RSA(R) Conference 2004 Opens in San Francisco With Keynote Speaker Bill Gates - Expected Conference Attendance Over 10,000
February 24 2004 - 8:50PM
PR Newswire (US)
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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