content Creator,
@AdjacentNode
Kevin Nanns is founder of Adjacent Node and a networking educator with 15+ years of IT experience. He creates practical content that makes complex networking concepts accessible, helping engineers bridge the gap between theory and real-world operations.
Jeff Mills
Comedian,
@clintfromit
Jeff Mills is the creator of Clint from IT, a Tik Tok/Instagram character with brand partnerships including Microsoft, Glassdoor, Temporal, and Megaport. By day he's a Customer Success Manager, and outside of work he's a musician and producer based in Chicago.