Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of interviews with the session leaders of the upcoming GSO 2025 event being held August 16-17, 2023 at LinkedIn’s global headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley, Calif. The event is named with a future date because it takes a 3- to 5-year look ahead at where security leadership and security technology are going. Registration is open now.
Managing Editor John Dobberstein spoke recently with Ray Bernard, a noted security consultant and author, columnist for Security Technology Executive magazine and writer for Security Business magazine and SecurityInfoWatch.com. John inquired about the unique technology focus of the GSO 2025 summit.
SIW: Please explain how the GSO summit provides a different kind of look at emerging security technologies.
Bernard: This is not the typical show-and-tell experience about product features and functions, like you get at trade shows. It’s about how your security program and security operations capabilities can change in the directions that you need them to, enabled and supported by new technologies.
Among our attendees are security practitioners who have already been using the new technologies, including folks from LinkedIn and other companies in the Silicon Valley area. There will be very helpful discussions about their deployment experiences including timelines and the level of customer involvement.
Some of the discussions revolve around questions such as: What kind of preparations were required? How long did it take to start seeing the ongoing operational benefits? What kind of changes to policies and procedures were required or made possible by the new technology capabilities? How have those improved security effectiveness? How was that reported on to management?
What were the lessons learned about adopting the new technology, and in retrospect, what would they have done differently knowing what they know now?
There are very enlightening discussions between the attendees, the sponsors and their customers.
SIW: What about the hands-on technology aspect?
Bernard: On Day 2 the sponsors provide an in-depth experience where the attendees can try out various aspects of the product functionality. Thanks to cloud-based solutions, for several products it is possible to access actual deployments rather than simulated deployments running on a demo laptop. This way you get a true sense of the real-world product performance that you’d get.
There are some products that you’d want to really check out very closely, like The Rock from Alcatraz AI, to see if its facial authentication self-enrollment is actually as fast the manufacturer claims – which, of course, it is!
But seeing is believing. Often groups of attendees will get together to create group use scenarios like those that occur in their own facilities. There is no time pressure because it’s not a trade show booth and there aren’t crowds of people or long waiting lines. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and you get to explore technology use cases in depth.
You also get to have actual customers show you the functionality that they value and explain what it means to them. And of course, you can follow up with actual customers after the event as a lot of good connections are made there.
SIW: Mobile device use can be an important factor for some situations. Didn’t I see something about using applications with smartphones or tablets?
Bernard: There is remote access registration ahead of the event using the CloudGate visitor management application from Soloinsight. On Day 2 you can also check out how the smartphone intercom capabilities work without having to install hardware or download an app.
We’re excited to hold year’s event at LinkedIn headquarters because it’s a great example of a modern headquarters facility. You’ll get to talk to some LinkedIn’s security folks about how they apply the security technology they have deployed.
SIW: Best of luck and we look forward to hearing more about this year’s GSO 2025 event at LinkedIn headquarters.
Bernard: Thank you, John. Our early registration discount is now in effect, so it’s a good time for security practitioners to check out the detailed agenda, see how it relates to their own roles and responsibilities, and then register right away. I’m looking forward to all the discussions that will take place at the GSO event.
