More than 200 small and midsize business leaders are expected to pack Microsoft's conference center at 11 Times Square on October 21 for a free, one-day crash course in fighting off hackers and squeezing value out of artificial intelligence. The event, called ASPIRE 2026, runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and promises 24 expert-led sessions split across four tracks covering revenue growth, productivity, expense reduction and cybersecurity.
The conference was announced by host firm eMazzanti Technologies, according to PR Newswire. Admission is complimentary for approved small and midsize business executives and technology leaders, though registration is required and seating is limited, the release states. Attendees who register get full-day access to all 24 sessions, the opening keynote, a closing panel and conference materials.
Carl Mazzanti, co-founder and president of eMazzanti Technologies, framed the event around a question many business owners are quietly asking themselves. According to the Prnewswire announcement, Mazzanti said small-business leaders need clear answers about AI value, technology investments, productivity and cyberattacks. That framing lines up with a broader industry reckoning: the global cybersecurity workforce shortage hit 4.8 million unfilled positions in 2025; 95% of cybersecurity professionals reported at least one skill need, while 59% reported critical or significant skill needs, according to ISC2.
An ISC2 Chief Takes the Keynote Stage
The opening keynote, titled How AI Is Transforming Cybersecurity, will be delivered by Scott Beale, CEO of ISC2, the global cybersecurity professional association. Beale has more than 25 years of workforce-development experience and most recently served as Associate Director of the U.S. Peace Corps, where he led roughly 2,500 staff across 64 countries, per the same Prnewswire release. He stepped into the ISC2 chief executive role effective January 6, 2026, after managing a $300 million operational budget in that Peace Corps post, according to ISC2.
His keynote is billed as exploring emerging threats and how organizations can prepare for an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape, the Prnewswire announcement notes. The topic arrives amid a surge in AI-enabled fraud: AI-powered cyber fraud generated 22,364 formal complaints and nearly $893 million in reported U.S. losses in 2025, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Overall financial losses from U.S. cybercrime topped $20 billion last year, driven by business email compromise, tech support scams and investment fraud, the FBI reported.
Four Tracks, From AI Integration to Ransomware Prevention
The conference splits its 24 sessions into four concurrent tracks. The Drive Revenue track covers AI integration, customer success and growth strategies, while the Increase Productivity track focuses on workflow automation, cloud migration and operational strategies, per the Prnewswire release. The Reduce Expenses track addresses cloud, communications, AI and technology investment decisions, and the Enhance Cybersecurity track dives into ransomware prevention, data protection, disaster recovery and AI-powered threats.
Speakers are drawn from ISC2, Microsoft, WatchGuard Technologies, eMazzanti Technologies, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, i3 International and semi-pro soccer club FC Motown. One of the more unconventional sessions comes from Dan Karosen, co-founder of FC Motown, who is scheduled to present “How the little guy can succeed in business and sport: FC Motown.”
For New York business owners, the stakes extend beyond conference-room theory. The state's Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act requires any business holding private data on New York residents to maintain reasonable safeguards, with civil penalties reaching up to $20 per record and $250,000 for reckless violations, according to TermsFeed. The law applies regardless of where a business is headquartered, as long as it holds data on state residents.
A Jersey-Rooted Host With Deep Vendor Ties
eMazzanti Technologies was founded in Hoboken, New Jersey, on August 30, 2001 — two weeks before the September 11 attacks — and has since grown into a regional managed service provider, reportedly generating an estimated $17.1 million in annual revenue by 2024, according to GetLatka. The firm has landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies eleven times, earned four Microsoft Partner of the Year awards and five WatchGuard Partner of the Year designations, and NJBIZ has recognized it as Small Business of the Year and a leading New Jersey digital innovator, per the Prnewswire release.
The company's services run from cloud and mobile solutions to multi-site technology implementations, outsourced network management, round-the-clock support, digital marketing services and cybersecurity assessments and protection. That breadth mirrors a financial argument underpinning much of the conference agenda: organizations running understaffed cybersecurity teams incur an average of $1.76 million more per data breach than adequately staffed ones, according to IBM research cited by Smarter MSP.
The conference itself unfolds inside Microsoft's conference center at 11 Times Square, according to Microsoft. With registration capped by limited seating, organizers are betting that a single day of free, concentrated instruction can move the needle for small and midsize firms navigating both a tightening regulatory landscape and an escalating, increasingly AI-fueled threat environment.
