Ethical Hacker to Address Securing Physical Security’s Future at Securing New Ground

The Security Industry Association (SIA) is gearing up for its annual executive conference, Securing New Ground (SNG), and we’re looking forward to an exciting lineup of discussions on the security business trends that matter most. One of this year’s keynote speakers – Valerie Thomas, executive information security consultant for Securicon – will forecast how the security of your systems and technologies will be tested, how you can take your company’s cybersecurity approach to the next level and what your organization’s cybersecurity could mean for the long-term value of your business.

Even if you’ve already ticked the boxes of firewalls, patches and passwords, your company is only scratching the service when it comes to cybersecurity protection. Thomas will highlight how the physical security threat landscape is changing, what those changes mean for security companies and customers and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve.

Thomas, a renowned cybersecurity expert, specializes in social engineering and physical penetration testing. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, she led information security assessments for the Defense Information Systems Agency before joining private industry. Her unique defense and civilian background providers her with a solid understanding of intrusion detection, data loss prevention and endpoint (in)security. Her electronic and RFID training became a crucial element of her physical security specialization. While some choose to focus on cyber of physical security, she has chosen to exploit the weaknesses of the combination of the two. She holds multiple industry certifications, is the coauthor of Building an Information Security Awareness Program: Defending Against Social Engineering and Technical Threats and has provided briefings and workshops for DEF CON, DerbyCon, Black Hat and multiple BSides events. She also provided keynote remarks in June 2018 at the first-ever Cyber:Secured Forum presented by SIA, PSA Security Network and ISC Security Events.

Potential topics to be addressed in Thomas’ remarks include an overview of the current cyber threat landscape, how IT and physical security differ within an enterprise environment, the closing gap between IT and physical security (and the need for physical security implementations to be held to the same standard as IT security and strategies for addressing these issues.

Learn more about the session – and Ms. Thomas.

SNG 2018 – taking place Oct. 25-26 in New York City – enables security industry leaders to clarify their strategies and drive their business forward. AT SNG, trends are spotted, connections are formed and minds are opened. Learn more and register to attend.

We hope to see you there!