Europe’s most significant information security event
Joy-Fleur Brettschneider is the Group Marketing Manager at Reed Exhibitions – Infosecurity Group. In this interview she talks about the most significant European IT security event taking place next week in London – Infosecurity Europe.
Many regard Infosecurity Europe as the premier event for the security industry in Europe. How would you introduce the event to someone who hasn’t attended yet?
Infosecurity Europe is the largest and most attended information security event in Europe. Held in central London, it is a free event featuring leading infosec industry vendors and service suppliers presenting their most diverse range of new products and services. In 2013, 99% of our visitors were satisfied with the fulfilment of their objective of seeing the industry players in one place.
One of four events in mainland Europe proudly using the Infosecurity brand (the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, UK), the UK exhibition, Infosecurity Europe, is the flagship event in the series and Europe’s number one industry event for the EU region. It features more than 325 exhibitors from more than 25 countries, the most diverse range of new products and services, an authoritative conference programme with more than 125 full-to-capacity educational sessions and more than 13,000 unique visitors (ABC Audit) from every segment of the Government, public and private sectors.
Infosecurity Europe is the gathering place for the entire industry, facilitating meetings and networking opportunities between suppliers and active buyers. It provides a dedicated platform for the communities to build relationships, develop business opportunities and demonstrate product and service capabilities to a captive, engaged and highly professional audience. It is the most important date in the calendar for Information Security professionals across Europe from both the end-user and vendor communities.
There are many quality information security events all over the world. In your opinion, what makes Infosecurity Europe unique?
Infosecurity Europe has been working to continuously improve and support the industry moving forward, providing a free platform for professionals to meet with peers, develop and do business. We are trying to address all the needs of information security professionals under one roof, offering a wide range of formats to accommodate learning, networking and business preferences.
Infosecurity Europe, part of the Infosecurity Group, has 19 years of experience in providing knowledge and insight into the information security industry. All Infosecurity Group products are trusted and highly respected resources in the information security community. Our content is certified by (ISC)2 and ISACA, the industry’s leading certification bodies, as they have approved Infosecurity Group for continuing professional development; CISSPs and SSCPs have the opportunity to earn CPE credits for attending webinars, virtual conferences and the educational programme at Infosecurity Europe – a true reflection of the quality and value we offer.
What are the main themes for Infosecurity Europe this year?
The main theme for Infosecurity Europe in 2014 is “Security as a business enabler”, which we feel is a huge subject concerning most businesses today. Edward Snowden’s disclosures about the NSA’s surveillance activities were one of the biggest news stories of 2013. The reverberations of these revelations continue to echo across both the international political and business landscapes, hampering trust between nations and between government and industry. As a consequence, privacy, trust and the security of personal data have been thrust into the minds of individuals and organisations alike.
It’s against this background that information security professionals are working to secure their expanding and inter-connected organisation against increasingly complex threats and sophisticated attack models, whilst navigating complicated compliance standards and providing the flexibility for the business to grow, innovate and transform.
Most organisations don’t have the resources to continuously monitor against relentless attempts to breach their extended networks and apply protections in a timely and effective manner. As we’re frequently reminded, the question isn’t if your organisation will be breached but when, and the need for robust detection and incident response strategies has never been greater.
All the while, the role of the information security function is evolving to become a business discipline rather than a technology discipline, supporting decision-making, enabling businesses and adding value. According to EY’s Global Information Security Survey 2013, 46% of organisations align their information security strategy to the organisation’s business strategy.
Perceptions of risk within the information security sector are adapting to align with the organisation’s risk tolerance. The information security function is taking a key role in risk assessment – determining where the real risks lie, which risks are worth taking and which will potentially have catastrophic results for the business, to drive strategy and prioritise investment.
Whether you want to find out about new products and innovations or build your knowledge by attending the education programme, Infosecurity Europe has been working hard to provide you with the opportunity to acquire the inspiration, ideas, tools, tactics and techniques to address the latest challenges and ensure that you are well positioned to optimise your organisation’s security posture so that information security can move from business barrier to business enabler.
Who are the headline speakers? What sessions would you like to highlight?
We have been encouraging speakers to reference the overall theme to provide visitors with a variety of perspectives and viewpoints in numerous formats to choose from, so hopefully everyone will find what’s relevant to them. The Keynote theatre speakers include representatives from: Amgen, Barclays, Citibank, Direct Line Group, Home Retail Group, Elsevier, E.ON, Europol, ENISA, National Crime Agency, Nike, Sapient, Skype, Pearson, The Economist Group, Yorkshire Building Society Group, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and many more!
How much has the event grown in the past few years? How many attendees do you expect?
This is always a difficult question to answer, but so far our pre-registration numbers have been continuously 15-20% ahead of last year’s figures, which demonstrated a 6% increase in visitors compared to 2012. Over the years Infosecurity Europe has seen a steady increase of global representatives, with over half of the vendors coming from overseas and visitors travelling from more than 110 different countries – coming from as far as South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Turkey and Hong Kong.
We shall remain curious until the show is over and had the chance to audit all our numbers and data. For now, I would just like to thank all our stakeholders for their great support and I hope that everyone attending Infosecurity Europe will have a fantastic and satisfying experience. We look forward to welcoming you to Earls Court next week!
