Five Top Practitioner-Focused Sessions at ISC West 2024

ISC West 2024 is coming up April 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Security Industry Association (SIA) and ISC West recently revealed full conference details for the SIA Education at ISC West program, including keynote presentations from top luminaries and over 100 sessions from top industry expert speakers on the most current business trends, technologies and industry developments.

Among the robust lineup of conference sessions are several dynamic presentations geared toward security practitioners. At ISC West, you’ll discover expert insights on how the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) impacts security practitioners, creating a system of systems in a global security operations center (GSOC) and more. Here are five sessions you won’t want to miss; make sure to add them to your ISC West calendar!

All Times PDT

Shaking Up Your Physical Security Technology Stack to Reduce Cost and Boost Performance

Tuesday, April 9, 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Every physical security team relies on a set of technologies to achieve their physical security goals, yet too often the technology “stack” that is deployed remains static despite new approaches or solutions that can reduce cost, improve performance or both.  Whether you are a security consultant, security integrator, or end user, having an understanding of the key technologies and how to assess them for cost and performance can guide improvements as well as providing new capabilities. This session will dig into what comprises the technology stack, how it varies across industry and organizational size, and a game plan for how to approach changing and improving it.  Speakers:

• John Gallagher, head, Viakoo Labs
• Lance Holloway, chief technology officer, ESI Convergent
• Stuart Martin, director of advanced services, Securitas Technology
• Maria R. Sumnicht, CEO, OT Governance

From Legacy Systems to Cloud-Based Solutions: End Users’ Journeys in Modernizing Physical Security Infrastructure

Tuesday, April 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

The digital transformation sweeping through the physical security industry has prompted a critical question for practitioners: When and why should they consider moving their security infrastructure, including access control, video management, visitor management, and intrusion detection, to a cloud-based software as a service platform? This session features a panel of industry end users who will share their firsthand experience, focusing on the timing considerations and key benefits associated with migrating physical security infrastructure to the cloud.

Speakers:

• Dennis Dore, director of business resilience, Perkins Coie
• Eric Marcil, deputy chief security officer, Public Prosecution Service of Canada
• Joey St. Jacques, chair, SIA Utilities Advisory Board; member, SIA Executive Advisory Board

A New Era: The Rise of Generative AI and Implications for Security and Risk Management Practitioners

Wednesday, April 10, 8:00-8:45 a.m.

The rise of generative AI has sparked discussions about the benefits and drawbacks in generating dialogue-based text content. While some argue that the technology is still nascent and requires further training to address ethical and intellectual property concerns, others believe it is too early to make definitive judgments – and still others have already begun adoption within the corporate risk and security environment. This session will explore the potential role of generative intelligence in private sector risk intelligence, security and business continuity. 

Speakers:

• Nick Hill, senior risk analyst, global risk and intelligence services, OnSolve
• Chris Hurst, vice president, global risk and intelligence services, OnSolve

Session Sneak Peek:

“As practitioners, Nick Hill and I can’t wait for our session at ISC-West. This session should inspire attendees while exploring the latest and greatest in generative AI capabilities – and you’ll get a chuckle looking at how AI has gone completely off the rails. We’ll give concrete examples on how the best security teams are leveraging this new technology to ‘get it right.’ And we’ll conclude with some forecasts about what this new technology means for our country for democracies in general – and for our roles as practitioners. Note: This session will be interactive – not a typical lecture. Please come prepared to participate. While no prep is needed, we really do want to learn together, with Nick and I facilitating, rather than lecturing. So bring your questions, your doubts and your wins with generative AI. We’re looking forward to meeting in Vegas!”

– Chris Hurst

Risk Assessment in the Age of Intelligence: A Practical Guide for Practitioners

Wednesday, April 10, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

With the dawn of artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning and cognitive automation, understanding of risk assessment couldn’t be more important for security practitioners to ensure their respective businesses that they can assist in managing risk, scale growth, and drive enterprise value. This session will provide practical steps in conducting proper security risk assessments in the digital age and help attendees understand the process of security risk assessment enabling risk-based decision making.

Speakers:

• Bruce Braes, director and head of security consulting, Buro Happold
• Bhavesh Patel, senior director of security operations and technology, Sanofi
• J. Kelly Stewart, president, CEO and founder, Newcastle Consulting

Session Sneak Peek:

“AI-driven risk assessments leverage machine learning algorithms to predict future risks based on historical data patterns. By analyzing past security incidents and compliance breaches, AI can identify trends and vulnerabilities, helping organizations preemptively mitigate risks before they materialize … As AI continues to expand in both capabilities and operations, it has become increasingly important for organizations to conduct regular and comprehensive risk assessments to ensure the safe use of such capabilities while ensuring adherence to global AI regulations to the best of their ability.”

– J. Kelly Stewart

GoDaddy’s Digital Transformation: How We Created a System of Systems in Our GSOC

Thursday, April 11, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

This session will describe GoDaddy’s seven-year transformation from a physical security control room to a digitally transformed, fusion center supporting all aspects of business operations. The GoDaddy team has created a system of systems similar to the military Air Operations Center concept and has a fully functioning, virtual, global security operations center able to be staffed from anywhere in the world. This session will take attendees along the journey of discovery, trial and error and ultimately the current state where GoDaddy’s GSOC supports all aspects of the business while operating with a minimum number of analysts and operators.

Presenter:

• Jason Veiock, senior director, safety, security and resilience, GoDaddy

Session Sneak Peek:

“Point solutions have the ability to create tech-debt and inefficiency. Effective security operations require an integrated, strategic approach powered by digital transformation and artificial intelligence. The goal is not just security but decision advantage.”

– Jason Veiock

You can access the full SIA Education@ISC West conference program by registering for a SIA Education@ISC Passport here. And don’t forget to use SIA’s free registration link to sign up for the ISC West trade show.