The boogieman is no longer lurking under beds, but in the wires. Fears about online safety have only grown in recent years with the evolution and ever-increasing application of artificial intelligence (AI). The Pittsburgh Technology Council and cybersecurity company Ethical Intruder sought to address these fears in its 11th annual conference, Cyburgh 2026. Chris Treib, Geneva College’s vice president of information technology, was amongst the recognized leaders in cybersecurity who presented at the conference.

Attendees listened to five presentations given at the Sheraton Hotel in Pittsburgh on May 14. This included the keynote presentation on Ransomware in 2026 by Richard Evanchec (the special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office) and Kelly Locher (assistant United States attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania), along with four panel discussions: AI Security in Production, Practical Security that Works, Third Party Risk, and Ransomware Reality Check.

Treib presented in the Third Party Risk: Securing What You Don’t Know panel.

One of the core takeaways from Treib’s panel is that the answer to the proverbial AI boogieman is through cultivating human relationships. Many organizations hire information technology (IT) companies for various operational tasks — those hired companies are considered third party vendors. A third party vendor creates another potential entry point for cybersecurity risk. Treib’s panel discussed how third party vendors have historically been risk-managed through static questionnaires and periodic reviews; improving insight and trust comes from regular conversations and shared expectations. In other words, cultivating an operational partnership, or relationship, with a vendor produces better outcomes than treating a negotiation as merely transactional.

While this insight may have sounded radical to those in attendance at Cyburgh 2026, it’s unsurprising for this wisdom to come from a panel featuring a member of the Geneva College leadership who knows relationship is at the core of the two Great Commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). It is this kind of industry insight and godly wisdom that students at Geneva benefit from, including those pursuing a degree in cybersecurity themselves.