The State of Cybersecurity on Dec. 8: Here’s the Agenda

2017 is shaping up to be a dramatic year indeed. In technology, business, and government, one of the most crucial problems to work on is cybersecurity. The current cyber threat landscape affects everything from corporate and consumer data to the critical infrastructure our society runs on.

On December 8, Xconomy is hosting a special conference called “The State of Cybersecurity.” We are convening the top people and organizations in security tech, from startups and investors to public companies, to talk about the current landscape and what organizations are doing to protect themselves. It’s all happening at WGBH in Boston, and here’s the full agenda.

On the tech side, the conference will dive into themes like security automation and orchestration (what do these buzzwords really mean?), as well as the use of machine learning and analytics to improve security. We’ll sort out what’s overhyped and under-delivered, as well as which approaches should be getting more attention.

On the business side, we’ll look at strategies for building cybersecurity companies and what investors are seeing in the sector (consolidation, exits, and more). We’ll also talk about the customer side—how banks, healthcare companies, and other organizations are dealing with security at the highest levels of management.

And on the government and society side, we’ll examine what cyberwarfare looks like and how that may affect everyone. It’s not the cheeriest of topics, but it’s best to be prepared. Plus, there are opportunities to get ahead, if you know where to look.

A few agenda items are still moving around—stay tuned for updates—but here are some sessions to highlight:

Udi Mokady, CEO of CyberArk, will kick things off with a talk called “Cybersecurity Is Everyone’s Business.”

—We’ll delve into “Ransomware and Other Threats” in a discussion that includes Christopher Ahlberg from Recorded Future, Mohamad Ali from Carbonite, Lior Div from Cybereason, and Chris Wysopal from Veracode.

—Heard of the Internet of Things lately? Any idea how to secure it? We’ll talk to Paul Paget of Pwnie Express, Sandor Palfy of LogMeIn, Sophie Vandebroek from Xerox, and Greg Dracon from .406 Ventures.

—We’ll also step back and chat about the overall future of security with Patrick Morley, CEO of Carbon Black. We’ll cover different aspects of cyber threats, emerging approaches to security, lessons from Carbon Black’s history, and more.

We’re looking forward to a great afternoon of ideas and discussions on Dec. 8. There are still a few tickets left, so you can register and grab yours here. See you then.

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.