Schmidt, Elder confirmed as SC World Congress keynotes

Two of the nation's most prominent and accomplished cybersecurity thinkers are now confirmed to speak Nov. 11 at SC World Congress Data Security Conference and Expo in New York.

Howard Schmidt, special assistant to the president and White House cybersecurity coordinator, and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Elder are set to delver separate keynotes on the conference's final day, it was announced Friday.

In his talk, Schmidt, who was appointed to his current position last December, will offer a progress overview of the nation's cybersecurity efforts and discuss future plans around implementing the president's strategy. Among other topics, Schmidt, the former CEO of the Information Security Forum and CISO at eBay and Microsoft, also will focus on the private sector's role in keeping the nation's critical infrastructure protected.

Elder, meanwhile, will provide perspective on the debate surrounding offensive versus defensive security strategies. Specifically, Elder, who currently conducts research around cyber enterprise resiliency at George Mason University, will offer best practices that private and public organizations can leverage when deciding between aggressive and more passive tactics.

“This year's conference boasts the top security leaders of our time, bestowing insight and real-world experience to those attendees serious about improving security,” said Illena Armstrong, editor-in-chief of SC Magazine. “Our highly revered security event continues to attract top talent and the addition of Howard Schmidt and Lt. General Elder delivers on our promise to provide cutting-edge sessions for security professionals from every industry. I am personally very excited to attend and hear all that our speakers have to offer.”

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