Timely Conference Attracts Large Government Audience

DGI's annual Cyber Security Conference & Expo was very timely, attracting a large government-focused audience interested in learning about Cyber Security initiatives, current and emerging threats, and a variety of perspectives on how to move forward.

Jim Lewis (pictured right) with Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Project Director of the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, gave a compelling Keynote Address, where he stated there's a major attack every six weeks (that we know of). "The challenge of securing government networks from cyber attacks is so large that one person at the White House shouldn't be expected to act as the operational leader of cybersecurity efforts and should instead be a coordinator," Lewis said, as reported by FCW.

In the session titled "Are Your Information Systems Secure?", panelist Eric Cole with the Department of Energy said "Where we may dominate from an information-superiority perspective, our adversaries are gaining from a time-superiority perspective....They attack us when they want, however long they want, and then they can disappear and crop up somewhere else." Fellow panelist Jim Butterworth with Guidance Software, added the threats agencies face today are common. However, waiting until attacks occur instead of dealing with threats proactively can be disastrous. "Cybersecurity is not an appliance you buy. It is a process you put in place that involves everybody on a team. It has to be a forethought, not an afterthought."

The audience was comprised of a mix of DoD, Federal Civilian, and State/Local agency attendees who found great value in participating in these sessions presented by Cyber experts, and networking with their peers.

What Attendees Said...

...about DGI's Cyber Security Conference:

• "I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to learn from our fellow private and public sector colleagues in such an inviting environment facilitated by such an intellectually stimulating agenda. The vendors were awesome and the networking was out of this world."
• "It was a great conference with very dynamic and entertaining speakers, and I'm sure everyone learned a lot, as I did."
• "I thought this seminar was one of the better ones I attended. I really liked the format, with just one session at a time. I didn't feel like I had to miss anything."
• "Thank you for treating civil servants like VIPs. I appreciate the free admission, and high caliber speakers. Content is equivalent to some graduate level courses I have taken."

What Sponsors Said:

• "We met several potentially new customers. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to attend and I am looking forward to future conferences."
• "It was a great opportunity for (our company) to get some of our work in front of a very important audience. I personally found the event very interesting. I also made a number of good contacts."
• "I thought this was an excellent conference and well worth the investment. You had a great program that attracted a great crowd."