VST-ECS CXO Tech Summit 2026 highlights AI and cybersecurity

• Tech Watch PH

VST-ECS Phils., Inc. President and CEO Jimmy Go urged enterprise leaders to move artificial intelligence beyond experimentation and into business operations as the ninth annual CXO Tech Summit gathered technology executives at Shangri-La Boracay.

In his opening address, Go said organizations moving ahead with AI are already applying it to customer service, credit scoring, demand forecasting, document processing and software development. He emphasized that technology has become central to how businesses operate and compete. Go also highlighted workforce readiness, saying leaders must help employees develop the skills to use AI effectively. He pointed to the Philippines’ digitally active, English-proficient workforce as an advantage and called on delegates to turn lessons from the summit into concrete business decisions.

The invitation-only summit runs from October 20 to 23 under the theme “Rethinking IT: Powering the AI-Driven Enterprise.” It brings together chief information officers, chief technology officers, chief information security officers and other enterprise decision-makers. The organizer’s website lists more than 600 participants, over 30 speakers, 38 sessions and 52 exhibitors representing more than 50 brands. The program covers AI adoption, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, data analytics and enterprise infrastructure.  Sessions examine how organizations can prepare their networks, computing resources and security controls for broader AI use, alongside the operational challenges of introducing new technologies into existing environments.

Allan Soong, general manager for Hybrid Cloud Systems in ASEAN and SAGE, presented “AI as the New Operating System for the Enterprise,” placing AI’s expanding role in enterprise operations among the summit’s discussion points. Infrastructure flexibility is another focus. Dell Technologies global engineering technologist Matthew Yeo’s session, “Dell Private Cloud for Agile, Future-Ready Infrastructure,” addresses private cloud as businesses assess the resources needed to support changing workloads. HPE representatives Enar Marquez and Gordon Tan are also featured in a session on the convergence of hybrid IT and AI, including connecting data across hybrid environments to support enterprise adoption.

Cybersecurity discussions examine the opportunities and risks arising as AI becomes available to both defenders and attackers.

Rob Squires, head of strategy for Asia at Versa, presented “AI & Security: Opportunities & Challenges.” Joseph Angelo Tadaya, senior solution engineer, discussed “Fighting AI with AI: Autonomous Risk Analytics & Continuous Zero Trust Enforcement.”

EfficientIP vice president for Asia-Pacific Dietrich Benjes addressed advanced AI-driven threat detection using the Domain Name System, or DNS. The session adds network-level threat detection to the summit’s wider security agenda.

Cisco Philippine business solutions architect David Abat’s session, “Cyber Defense in the Post-Mythos Era: The Agentic Security Blueprint,” brings agentic security into the program, alongside discussions on cyber resilience and AI-enabled defense.

Beyond the formal sessions, technology demonstrations include the ASUS Ascent GX10 compact desktop AI supercomputer, adding on-device AI computing to the technologies being examined by delegates.

Exhibition booths offer demonstrations and consultations with technology specialists, giving delegates opportunities to examine products and discuss their organizations’ requirements.

First held in 2018, the CXO Tech Summit has covered successive shifts in enterprise technology, from digital transformation and cloud adoption to cybersecurity and AI. This year’s program places those subjects within the practical task of building and operating an AI-driven enterprise.