A secure democratic Net is a fundamental right

The problem with this kind of events is that they are sales events and not security-events. If you are new to the sector that you will be impressed with the concentration of all those solutions under one roof and you can shop around (and lots of vendors trying to sell their stuff). If you have seen this all before you use this event to see your friends (it is sometimes more a buddy event) you select some speeches (mostly too many salestalk) and you go to your product vendors or representatives to give them some feedback about what you are missing in their products are what you can be expecting as upgrades in the coming year or new products.

The hidden easter egg is the Microsoft 1 gig USB stick they call vitamins with their virtualisation software on it. I honestly don't understand why they are setting a stand about Microsoft home server on an event like that. I can think about a hundred other excellent Microsoft products that could be showcased here and a 100 courses and free Microsoft tools that could have been put on that stick. That would have been a real security vitamin.

Another thought is that this security event about IT is a missed opportunity. Next to it was an event about physical security. I do not believe those are seperated, those should be integrated. I know this is an American point of view but it is the best way to treat security, to take for example the reception, badge use and camera and physical door access as one problem.

It stays an essential event - only because of all the media hype about ITsecurity - in the month leading up to it but the presence of some firms is more a standing situation (big stands, some papers, not much free stuff and mostly lookalikes)

See you next year,