Databricks Simplified: Making Sense of the Platform in the Age of AI
Virtual Event: Databricks Simplified: Making Sense of the Platform in the Age of AI
November 17, 2026 at 11am CST
Your CEO wants to accelerate AI adoption. Your data platform wasn’t exactly built with that in mind. And somewhere between the latest AI announcements, new platform capabilities, and your existing technology investments, you’re expected to figure out the right path forward.
Sound familiar?
Databricks offers a powerful foundation for data, analytics, and AI. But with the platform evolving so quickly, it’s not always easy to understand what you actually need, what can wait, and how it all fits together.
Join us for a practical look at Databricks. We’ll simplify the platform, explore the capabilities that matter for AI readiness, and share real-world guidance on implementation, integration, and modernization- so you can make smarter decisions without getting lost in the technology.
We’ll cover:
meet the panelists
Dustin Vannoy
Lead Specialist Architect, Databricks
Dustin Vannoy is a data engineer, speaker, and technology advisor with 17 years of experience helping organizations solve business challenges through data and analytics. He specializes in modernizing data platforms, building scalable data pipelines, and implementing cloud-based architectures using technologies such as Databricks, Apache Spark, and Azure. Dustin is also co-founder of the Data Engineering San Diego meetup and regularly shares his expertise through conference presentations, tutorials, and community events.
Ed Pearson
Databricks Practice Lead at Analytics8
Ed Pearson is a data platform modernization leader, helping organizations transition from legacy environments to modern, governed, AI-ready data platforms. He specializes in lakehouse and data warehouse architectures, aligning technology investments with business outcomes, and building data foundations that support AI at scale. Passionate about advancing the data community, Ed is also the founder of DataTune, Nashville’s Data & AI Conference, a community-driven event that brings together data and AI professionals.
What We Do
Analytics8 is your one partner to turn data and AI ambitions into measurable business value.
Strategy & Advisory
We turn data and AI ambition into executable strategy — aligning your priorities, resources, and investment to accelerate business value and ROI.
Modernization
We’ll modernize your data foundation to support solutions that are future ready, scalable, and responsive — built to evolve as your needs (and data) grows.
Data & AI
We deliver end-to-end data and AI services — building, launching, and operationalizing solutions that turn insight into intelligent action.
Data Monetization
We help you turn data into a growth engine — building the data monetization strategy and launching data products that create new revenue.
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When I talk about Analytics8, I always say “Partner”, because at the end of the day, they’re an extension of my team.
Steven Khraiss, VP of Data Strategy & Analytics, Holmes Corporation
Talk with a data expert
Schedule a meeting with one of our data analytics experts who will review your data struggles and map out steps to achieve data-driven decision making.