My View: Time is right to learn how to be ‘cyber defensive’
When warnings were issued that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be followed by Putin giving the green light for a cyber assault against those he felt did not support his actions, you could practically feel the shudder resonating throughout the free world.
If you think that level of concern only was for big business and governments, shift your attention closer to home. Results of a survey by global market intelligence firm IDC released last year found that 98% of the companies responding had at least one cloud data breach in the previous 18 months compared to 79% the previous year.
As our workplaces become hybrid and employees use their own devices to connect with their employers’ networks, there is no telling how close any of us is to devastation that can happen with one wrong click.
For all these reasons and others, the Arizona Technology Council along with the Arizona Commerce Authority and Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA) are planning their ninth annual Cybersecurity Summit to bring together experts who can help guide you in this world that seems to change daily.
The event will be held May 12 from 10:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Venue 8600, 8600 E. Anderson Drive, Scottsdale. Click here for more information and to register.
As cyber attacks continue to impact every public and private organization regardless of their size, various strategies have emerged to respond to these threats. Chief information security officers (CISOs) appearing in the day’s opening panel will share their practical lessons learned in the trenches on how best to respond to the hostile environment that increasingly threatens the physical environment.
The panel discussion “Proven Lessons for Addressing Today’s Threat Landscape” will feature Jeffrey Coe, CISO, onsemi; James Costello, CISO, Freeport-McMoRan; Pete Kim, CISO, Raytheon Missiles & Defense; and Carraig Stanwyck, VP/global CISO, Avnet.
Following them as the opening keynote speaker will be Tim Roemer, director of Arizona Homeland Security, who will offer his perspective on Arizona as a national leader in collaborative cybersecurity solutions.
The afternoon keynote speaker will be John Davis, vice president, public sector, Palo Alto Networks, whose topic will be “Cybersecurity Innovation in the Age of Modern Cyber Threats.”
One of our spotlight chats will be “To Report or Not to Report, That is the Question: A Discussion on the Critical Infrastructure Cyber Incident Law.” Joining us from Washington, D.C., will be Norma Krayem, vice president and chair, cybersecurity, privacy & digital innovation practice, Van Scoyoc Associates.
There will be plenty more as other topics will include data privacy issues, talent acquisition, lessons for elevating practical skills, cybersecurity innovation with the U.S. Navy as a partner and ransomware as a strategic weapon.
Working behind the scenes to help pull this day together is key organizer Frank J. Grimmelmann, ACTRA’s president and CEO. When it comes to Arizona’s cybersecurity community, his is a name mentioned again and again. That is why he serves as co-chair of both Gov. Doug Ducey’s Arizona Cybersecurity Team and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Cybersecurity Workforce Collaborative.
As you can tell, the Cybersecurity Summit will be a must-attend event. I look forward to seeing you there. And one last thing until then: If you don’t recognize the sender of that email, don’t click on the attachment.
Steve Zylstra is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.