On April 5th the first annual Alabama Cyber Now conference will be held at Regions Field to “Bring Cybersecurity to the Forefront of Business.” The concept for ACN came about over a year ago when three technology/cybersecurity professionals – me, Heather McCalley, and Jennifer Skjellum – brainstormed the idea during a security panel presentation at Alabama Power Headquarters. During the past year or so, we continued to foster this idea with our respective organizations, Central Alabama Information Systems Security Association, Birmingham Infragard Members Alliance, and TechBirmingham, to make ACN a reality and, as of today, we have over 200 attendees registered for the conference.
ACN is patterned after similar event whose origins go back about 10 years ago. The North Alabama ISSA Chapter, where I served as President, sponsored an Information Security Seminar in Huntsville, a half day meeting. That event has continued for 9 consecutive years and has grown in attendance from around 50 at the first one to over 950 last year at the Von Braun Civic Center spanning 2 days. Similarly, the North Alabama ISSA Chapter joined with Cyber Huntsville a few years ago gaining a strong interest from the Defense Industrial Base (private contractors) supporting the US Army and NASA at Redstone Arsenal.
The conference committee has put together 19 sessions in three tracks with two keynote speakers (Brian Krebs and Josh Goldfarb) which we feel will appeal to both cybersecurity practitioners and professionals, C-level executives, and other business leaders. There will also be an exhibit hall showcasing the technologies available from over 30 vendors. An exciting day is awaiting all who attend. As conference chair, I look forward to meeting everyone who attends, attending several track sessions, talking to all the vendors, and hearing the latest in cybersecurity from our keynote speakers. Please plan to attend Alabama Cyber Now as I am convinced that you will learn much throughout the day.
See you on April 5th.
Dr. Joseph W. Popinski
Alabama Cyber Now Conference Chairman
CISSP CPP CFE CISM
ISSA Fellow
Have you registered for the conference? Click HERE to join up on April 5.
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