Each year, I am always asked about convergence educational sessions at the ASIS International Annual Seminars and Exhibits event, as well as other educational events.
Q: Are there any educational sessions that I should consider attending for convergence education?
A: There are two aspects of convergence: organization and technical. There are educational sessions for both aspects listed below — not just for the ASIS annual event, but also for upcoming ASIS workshops and other convergence educational workshops. (Editor’s note: See the March 2010 issue’s article on technology and organizational convergence, “The State of Converged Security Operations,” to help determine which aspects of convergence are of the greatest value to your current role and future career path.)
Technology and Organizational Convergence
Technology convergence is the result of the more general information technology convergence, and is the impact of computer and network technology being incorporated in security devices and systems. Organizational convergence involves eliminating organizational silos that keep security functions walled off from the rest of the organization in critical ways, and in particular between IT security and physical security.
This year marks the highest number of ASIS annual seminar sessions ever that touch on convergence topics — 80 sessions in total, including many sessions on IT security topics that will be of interest to IT personnel. A significant factor is the contribution to this year’s sessions by (ISC)2 — the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium. There are more than a half-dozen sessions on all aspects of social media impacts on security, both as a tool and as a risk factor. There is a software applications security track.
This number of convergence-related sessions exceeds the space allotted for this column’s single page. That’s why the full convergence session listing is provided in the online version of this column, available at SecurityInfoWatch.com/magazine/ste. Each session holds many convergence-related sessions, so I recommend that you partner up with friends and colleagues to ensure sufficient coverage for your sessions of interest.
I did have enough room to list some additional convergence session venues, for which I am a session presenter on networked security video topics. These include the October ASIS security video workshop in Seattle, MoonBlink Communication’s October and November workshops, and the SecureWorld Expo event. I hope to see you for at least one of these sessions!
There are two pre-seminar programs relating to convergence, on Sept. 17-18 before the ASIS show in Orlando. “The Successful Security Consultant” is a one-day program I have long recommended to my security manager clients, as they are the internal security consultants of their organizations. Also, the CISSP Intensive Education Program is preparation to take the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification exam. (See www.isc2.org/cissp/).
While you are at the actual ASIS show from Sept. 19-22, there are nearly 50 educational sessions that touch on organizational and technology convergence topics. See the online version of this column for a complete listing, or go right to the ASIS online planner and identify convergence sessions and other sessions of interest. Use this link to access the ASIS event planner:
http://tinyurl.com/ASIS-2011-annual-event-planner.
Rodney Thayer and I will be presenting at Moonblink’s Wireless and Video Surveillance Technical Training and Product Showcase in Sterling, Va., on Oct. 19-20. This is a two-day program, with Day 1 concentrating on wireless networking and Day 2 concentrating on networked video.
Thayer and I are presenting the Day 2 material, and providing take-home guides on physical security/IT convergence and future-proofing video systems. See http://bit.ly/nhW3yD.
Moonblink will be holding another of these showcases in Milpitas, Calif., on Nov. 10-11, where Rodney and I will also be presenting.
The ASIS Workshop, “Video Surveillance: Applications and Advances,” in Seattle on Oct. 24-27, covers network basics as well as video camera and networking traffic engineering and troubleshooting for video systems, and is well worth attending. See http://bit.ly/pnmPjO for the detailed agenda.
Finally, SecureWorld Expo in Seattle on Nov. 16 is a two-day program with several convergence topic sessions on Day 1, including Corporate Security Concerns for Social Networking, Cloud Computing and my own session on Networked Video Security, which provides take-home guides on physical security/IT convergence and future-proofing video systems. See: www.secureworldexpo.com/events/conference-agenda.php?id=297
Write to Ray about this column at [email protected]. Ray Bernard, PSP, CHS-III is the principal consultant for Ray Bernard Consulting Services (RBCS), a firm that provides security consulting services for public and private facilities. Mr. Bernard has also provided pivotal strategic and technical advice in the security and building automation industries for more than 24 years. He is founder and publisher of The Security Minute 60-second newsletter (www.TheSecurityMinute.com). For more information about Ray Bernard and RBCS go to www.go-rbcs.com or call 949-831-6788. Mr. Bernard is also a member of the Subject Matter Expert Faculty of the Security Executive Council (www.SecurityExecutiveCouncil.com).
