Cybersecurity Event Offers Learning Opportunities for State and Local Governments, IT Professionals, Business Managers, Educators, and More; FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia Whose Company Discovered the Solar Winds Hack Will Deliver Keynote Address
Monday, May 10, 2021
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) today announced that registration is open for the 23rd Annual New York State Cybersecurity Conference. The conference, which takes place on June 8-9, 2021, virtually, is focused on boosting cybersecurity awareness and empowering state and local governments, academia, organizations, and individuals to take better control of their digital security. The premiere cybersecurity conference in the Northeastern U.S. is free to government and public sector employees, as well as students.
"It is more important than ever that we are prepared for and can quickly respond to today's ever-growing and ever-evolving cyber challenges," said New York State Chief Information Officer Anthony 'Tony' Riddick. "New York State will continue to be a leader in cybersecurity by doing all we can to enhance protection and mitigate risk. The first step is getting the word out and ensuring that state and local governments, and other entities throughout the state, have the tools they need to protect themselves. I thank our CISO Karen Sorady and her entire team for the extraordinary work they are doing to put on this event and for making cybersecurity a priority all throughout New York."
The event, which spans two days, is hosted by NYS ITS, the University at Albany's School of Business, and The New York State Forum, Inc. More than 40 sessions led by subject matter experts in both government and commercial sectors will be offered. Kevin Mandia, Chief Executive Officer, and Board Director of FireEye, whose company discovered the Solar Winds hack last December, will deliver the opening day keynote address.
"Cybersecurity awareness and education is still our most strategic defense to evolving cyber threats," said New York State Chief Information Security Officer Karen Sorady. "The Annual Conference allows government, the private sector and the community to discuss the latest intelligence and mitigation strategies with industry leaders while collaboratively working towards cyber resilience for the State of New York."
The New York State Cybersecurity Conference is another measure undertaken by New York to improve the State's cybersecurity posture. The annual Cybersecurity Conference brings attention to these important cyber initiatives by calling for active participation from individuals and organizations from across the State.
"This past year has shown us just how important technology is in keeping our government and our economy running," Mario J. Musolino, Executive Director, NYS Forum, Inc. said. "The wide distribution of technology allowed many of us to keep serving the people of the state while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this innovation came great challenges in securing our systems and protecting data from cyber criminals' intent on exploiting the new work environment. The topic of Cyber Security could not be more important--or more timely. For over 20 years, this conference has provided critical knowledge to help us understand and address the cybersecurity challenges confronting us all. The New York State Forum is happy to once again work with ITS and all of our partners to share this vital information."
"The collaboration between the University at the Albany and New York State spans two decades," Dr. Sanjay Goel, School of Business at the University at Albany, said. "The New York State Cybersecurity Conference and the Annual Symposium in Information Assurance share the goal of protecting the state from cyberattacks. The interaction between researchers and practitioners through this joint event helps ground research in practical relevance and advises attendees on the latest developments in the field of cyber security. Reliance on the Internet is now more than it has ever been, and threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated. We hope to continue to inform and educate our attendees for a long time into the future."
For more information, and to register for the 23rd Annual New York State Cybersecurity Conference, visit the conference website at https://its.ny.gov/2021-nyscsc. For highlights of the event, follow us on Twitter @NYSITS.
For more information, visit https://its.ny.gov and follow us on Twitter @nysits.
About ITS
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was created in 2012 to transform IT services in an effort to make New York State government work smarter for its citizens and enable the state to be accessible for businesses through the use of technology. ITS provides statewide IT strategic direction, directs IT policy and delivers centralized IT products and services that support the mission of the State. ITS operates data centers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support statewide mission-critical applications for over 50 Agencies, over 17 million citizen accounts, 120,000 employee accounts, 60,000 phones, 99,000 desktops and laptops, and 3,433 Virtual Desktop remote connections. ITS operates a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber to deliver telecommunications, Internet and Intranet services, enterprise email systems and support, IT training, networking, data storage and processing to State government entities in addition to developing new services in support of citizens, businesses and State Agencies.
For more information, visit https://its.ny.gov and follow us on Twitter @nysits.
Contact Information: Alicia Biggs [email protected]
