Back Together Again! - (ISC)2 Security Congress

What has only been a few days here at Caesar's Palace for the 2022 ISC2 Security Congress, it felt like a week! Now that it's over, there's a sense of sadness after saying goodbye to my (ISC)2 family until the next event. I will admit I was not keen on this year's conference being in Las Vegas since there are two other major security conferences here each year, but it's not the space that matters, it is the people, the sessions, and the networking. It was a good four days. It was interesting to see the newly renovated (ISC)2 family since 2019; some things are still the same, and some have changed. A new leadership team with Clar Rosso as CEO was front and center, walking around for all members to chat and take pictures. It was great to meet in person Tara Wisniewski , Holly Schneider Brown , Alisha Wenc , Cheryl Williams Chad Kliewer , and I apologize as I'm probably forgetting some others I met for the first time. Still, I look forward to continued growth and events with them all.

It was wonderful to catch up with the (ISC)2 folks, whom I've known for many years and who continue to support my (ISC)2 endeavors with the Central Florida chapter, the Center for CyberSafety & Education, and of course, being a member. People like Lara Funaro Cook, DES , Kaity Pursino , Tammy Muhtadi , Michelle Nold , Stacy Mantzaris , Elizabeth Paredes , Jayda Shriver , and Ciera L. have not only supported my growth with (ISC)2 but have been wonderful friends over the years!

I had the opportunity to connect in person with Ken Fishkin, CISSP, CIPP/US for the first time as I've watched him grow the ISC2 New Jersey Chapter , and glad to see it doing so well! Especially as this years recipient of the North American Chapter Recognition.

It was fantastic to meet new colleagues like Sharon Pole , who also moderates the (ISC)2 webinar series (which is an excellent resource for information and CPEs... just saying) and Laura Byrd , who liked my Dell dad joke!

After two years of virtual events, catching up with (ISC)2 friends from previous events, like Brett W. , James P. , Robert Ryba , Jessica Archer , Lisa Vaughan , A. Spencer Wilcox , Brandon Dunlap , Andrew Smeaton , and Joseph Carson , was long overdue. I know we will be crossing paths again down the road, on a podcast, chapter meeting, another conference, or all three! A big shoutout to Shawn Harris for being the receipent of this years (ISC)2 Senior Professional of the Year.

I had the privilege of presenting twice at the Security Congress. First was a solo presentation on the Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Cybersecurity programs. This presentation's basis was from a previous collaboration with Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos (PhD) . I learned so much about these topics from her, and I knew it was worth sharing with this audience and adding my flair of "edutainment" to it. I presented on where technology has come over the past four hundred years, what's happening now with technologies like Quantum, AI, IoT, and Blockchain, and what we can expect in the future.

One of the week's highlight was collaborating with my good friend Michael F. Angelo as we presented on the topic of "Mentalism, Magic, and Cybersecurity". We examined how mentalism is utilized within social engineering and how it's worked its way into technology with phishing, SMSishing, and vishing. It was a lot of fun working on this presentation and delivering it to a packed room as they enjoyed the content, the dad jokes and magic tricks! Michael and I brought our wives with us on the trip, so while we were working, they enjoyed the sites and sounds of Las Vegas.

Check out the recap video at the top as there are images of friends, sessions and videos of both of my audiences cheering for me as I started the presentations.

It was a wonderful time here at (ISC)2 Security Congress and I put together a fun recap video of my time. Thanks to all who made the (ISC)2 Security Congress a success, I know it was no easy feat, and I look forward to Nashville next year!

Now to continue with Cybersecurity Awareness Month, with more presentations and events to attend!

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