The Cyber Security for Critical Assets USA Summit returns to Houston bringing 250+ IT & OT security leaders asset owners from across US critical infrastructure, for 2-days of in-depth knowledge exchange, strategy planning and insight building on March 28th-29th.
The overarching theme for the 2023 edition is ‘Shoring up U.S. Critical Infrastructure Security to Achieve Holistic Maturity’, will be explored through a wide array of panel discussions, roundtables and case studies. The conference agenda boasts two dedicated streams, allowing delegates to hone in on their specialist areas of interest, as well as plenary sessions that bind both groups of professionals.
Catch Jake Margolis, CISO at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Joseph Lee Ortiz, Instrumentation & Control Technician Specialist at LCRA; and John Childers, Director of Information Security at Essential Utilities Inc. discussing the OT threat landscape, reviewing 5 weak points we need to address when securing their connected IT/OT networks and how to improve incident response capabilities.
Brian Harrell, CISO at Avangrid will be shedding light on creating a culture of security within Avangrid, and how they are transforming employees, from a weak link in the defensive chain to a first line of defence against cyber threats.
Shaun Boggs, Director, IT and Cybersecurity at Key Capture Energy will address security concerns deriving from the introduction of new technologies into the OT environment and how security can be ensured in practice.
Keen on learning how to build a robust OT cybersecurity program? Dennis Hackney, Senior OT Cybersecurity Engineer at Chevron; Anthony Souza, Director of Cybersecurity at CenterPoint Energy; Charles Salas, Technical Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection at Amtrak; and Brad Wynes, Supervisor-OT Cybersecurity at City Utilities of Springfield will be sharing their first-hand experience and actionable insights to help guide you in the process.
Moreover, attendees will have the opportunity to get involved directly and be part of the conversation over a set of roundtable discussions centered around specific topics, such as: how to Implement unified security monitoring and governance across IT, IoT, and OT, overcoming common challenges in OT vulnerability management, lessons learned from implementing TSA security directives, business continuity management and recovery mechanisms to reduce outages and keep critical services operational… Each working group is limited to ten participants, who will engage in a hands-on conversation facilitated by an expert.
Informal networking sessions will also provide a platform to make new connections, catch up with fellow security leaders and forge new partnerships.
We caught up with Ted Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO from SecurityGate.io, the summit’s official sponsor, to ask him a couple of questions:
Q: Let’s take a look at the OT security threat landscape in early 2023: What are we witnessing?
A: There’s no surprise that the threats continue to evolve as we all expected. The challenge I see affecting the industry landscape is “what do we do now?” We have data, vulnerabilities, and more capable products than ever before, but is that enough? I hypothesize 2023 will be a significant year for cyber budget evolution across the critical infrastructure cyberspace.
Q: Based on your answer, what would you identify as the 3 key priorities for CI industries this year?
A: Simply put, I encourage asset owners to rethink their approach to people, process, and technology.
Q: What are your recommendations for achieving holistic maturity? Can you share a success story of one of your clients who have embarked on this journey?
A: Of course! But you’ll have to attend the conference to hear/see.
Q: As the conference’s official sponsor, what are you going to be addressing in your talk this year?
A: I’m going to offer a fresh perspective on the business of cyber. We’ll tie together macroeconomic trends, recent investments in the ICS space, insights from customer engagements, and outline the unique opportunity we must accelerate improvement of cyber programs across the globe.
Q: What can people expect from CS4CA?
A: In my opinion, there’s no better place that pulls together asset owners to focus efforts on meaningful collaboration. I expect great collaboration, networking, and learnings from the best talent in the industry.
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Don’t miss out! To join us in Houston, register here with code USA-VIP to redeem a limited complimentary pass* and connect, learn and collaborate towards cyber resilience for America’s critical industries.
*asset owners / operators of critical infrastructure only. No vendors or consultants.
