Data loss prevention will be the themeof the
RSA
Conference Europe 2008taking place in London next week.
UK
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas is one of seven keynote
speakers at the event to be held at ExCel London from 27 to 29
October.
Linda Lynch, RSA Conference Europe manager, said the information
commissioner will be talking about his role and the role of his
office.
"He will also be looking at what can be learned from the
mistakes that have led to all the recent high-profile data losses
across the UK's public and private sectors," she said.
Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, UK shadow security minister,
will focus on the practical and political issues involved in
developing a national security agenda.
Continuing the data security theme, panellists from the European
Commission, security suppliers and legal firms will discuss changes
to European data security regulations, which include proposals for
new obligations to report breaches of personal data.
One of the 70 breakout sessions will look at how the cost of a
data breach is quantified, as well as the trends and strategies
that are emerging to prevent data loss.
Another theme will be the increasing sophistication and
organisation of the security threat.
"We are hearing more and more about espionage, cyberwar and new
phishing methods," said Lynch.
There will be sessions about why the espionage factor should be
part of your organisation's security equation, the evolving threat
landscape, the state of spyware, and the changing economics of
attack and defence.
"There is a lot of buzz around
software and security as-a-service, so there will be sessions
looking at the risk and rewards of this business model," said
Lynch.
Virtualisation is another hot topic, she said. "Several sessions
will be covering security concerns around virtualisation, which are
hindering deployment even though the technology is showing
compelling returns on investment."
Lynch said there is also a strong governance track, including a
session on tackling cybercrime and protecting the critical
information infrastructure.