As day one of MDC3 is winding down and I wanted to take an opportunity to give a quick review of my experience.
The opening/welcome remarks from US Senator, the Honorable Ben Cardin and Governor Martin O’Maley reiterated the desire for making Maryland the epicenter for cyber security. It was interesting getting their perspective and to hear their plans – most specifically the focus on helping start-ups. While it at times sounded a little like a cheerleader, it did make up for the morning video (scenes from War Games and Hackers strung together).
The breakout sessions I attended: The Business of Cybersecurity, The Evolution of the CISO – Distinct or Extinct, Building a Secure Cloud, and Cyber Innovation were led by highly knowledgeable panels which is good to see. There were some scheduling issues, breakouts running longer or shorter than expected – something to be expected for a first time conference and easy to fix (as they did).
The networking opportunities with the exhibitors was especially interesting as many of them, along with the traditional booth attendees, had recruiters available. A key point that perhaps they should have promoted more to those that be looking for new opportunities.