For many, it probably seems like there are more menacing threats to the world than the possibility of not being able to see Seth Rogen in The Interview after the Sony break-in. Yet the attention the incident received highlighted the very real and growing threat that information security poses – for businesses, as well as individuals and governments.
Data security, and the customer confidence it engenders, directly enables online business growth.
The VEC is supporting the BSides information security conference in Vancouver for that reason. The two-day, not-for-profit gathering allows information security professionals, hackers, coders and the greater tech community to share, discuss and learn how to keep their data safe – and build products that will allow others to do the same.
Vancouver is now home to booming information security companies from Avigilon, the billion-dollar-plus video surveillance company, to Fortinet, a network security company that was recently named “company of the year.” Vancouver start-ups that came out on top of the Cascadia Summit included Optigo Networks and Control, which create secure building networks and ensure secure online payments respectively, reflecting the interest in this sector and Vancouver’s potential in it.
The independent, community-run BSides conference complements CanSecWest, allowing a broad range of Vancouver businesses access to the knowledge and technology they need to keep their systems safe and customer base growing. Participants will attend workshops, have opportunities to network and see dynamic speakers on topics from Threat Modeling in the Age of Connectivity to Online Privacy and the Needs of Law Enforcement.
Follow the conversation on March 16 and 17 via @BsidesVancouver and https://www.bsidesvancouver.com/.
