22 Apr FutureCon Cybersecurity Conference Off The New Jersey Turnpike
Cybersecurity executives, vendors, and practitioners gather in Princeton, N.J.
– Steven T. Kroll
Northport, N.Y. – April 22, 2019
It’s not often that a three-month-old gets to play defense in the big leagues, which is exactly what I did at the FutureCon conference, held this past week in Princeton, New Jersey, at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village.
With three months’ experience in the field, I networked with some top contenders — CEOs and CISOs, entrepreneurs and government officials — in cybersecurity.
Many of the attendees affirmed that FutureCon stands out among the best cybersecurity events. Bob Schiff, CEO of Cyberlitica, said, “FutureCon is a conference where you can actually get things done. You can meet vendors, not 20,000 people but a few hundred people. It’s a much better way to show your products, to do networking, and get a better understanding of what’s going on in the marketplace today.”
The keynote speaker, Scott Schober, president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, explained why cybersecurity is everybody’s business, which is something I believe we all can agree with. Schober provided practical tips for cyber hygiene in our daily lives such as putting a different birth date on every social media site, lying on every security challenge question, and never connecting to public WiFi. These multiple layers of defense ensure that your online identity is safe from cyber thieves.
In addition to the keynote presentation, Schober moderated a panel on the dark web, insider threats, and cyber resilience. “That collaboration allows us to fight back against cybercrime. I think if everybody’s an island and doesn’t share information, you can’t win,” Schober said. “FutureCon is doing a great job — it’s the education side, sharing tips, sharing best practices.”
Covering the conference as a reporter for Cybercrime Magazine put me in touch with a lot of important people. One five-minute interview lasted well beyond the conference’s end. I said goodbye to Schiff as I was leaving for the day. It turned out that we were both heading to Manhattan — and he needed a lift. So, we spent two hours on the ride home and made it our business to talk cybersecurity. His company eased the stress of driving in the heavy New York traffic.
FutureCon was the first cybersecurity conference that I attended, and it was an excellent expo of the latest trends and thought leadership, thanks to the efforts of Kim Hakim, founder of FutureCon, and a highly respected U.S. Navy veteran turned infosecurity entrepreneur.
Next up is Washington, DC on April 24 and Houston, TX on May 15. The cybersecurity conferences will be held in 24 cities throughout 2019.
– Steven T. Kroll is a public relations specialist and staff writer at Cybercrime Magazine.
