BOSTON — The RSA Conference 2020 kicks off in San Francisco on Monday, February 24th, and Massachusetts will be well represented at the conference, which brings together approximately 45,000 attendees and over 700 vendors from around the world.
As part of this year’s conference, MassCyberCenter Director Stephanie Helm will participate in the RSA Public Sector Day at RSAC 2020, appearing with other state and local leaders from around the country. Helm’s panel will focus on “Cyber Security as a Public Service,” where she will highlight how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is helping cities and towns stay ‘cyber resilient’ against emerging digital threats.
“Attending RSAC will allow us to showcase the best that Massachusetts has to offer when it comes to cybersecurity – top talent, unparalleled research centers, and collaboration among the public and private-sector leaders in the state,” said Stephanie Helm, Director of the MassCyberCenter. “Our top thought leaders, CEOs, and researchers will be presenting throughout the week, showcasing the global leadership in cybersecurity that is based here in Massachusetts.”
The MassCyberCenter and cybersecurity leaders from across the state will host the 2020 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Reception on the evening of Tuesday, February 25th. The event will take place in parallel to the main conference, which will allow Massachusetts attendees and guests from around the world to learn more about the Commonwealth’s high concentration of cybersecurity professionals, the cyber talent pipeline that exists across the state, and the leading R&D centers, universities, startups, and investors that call Massachusetts home.
“The Massachusetts tech and innovation economy is built around strong collaborations and the same can be said in cybersecurity, where we have an extremely strong foundation of companies, cutting-edge researchers, and a talent pool that is second to none,” said Carolyn Kirk, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the parent agency of the MassCyberCenter. “Cybersecurity companies from around the U.S. and the world have put down roots here in Massachusetts over the past few years, recognizing the talent and innovation coming out of this ecosystem. RSA provides us the opportunity to engage more companies about why Massachusetts is the best place to grow an information security company.”
There are many Massachusetts-based organizations and members of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Strategy Council participating in RSAC 2020, for example:
- Boston-based Cybereason will host a booth at RSAC’s South Expo featuring their “endpoint protection platform” on the market and their Cyber Defense Platform. Also, their chief security officer Sam Curry will host a featured session on “The Ghost in the Machine: Reconciling AI and Trust in the Connected World,” on Thursday, February 27th, at 9:20 a.m. PT;
- Bedford-based MITRE’s new Engenuity team will host a launch party on Monday evening at ColorBloq in San Francisco, a social space near the RSAC 2020 Conference. The event will allow attendees to meet with Engenuity’s “Board of Directors, the Center for Threat-Informed Defense team, the ATT&CK Evaluations team, and the MITRE experts tackling public challenges in healthcare and 5G.”
- In parallel to RSAC, Boston’s AGC Partners will host their 2020 Information Security & Broader Technology Growth Conference on February 24th and 25th in San Francisco, an event that will bring together 1,400 attendees including CEOs, private equity/venture capital investors, and M&A professionals from public companies.
- In addition to sponsored booths and learning sessions, Boston-based Rapid7 and Lexington’s Mimecast will co-host a breakfast event on Wednesday, February 26th, that will feature their combined presentation on “[s]ecurity orchestration and automation (SOAR)” and how the two companies’ combined offerings can bolster security.
The MassCyberCenter’s outreach at RSAC 2020 builds on the success of the inaugural Massachusetts Cybersecurity Week held in October 2019, which featured events statewide focused on growing the economy and driving cyber resiliency for the Commonwealth’s municipalities, businesses, and residents. The Week’s marquee event was the 3rd Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum keynoted by Governor Charlie Baker, Rapid7 CEO Corey Thomas, and Christopher Krebs, director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The MassCyberCenter was launched in 2017 by Governor Baker and is led by director Stephanie Helm and steered by the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Strategy Council, an economic development advisory board made up of leaders from the private and public sectors. Appointed as director in September 2018, Helm came to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts following a nearly 30 year career as a U.S. Navy officer, bringing expertise developed in senior leadership roles, including as a cryptologic/information warfare officer, and positions where she oversaw long-term program development and time-sensitive operations. During her Navy career, Captain Helm held numerous leadership roles which focused on cyberspace operations and information operations, including as Deputy Division Director, Chief of Naval Operations (N3IO) in Washington, D.C., where she directed development of strategy and policy for Information Operations and Strategic Communication. She also served as the Commanding Officer of Naval Security Group Activity in Norfolk, VA, where she led over 300 sailors, officers, and civilians, and served tours of duty with U.S. Central Command, the National Security Agency, and Naval Security Group commands in California, Italy, and Maine.
For more information on RSAC 2020, visit: https://www.rsaconference.com/usa.
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