The Security Standard Conference to Explore Crisis Management, Risk Perception and Analysis, and the Effects of 9/11

July 24, 2007

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Six years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon, have we taken the right steps to protect ourselves from debilitating threats? Expert speakers at the second annual The Security Standard conference will address this, and other critical questions, that directly affect the health and safety of corporations large and small. The Security Standard will take place September 10-11, 2007 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago and will feature new research, fresh insights, and powerful speakers all focused on the information and network security of corporations today.

"The mission of The Security Standard conference is to educate our attendees about threats to corporate security and develop effective strategies to combat these threats," said Bob Bragdon , co-chair of the event and publisher of CSO magazine. "To do this, we're pulling together the leading strategists, newest research, and an audience of IT and corporate decision-makers to analyze today's risks and determine the building blocks for a strong and secure enterprise."

The Security Standard will feature an array of voices from its stage -- from CSOs to auditors to law enforcement specialists -- in order to provide a richly detailed understanding of the security landscape. Three sessions are outlined below. For a complete look at the conference agenda, visit http://www.thesecuritystandard.net/agenda/index.php.

Crisis Management: Planning for the Worst

IBM Distinguished Professor Daniel Diermeier will detail how even with the best of security policies in place, data can still, and likely will, be lost or stolen. How a company responds to such a situation will go a long way in determining the incident's impact on its business. Crisis planning is critically important for all businesses, regardless of size or market. During this session, attendees will learn:

-- The critical elements of building a crisis management plan. -- The importance of managing communications in a crisis and what should be communicated. -- Strategies for implementing crisis planning in an organization.

Lessons from the Firing Line

Exploring how failures in risk perception and analysis led to ChoicePoint Inc.'s highly publicized security problems, VP of Information Security Robin Sundaram will provide an in-depth look at what the company learned and how its experiences have reshaped the organization, its policies and practices. Attendees will learn:

-- How organizational problems contributed to ChoicePoint's crisis. -- The painful lessons ChoicePoint learned and what can be gleaned from them. -- How ChoicePoint has implemented new policies and new risk management strategies to stave off future problems.

9/11: Six Years Later

The attacks that shocked America into a painful awareness of its vulnerabilities in an age of global terrorism happened six years ago. But have we really learned any lessons? Are we any better prepared? In a special town-meeting style session bringing together industry, public service leaders and audience members, experts will discuss whether our public-private infrastructure is better protected, how government and the private sector are working together and what steps need to be taken to improve the protection of critical technology and information assets. Attendees will learn:

-- What we have "fixed" since 9/11 and what remains broken. -- Whether we have established a strong working relationship between government and the private sector. -- What we are doing wrong today that leaves our critical infrastructure vulnerable. Participants in the 9/11 session will be: -- Catherine A. Allen, Chairman & CEO, The Santa Fe Group -- Michael Assante, Infrastructure Protection Strategist/Business Manager, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), National & Homeland Security -- John G. Voeller, Department of Homeland Security - Consultant to Office of Science and Technology, White House - Consultant to Office of Science and Technology Policy, Black & Veatch - Senior Vice President

"In addition to the topics of discussion outlined here, we have just booked a keynote speech on organized crime, which will be delivered by Daniel J. Larkin, Unit Chief, Cyber Initiative & Resource Fusion Unit, Cyber Division for the Federal Bureau of Investigation," said John Gallant , co-chair of the conference and editorial director of Network World. "The Security Standard will take a comprehensive look at today's security landscape and deliver a comprehensive set of real-world strategies that attendees can immediately implement."

Attend The Security Standard

Attendance at The Security Standard is limited to qualified senior security professionals. Registration is limited to the first 500 qualified applicants. Designed for top business and technology executives from a wide range of industries, The Security Standard will cultivate dialogue amongst key security decision makers that will strengthen policies and protocols against malicious activity. To request more information on attending The Security Standard conference, visit http://www.thesecuritystandard.net.

Companies interested in sponsoring The Security Standard may contact Andrea D'Amato at [email protected].

The Security Standard is an IDG Executive Forums event produced with the support and editorial expertise of the IDG brands CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. Together, these brands provide direct access to an extensive audience of over five million business and technology decision makers.

About The Security Standard

The Security Standard takes a fresh approach to the critical enterprise-wide topic of security, bringing together an intimate and exclusive audience of senior decision makers -- from both corporate and IT management -- to drill down into the most pressing business challenges surrounding information security. With high-profile keynotes, unique industry perspectives and an open dialogue running throughout the event between the decision makers in the audience and the visionaries on stage, The Security Standard will provide the audience with a strategic foundation on which to build current and future action plans for business security. The Security Standard will run as a single-track educational conference with an intimate 30 sponsor pavilion. Produced by IDG Executive Forums, the conference draws on the strengths of IDG's top U.S. business brands: CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld and Network World. For more information, visit http://www.thesecuritystandard.net.

About the Co-Chairs

Bob Bragdon , Publisher of CSO magazine, and John Gallant , President and Editorial Director of Network World, are the co-executive producers of The Security Standard and responsible for leading the event's steering committee and determining the conference agenda. Both leaders bring a wealth of security knowledge and experience to their respective roles. As publisher of CSO (chief security officer) magazine, the world's leading information resources for security executives, Bragdon works closely with industry vendors, enterprise security executives, government officials and law enforcement agencies in identifying and addressing the challenges of today's complex security and risk management environments. Bragdon is a member of the ASIS International (American Society for Industrial Security).

Under Gallant's executive direction, Network World has been a leader in covering the emergence of networking in corporate America and has become the newspaper of record in the network industry. Gallant has positioned Network World as a true service publication for network IS professionals, providing technology and business news along with a wealth of insight, opinion and analysis designed to help readers manage not only their networks and network-based applications, but their growing budgets and staff.

Sponsors

Principal sponsors for the event are Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Citrix, Global Security Management and Symantec are Platinum sponsors. Gold sponsors include Enterasys Networks, Finjan, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Inc., Privaris, Qualys, Inc., RSA, SonicWALL, Sophos and WebSense, Inc. Event partners include Business Trends Quarterly (BTQ), CompTIA, the Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC) and the Information Security Forum (ISF).

About International Data Group (IDG)

International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, events, and research company. IDG's online network includes more than 450 Web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment and video games worldwide. IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 countries including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC World. IDG's lead-generation service, IDG Connect, matches technology companies with an audience of engaged, high-quality IT professionals, influencers, and decision makers.

IDG is a leading producer of more than 750 technology-related events including Macworld Conference & Expo, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Entertainment for All Expo (E for All), DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events. Over 900 IDC analysts in more than 90 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at http://www.idg.com/.

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