National Cyber Summit Returns Live to VBC in September
In late 2019, just prior to the appearance of COVID-19, hacking and cyberattacks were said to be the biggest threat the United States faced.
Heritage Foundation statistics showed that cyber breaches cost the global economy some $2.1 trillion in 2019, more than quadrupling the cost since 2015, and those statistics are still rising despite the pandemic.
With an estimated 30 billion devices connected to the “Internet of things” in 2020, the cyber-insurance industry is estimated to be worth well over $3 billion as it attempts to better quantify cyber risks and encourage improved security.
This is the environment into which Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle launched the Cyber Huntsville Initiative in 2010. One of its first and most successful projects was the creation of an annual National Cyber Summit, focused on cyber training, education, and workforce development, aimed at protecting the nation’s infrastructure from ever-evolving cyber threats.
In partnership with Cyber Huntsville Corporation, Auburn University Research, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Battle announced the 12th annual National Cyber Summit will be live Sept. 28-30 at the Von Braun Center.
Battle said the National Cyber Summit has always focused on communicating how critical cyber security and cyber security-related economic development is to the Tennessee Valley.
“There is no better place to address cybersecurity than in Huntsville, Alabama,” Battle said. “This city is at the pinnacle of technology, and the National Cyber Summit brings together the best and brightest from our government, industry, and academic technical community.”
Hosted by the North Alabama Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association, the summit focuses on education, collaboration, and innovation; and will attract government and commercial participants.
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This year’s keynote speakers include Brian Turner, executive assistant director of Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the FBI; Dr. Raj Iyer, CIO of the Office of the Secretary of the Army; Chris Cleary, principal cyber advisor to the Navy; Merritt Baer, principal security architect of Amazon Web Services; Lynn Dohm, executive director, Women in Cybersecurity; and Jon “Maddog” Hall, board chair of the Linux Professional Institute.
“We are so excited to return in-person for this year’s National Cyber Summit in Huntsville,” said National Cyber Summit Director Judy Darwin. “NCS connects senior cyber-tech leaders to those just starting in cyber-tech fields. This is critical to building a stronger more resilient cyber workforce in government, industry and academia to ensure we protect our national interest from all enemies foreign and domestic.”
The summit will feature multiple educational tracks, networking with industry and government cyber management, breakfast panels for veterans and women, classified sessions, and cyber competitions.
Through Destination Huntsville, there will be after-hours activities to explore why Huntsville is not only a smart city, but a fun place to live.
Registration ends Aug. 27; visit www.nationalcybersummit.com/Register.
