RSA(R) Conference 2004 Opens in San Francisco With Keynote Speaker Bill Gates - Expected Conference Attendance Over 10,000 World's Premier Information Security Affair Ignites the Stage With ABC News Chief Congressional Analyst Cokie Roberts, Presentation of the RSA(R) Conference Awards and Musical Performance by the World Classic Rockers SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RSA(R) CONFERENCE -- The 13th annual RSA(R) Conference, the world's leading information security event, opened today at San Francisco's Moscone Center with an estimated thirty percent increase in full conference attendance from 2003. This year's event celebrates the mathematical and cryptographic achievements of the ancient Chinese by assembling an expected 10,000policy makers, security practitioners, industry leaders and academics, 250 vendors and more than 250 members of the press and industry analyst community. Opening ceremonies kicked off with featured keynote speakers Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft; and Cokie Roberts, ABC News Chief Congressional Analyst; and will include dozens of other industry pioneers, government officials and academic luminaries throughout the week. Bill Gates took the stage to deliver his keynote: Advancing Security in an Interconnected World. He shared his perspectives on the role of security as a foundational element for Microsoft's vision of Seamless Computing, where software transcends boundaries, mirrors the way the real world works and functions on behalf of people and under their control. The presentation also highlighted ways to achieve this vision and addressed current challenges and innovations in security, privacy and user control. The presentation concluded with a review of the company's progress and highlight recent advances and new technology directions. Gates' presentation can be accessed online at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/rsa/. ABC News Chief Congressional Correspondent Cokie Roberts provided an overview of present national and political concerns relating to security, as well as the unique role security issues are playing in the current political campaigns. At Monday's welcome reception, attendees listened as The World Classic Rockers ignited the stage byperforming an inspiring rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama," featuring lyrics changed to reflect the distaste for the increase of intrusive spam over the past year. This all-star classic rock band is comprised of past members from Steppenwolf, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Journey and more. Other songs played during the 45-minute set came from their award-winning play list, including classics like "Magic Carpet Ride." "Over the past year information security has climbed to the top of everyone's agenda and it continues to grow in importance for corporate professionals, government officials and security professionals as new trends arise," said Sandra Toms LaPedis, area vice president and general manager of the RSA Conferences. "This is reflected in our solid registration numbers, as well as the high caliber of industry influencers and government officials that make up our keynote and speaker tracks. Throughout the week, speakers will be covering trends and issues that our attendees have identified as top-of-mind, such as identity and access management, viruses, spam, hacking, patch management and privacy." Information security has grown to become a critical issue for both enterprises and individuals. Attendees gain access to more than 200 educational presentations and class sessions throughout the week, and the conference will conclude Friday, February 27th with a presentation by P.J. O'Rourke, best-selling author and leading political satirist. Other highlights include: Executive SecurityAction Forum The Executive Security Action Forum held its 2004 inaugural meeting yesterday, prior to the start of RSA Conference 2004. The Forum is a continuous, independent commission that includes key business and government security policy and technology implementers -- as well as security industry executives. Members of the Forum include CIOs and CISOs from Fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America, eBay, Ford, Microsoft, Motorola, Pepsico, Safeway, Wachovia and Washington Mutual. Federal government participants were also present, including the CIOs of the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Treasury. During the forum, executives discussed ideas to improve information security in the private and public sectors. Other topics addressed included the structure of the secure business organization, compliance and regulation, security in action, technology tools and landscape, securing the supply chain and connecting business, government and technology. This forum commenced on Monday, February 23rd. Cryptographers' Panel Bruce Schneier, author and chief technology officer, Counterpane Internet Security, will moderate this year's cryptographers' panel, which will explore the government's national security strategy, the latest security products from the conference expo and the most recent cryptographic developments from the academic world. Other participants include: Dr. Whitfield Diffie, Sun Microsystems; Paul Kocher, Cryptography Research; Professor Ronald Rivest, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science; and Professor Adi Shamir, Weizmann Institute. This panel is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24 at 11:00 a.m. Sponsors, Registration and Attendance Attendees can participate in more than 200 class sessions on solutions and best practices. They will also gain access to the largest information security exposition, including more than 250 vendors covering approximately 140,000 square feet. Sponsors of the 2004 RSA Conference include, Platinum Sponsors: Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, RSA Security, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, TippingPoint and VeriSign; and Gold Sponsors: Shavlik Technologies and Verdasys. Full Conference fees include access to all four days of general sessions and class tracks, exhibits, evening receptions and giveaways. Qualified members of the media receive complimentary admission with advance registration. For more information about RSA Conference 2004 or to register, visit the web site at http://www.rsaconference.com/ or call 1-866-518-2076. About the RSA Conference Now in its 13th year, the RSA Conference brings together decision-makers and influencers from all major markets, including consumer, education, financial, government, computer networking, telecommunications, Wall Street and the media for one of the industry's premier e-security and cryptography events. Later in the year, RSA Conference 2004 continues in Japan and in Europe. For more information, visit http://www.rsaconference.com/. RSA is a registered trademark or trademark of RSA Security Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other products and services mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies. Media Contact: Sponsor & Exhibit Contact: Tamara Burnett Wendy Anderson McGrath Power Nth Degree 408.727.0351 978-579-2042 DATASOURCE: RSA Security Inc. CONTACT: Media: Tamara Burnett of McGrath Power, +1-408-727-0351, ; Sponsor & Exhibit: Wendy Anderson of Nth Degree, +1-978-579-2042, Web site: http://www.rsaconference.com/ http://www.rsasecurity.com/

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