RSA® Conference Europe Flourishes in London as Industry Comes Together to Share Knowledge of Major Trends Affecting Information Security

Business Wire, Dec 6, 2007

Annual Information Security Conference also announces Microsoft's Ed Gibson as first European representative on its Global Advisory Board

LONDON -- RSA[R] Conference, the world's leading information security conference, concluded its 8th annual event at ExCeL London on 24th October, 2007 and was attended by more than 1,300 information security professionals from more than 60 countries seeking educational and networking opportunities.

* Sessions included keynote panels on "Data Security and Breach Notification Requirements: Pros and Cons" and "Pandora's Box: Youth and the Internet" and keynote addresses from Frank Abagnale and Bruce Schneier.

* Ed Gibson, Chief Security Advisor of Microsoft UK, has joined the RSA Conference Global Advisory Board as a respected European expert in the security arena. Mr. Gibson will provide independent insight into security trends affecting governments, business and consumers in the European market and help guide the development of RSA Conference programs.

* RSA Conference Europe 2008 will be held on 27th - 29th October at ExCeL London. Call for papers will open in February 2008.

RSA Conference Europe 2007 highlights included:

* A high profile line-up of keynote and track session speakers. Please refer to RSA Conference Europe's opening day release for more information.

* 50 exhibitors on the Exhibition floor, 10 tracks with more than 65 sessions covering a host of topical subjects -- such as wireless protection, government and policy mandates, enterprise defence and professional development.

* Highest-ever delegate numbers from France, Germany, the Nordic countries, Benelux and Spain (collectively comprising 36% of all delegates).

* SC Professional Awards given for the first time to honour the most important people in the information security industry and to provide further networking opportunities.

Quotes, attributable to Sandra Toms LaPedis, general manager and area vice president of RSA Conferences:

"RSA Conference Europe has established itself as the forum where industry professionals can come together to learn about the latest developments and trends in the industry and share with their peers the strategies and approaches that will secure their organisations in the future. The move to London's ExCeL has started a new phase in the Conference's life. With 33% of all Global Fortune 500 companies having their European HQs in London and 25% of all European security software companies being based in London, it was a natural step to base the Conference right on the frontline of the information security industry in Europe. Access to the Conference is now so much easier with almost half of our delegates using London City Airport.

"The feedback from delegates has been very positive. Our delegates have given us our our highest-ever ratings for our Conference content. With strong session content being our differentiator from other competitive events, this is very encouraging news. We look forward to providing an equally robust program in 2008 - with some new and expanded features planned as well."

Quotes, attributable to Ed Gibson, Chief Security Advisor of Microsoft UK:

"To be a member of the RSA Conference Global Advisory Board is a great honour. I look forward to the opportunities to support RSA Conference Europe, now an integral part of the security industry's calendar. It is vital that industry maintains a constant thought-leadership presence to stay ahead of the increasingly technologically complex threat landscape, as well as maintaining strong, transparent partnerships with law enforcement, government and academia to provide our customers with the highest quality of IT security."

"Lack of knowledge is the greatest enemy we face in defeating cybercrime, and with over 1,300 attendees at RSA Conference Europe 2007, future conferences will provide even greater opportunities for IT security professionals to network, learn and share knowledge."

Multimedia and supporting materials:

RSA Conference Europe 2007 photos: http://www.rsaconference.com/2007/Europe/For_Press/Press_Photos.aspx

RSA Conference Europe 2007 podcasts:

http://www.rsaconference.com/2007/Europe/Agenda_and_Content/Confer ence_Podcasts.aspx

(Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Photo of Ed Gibson:

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/nhs/images/Ed_Gibson_small.jpg

Bio of Ed Gibson:

Ed Gibson joined Microsoft Ltd. as Chief Security Advisor in July 2005.

His primary role is to provide a broad interface between Microsoft and the people and organisations working in the UK security industry. Ed also acts as an advisor to Microsoft's customers and partners on how to best respond to the current security environment and how to improve their security through Microsoft's solutions and services.

As Microsoft's trustworthy computing initiative continues, one of the key skills Ed brings to Microsoft is his ability to forge and maintain strategic alliances across public and private sector organisations in an international environment. He is the link between Microsoft and industry specialists, law enforcement, government and academia., facilitating the sharing of security knowledge between these groups.