The 7th Annual GFIRST National Conference began yesterday at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel &
Convention Center here in Nashville. The conference isAugust 7th thru 12th, and features top
information security professionals and government officials.

What is GFIRST?
GFIRST (Government Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) is a group of technical and tactical
practitioners from incident response and security response teams responsible for securing government
information technology systems and providing private sector support. GFIRST members work together to
understand and handle computer security incidents and to encourage proactive and preventative security
practices across government agencies. GFIRST promotes cooperation among the full range of Federal, State
and local agencies, including defense, civilian, intelligence, and law enforcement.

The conference is FREE to attend. We would love to hear your thoughts on the Conference if you attended
this week. Email jhill@technologycouncil.com if you have news from the event that would like to share.

If you are interested in GFIRST, don’t forget to register for InfoSec 2011…The Southeast’s leading security
conference now in it’s 11th year. InfoSec brings technologists and security professionals for a full day of
exciting speakers and networking opportunities.

On Wednesday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a Cyber Security Briefing with the FBI.  The types of attacks are not new, but the frequency and boldness of the attacks is increasing on US Companies.  You need to be prepared.  The first step of being prepared is to get to know your local FBI Office in advance of any threats.  This will help both sides tremendously down the road.

The Department of Defense relies on an enormous system of networks with 7 million computing devices and 15,000 networks in dozens of countries.  These networks support the US’s military intelligence and business operations.

As reported by William Lynn in a story carried by Mashable, the deputy secretary of defense announced this week that Cyber Crime is on the rise.  Not only is it affecting millions of private citizens, it is creeping into the Board Room as one of the major issues of the day.  The US Government has been under pressure to come up with solutions and a plan.  This can not be achieved unless we work hand in hand with our local FBI Cyber Crime division lead by Scott Augenbaum.  The reporting of data loss and theft is rising by companies each day and the FBI can help you ready your systems for an attack.

A lot of the advice given this week is common sense, but a lot of companies are not putting these practical protocols into place.  In addition, there are some consumer best practices that can used to make you less vulnerable to cyber theft.  Use a separate and dedicated Mac for online banking.  This is due to the amount of “spear fishing” and viruses that is occurring through the use of Facebook.  Create separate passwords for banking transactions than you use for iTunes, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.

Source: Department of Defense, FBI

This week, the NASHHIRE Job Board Spotlight is on Network Administration/Security positions. We have quite a few Nashville Technology Council members who are looking for qualified applicants, and we know there are lots of you out there. Please feel free to pass these job listings to others and encourage them to sign up for our NASHHIRE text messages.

Text “nashhire” to 90210 and you will get weekly job updates right to your phone. You can also follow us on twitter (@NashHire) or “like” us on facebook!

Verizon:
Security Sales Architect

HCA:
Web Administrator

System Administrator Manager

Systems Administrator II

Microsoft:
Technology Solutions Professional – Datacenter

EMMA:
Network and Systems Administrator

Zycron:
HPF System Admin

Teknetex:
Network Administrator

Asurion:
Sr. SAN Administrator

Griffin:
Junior System Administrator

Bass, Berry & Sims:
Systems Administrator

It’s always good to have some reminders to stay vigilant and be smart. If you are interested in learning more about Information Security, you should check out InfoSec 2011. Register here.

Winn Schwartau is an expert on security, privacy, infowar, cyber-terrorism and related topics . He is known not only for his trademark mustache and appearances at Defcon but also his provocative and original ideas that make audiences think, wonder and understand highly technical security subjects. He has written more than a dozen works on security topics. In other words, Schwartau attempts to make the importance of information security accessible to the average person. In 2002, he was honored as a “Power Thinker” and one of the 50 most powerful people in networking by Network World. In 2008, he was voted one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Security Industry by Security Magazine.  For more information on Winn, please visit here.

On September 14, 2010, The Nashville Technology Council and Middle Tennessee Chapter of Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) will host over 400 attendees and two-dozen locally and nationally recognized speakers.

InfoSec offers two industry-recognized keynote speakers, panel discussions and multiple breakout sessions focusing on technical and management issues, as well as healthcare and other industry regulations in the security industry. The Southeast’s leading security conference now in it’s tenth year. InfoSec brings technologists and security professionals for a full day of exciting speakers and networking opportunities.

Register today!

Gordon Bennett
Enterprise Mobile Solutions Strategist
Microsoft Corporation

Gordon is a 17+ year veteran at Microsoft and currently is responsible for evangelizing Microsoft’s Windows Mobile strategy for enterprise customers which now includes the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7 Series.

Previous to his current role, Gordon has held numerous roles at Microsoft including: Windows Server Security & Management Team Manager, Business Productivity Team Manager, Application Platform Team Manager, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) Practice Manager, MCS Managing Consultant, Account Executive and Messaging Specialist.    Gordon began his career at Microsoft in May of 1992.

Gordon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Southeast Missouri State University with a Major in Marketing Management and Minor in Information Systems.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Gordon worked for Software Solutions Unlimited, Inc. as a Product/Program manager in Albuquerque, NM and Houston, TX; Wang Laboratories, Inc. as a Marketing Representative in Salt Lake City, UT; and with Automation Services Company as a Networking Consultant in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Gordon and his family currently reside in the Nashville, TN area.

Nashville Tech Story (3/16/10)

Healthcare IT workers are among the biggest users of smart phones and other mobile technology, but addressing the security needs of such devices remains a critical concern, according to a survey released today by Forrester Consulting.

The study, titled “Managing and Securing Mobile Healthcare Data and Devices,” found that 95 percent of healthcare enterprises relying on smartphones for work, making the industry one of the most mobile across all verticals.

But Forrester also found that 90 percent of the IT leaders queried felt data security on such technologies was of high or critical importance, and 86 percent cited regulatory compliance as a concern. Further, more than half of the respondents indicated the need for a tool that can poll for device encryption, and more than a third voiced a desire for a solution that could produce policy violation alerts.


“There’s good reason for these IT pros to be concerned,” read the study, in which 31 percent of respondents reported that their data has been compromised at least once in the previous year. “As close to 100 percent of healthcare organizations take on devices such as smart phones, adding to the desktops and laptops already in place, there isn’t uniform control across the varying types of devices users rely on.”


Source: Healthcare IT News

Nashville Tech Story (2/8/10)

How did last night’s super bowl keep track of 74,000 fans, players and sponsors?  Through high-definition security cameras, a GPS web-based tracking system, and a beefed up network of extra cell towers.  According to CBS Sports, the event featured a host of technological advances this year.

CBS Sports really stepped it up this year in making sure each player got to the right place at the right time. CNN Tech states, “The Super Bowl contracted with Hunter’s US Fleet Tracking to use its real-time GPS tracking system, which uses satellite technology that can ‘ping’ a vehicle’s location every few seconds.”

In order to track the referees’ calls, CBS Sports used six high-speed, high-definition “SuperVision” cameras, which had the ability to shoot 300-400 frames per second, compared to a normal camera’s 60 frames per second.  Not only could fan’s view amazing replays, but they didn’t have any trouble texting, twittering, or sending photos from the game with AT&T’s 3 extra cell towers and Sprint’s $2 million investment in extra towers.

Security was a breeze with the stadiums high-tech scanners that were used to scan each individual as well as packages and purses that entered the stadium.  The stadium also provided bomb removal robots in case of a threat.

Find out more about game day technology here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/05/superbowl.olympic.security/?hpt=Sbin

Nashville Tech Story (11/9/09)

With over 1,000 attendees, this five day conference is the largest educational conference for data center management professionals worldwide.  Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Data Center World hits the Nashville community, March 7th – 11th, at Gaylord Opryland Resort, bringing together a wide spectrum of attendees including CIOs, MIS Directors, Network and Communications managers, Systems Software managers, Facility managers, Disaster Recovery specialists, Security managers, and Operations managers.  

Not only is there the opportunity to network with peers and potential clients from businesses across the nation, there are a number of chances to educate from these individuals as well.  Conference case studies will take you through a real-life data center crisis and teach you the ins and outs of working through the problem.  Choose from 7 different roundtable discussions, which will give you the chance to ask questions to a panel if industry experts.  In addition, you can sign up for a data center tour at Nashville’s very own Dolphini Networks or Vanderbilt University’s ITS Facility.  This event also has optional tutorials, facilities/greening tracks, product information sessions, and industry leading keynote addresses.  

To find out more information on this event, visit http://www.datacenterworld.com/index.html.