Next Level 2026, the Technology Service Provider (TSP) conference hosted by SMBiT Professionals on 23–24 July 2026 at the Western Sydney Convention Centre, will feature Sophos’s Aaron Bugal across both the cybersecurity pre-day and a session on the main programme. We spoke with Aaron ahead of the event about what attendees can expect and why getting in the room matters.
Inside the cybersecurity pre-day
Aaron is co-presenting the cybersecurity pre-day alongside Alex Tilley, and he said the line-up is built to cover resilience from every angle. “The pre day is going to be pretty exciting. We’ve got a variety of speakers that’ll be attending from various different parts of the industry that encompass security, asset management, backup, recovery, even insurance, and talking about what it means to be resilient in those spaces,” he said.
The goal, he said, is for attendees to leave with something they can use. The pre-day offers “the chance for the attendees who do partake to have some direct face time with these experts throughout the course of the day, and then hopefully walking away with some really good actions that they can implement in their own environments and their customers.”
Why the pre-day is worth your time
For Aaron, the big draw of the pre-day is its intimacy. “The pre day gives you some real focus face time with industry experts,” he said. “So if you’re shy about talking in front of a large group of people in a bigger room, come to the pre day where it’s a lot more intimate, there’s a lot more time and we can really unpack and nitpick through the things that really matter to you.”
He was clear that the value depends on showing up ready to join in. “Interactivity, bidirectional discussion, whatever you want to call it, that’s the nature of the beast,” Aaron said. “I think you’ll only get out of it what you’re willing to put in. And we find that those that participate actively, talk, share their opinions and their experiences, not just with us as presenters and facilitators, but actually with each other, is going to really be the force multiplier to help them in their own businesses day to day.”
On the main stage: as tech evolves, so do adversaries
Aaron is also delivering a session on the main programme, drawing on Sophos’s own threat research. “I’m going to dive into my specialisation, which is really understanding the cyber security threat landscape, looking at some of our own reports and publications over the last year and some of the cutting edge stuff that dives into agentic AI and the threat that it poses to businesses,” he said, “and really just transpose that into modern risk evaluation techniques that all businesses should be aware of, from board level right down to every employee.”
His message on AI risk is blunt and inclusive. “I’m sure we’ve all dabbled with AI,” Aaron said. “The threats are real, the risks are there.”
It takes a village
Asked what he most wanted to leave people with, Aaron came back to community. “It takes a village,” he said. “I really see these opportunities of getting together in person, mind you, and discussing all things cyber, all things IT, and having those conversations with others can really help build and galvanise your own resiliency moving forward.”
He encouraged delegates to make the most of being in the room together. “There’s some great opportunity to really come together, make new contacts, discuss what’s important to you and hear from others as well,” Aaron said. “Going together, we’re going to go far.”
Aaron Bugal joins the cybersecurity pre-day and the main programme at Next Level 2026. Registrations are open now. For tickets, the full agenda, and sponsorship details, visit https://nextlevel.smbitpro.org/.