Our 2023 Themes Included

If yours is one of the countless organisations that has migrated to the cloud in recent years, the issue of security is never far away. On paper, the cloud is far more secure than on-premises alternatives. However, as many firms have discovered, complacency isn’t an option. Storing data and running apps in external servers changes the nature of the cyberthreats you face, and requires very different IT skills, culture, and relationships with suppliers.

In this theme, we’ll be exploring what securing the cloud means in the 2020s, covering the key issues facing your organisation and how you can prepare for them. Our sessions will be tackling the issue from different perspectives, and you’ll find content relevant to different roles and levels of cloud maturity (be that cloud-native, hybrid or multi-cloud). Expect to find content on diverse topics, including:

• Cloud supply chain, risks and rating schemes
• Cloud security models, standards and frameworks
• Emerging cloud security regulations
• Cyber insurance and cloud risk management

What’s on the horizon for cyber security technologies, best practice, and risks? This theme will be delving in the emerging trends in cybersecurity, and we’ll be getting glimpses of the future from renowned experts and researchers. If you want to know how cybersecurity is likely to change in the coming years, the sessions in this theme will give you an idea of what to expect.

Should you be investing in AI-powered defence systems? Are you ready for the risks posed by quantum computing algorithms that could overcome encryption? Will biometrics finally help us move beyond usernames and passwords? Join our range of fascinating sessions to explore how cybersecurity is changing, and get your business prepared for the inevitable shifts coming your way. We’ll be exploring the future of cyber security from a variety of angles, including:

• The role of AI, including for predictive security
• Emerging tech and techniques, from biometrics to collective defence
• The potential of open-source security
• How might vendor consolidation affect the cyber security market?

More and more organisations are turning to the Zero Trust model to keep their data safe. It works like this: individuals are given permission to view certain content – if they try to view information outside their usual files and folders, they’re asked to prove they are who they claim by your systems (typically, by using multi-factor authentication). Depending on how strict you are, a Zero Trust model may require users to reauthenticate their identity several times throughout the working day. The point here is to make it much harder for anyone who breaches your systems to move sideways and steal more information.

Making Zero Trust work requires a very different approach to security to what’s gone before. To make it a success, you need employees to understand why you’re doing this, and how it benefits them. In this theme, you’ll learn more about the practicalities of making Zero Trust work:

• The principles of Zero Trust
• Stages of implementing Zero Trust
• Zero Trust standards and compliance requirements
• Limiting the blast radius

There have never been more ways for malicious actors to target your organisation. Whether it’s through crude phishing emails, or highly sophisticated breaches of your IoT devices, the attack surfaces and the techniques available are continually expanding. You therefore need an extremely effective threat detection and response posture. The sessions under this theme will help you learn about the dangers you face, and how to spot them.

Our speakers will be exploring some of the key weaknesses found at modern organisations – from BYOD to remote work, expanding attack surfaces to the ‘Internet of Vulnerable Things’, and beyond. We’ll also be looking at how you can shore up your defences by using smart technology and innovative techniques to identify threats and neutralise them. Come along to find out about:

• The major (and emerging) threats facing you today
• New techniques for threat detection (from basic checks through to sophisticated behavioural analysis)
• Identity based system defence
• Measures to predict and prepare for future threats

People have always been the weakest link in any organisation’s security posture. So how do you ensure your teams are armed with the tools they need to spot threats, and avoid risky behaviour? There’s no simple answer here, but our speakers will be looking at effective, tried and tested methods for getting the mix of skills, talent and culture you need to fend off attacks.

Our sessions will look at how you can go about improving and enhancing the cloud and security skills of existing employees through training, awareness and incentives. At the same time, we’ll be looking into issues around hiring people with the know-how you need. There will also be wider discussion of environmental factors influencing the security culture debate (be that issues of sustainability, the war in Ukraine, Brexit or inflation). Join us for discussions on:

• New approaches to cyber awareness training
• Going beyond the CISO – decentralised cybersecurity
• Implementing cultural change programmes
• Who to hire, when and how