By Eileen Manning, Executive Producer, Cyber Security Summit
April 15, 2020

As the Summit enters its 10th year connecting cyber security leaders to drive change and protect our global infrastructure, we do so in precarious times. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the world as we know it, and as we collectively work to “flatten the curve,” this newsletter will embody the Summit’s driving mission of keeping the community connected during this time of unprecedented upheaval.

Each month we will address a different critical issue, and what better way to kick it all off than with a collection of resources aimed at sharing our community’s expertise and inviting collaboration to solve the common challenges we are all facing today.

Each year, the Summit is driven by a Think Tank of cyber experts representing industry, government, academia and the military. These experts have always realized that we must collaboratively share our expertise and work together to protect our organizations. Today’s crisis is no different.

As this pandemic evolves, the world is being forced to work differently, remotely, accentuating cyber vulnerabilities, and bad actors are already taking advantage.  Companies are calling for plans, infrastructure and innovation like never before, and security teams are rising to the occasion through herculean efforts. Programming for the Summit, October 26-28, will highlight much of this inspirational innovation.

Here’s a brief summary of the Summit’s 2020 theme, The Ripple Effect: 

“Everything in Cyber Security is interconnected. There are no isolated incidents. Like dropping a pebble into a pond, every action creates a series of follow-on effects. Changes in your business affect changes in your security strategy. Shifts in personnel impact your risk profile. Adversarial collaboration creates new threats that require your response, which in turn cause impacts elsewhere in your organization. A seismic event upends the entire global economy and forces immediate structural changes across every industry. None of these events can be managed in a vacuum, because they all feed into each other. This is the Ripple Effect.”  

The global crisis is shifting the way we work, pushing remote access systems to their breaking point, and causing a ripple that impacts organizational security across the board. The teams tasked with maintaining and securing these systems are often left feeling overwhelmed.

That’s where you come in. As the cybersecurity experts responsible for maintaining standards and service while orchestrating a massive digital transformation and innovating to save lives, this community is perfectly positioned to collaborate on the solutions that will define the future of our industry.  Read on to find short summaries and links from Think Tank members on key challenges they are facing, remote working tips, SMB advice and updates on the threat landscape, and more. Then join the conversation on our social channels, and share your perspective on what works.  

As we come together to fight through this crisis, it’s important that we each also account for the Ripple Effect of our own actions. Shelter in place, follow CISA Guidelines, practice safe computing, and let’s work together to protect each other.

Stay safe, and we look forward to you joining us for the Summit this Fall.

– Eileen Manning

Eileen Manning
Co-Founder, Executive Producer
Cyber Security Summit

Eileen Manning is a 30-year entrepreneur specializing in strategic planning and marketing with a focus on technology events. She has worked at a top advertising agency and spent over a decade in management at a Fortune 100 financial institution … full bio