SANS Institute

Special Events

SANS Security West 2008 Registration "Popcorn" Reception
- Saturday, May 10th * 5:00pm-7:00pm
- Elizabeth Foyer

Not to be missed! SANS Security West hosts a fun, casual evening for all attendees to get to know one another informally while enjoying a beverage of your choice.

Welcome to SANS GENERAL SESSION!
w/ Dr. Eric Cole
- Sunday, May 11th * 8:15am - 8:45am
- Elizabeth H

12 Laws of Power in IT Security
- Stephen Northcutt, President, STI
- Sunday, May 11, 2008 * 8pm - 9pm

Whether you want to be the next CEO or don't want to be a manager at all, every employee wants to be treasured and doesn't want to be pushed around. Stephen Northcutt, CEO, prolific non-fiction writer, SANS Instructor and Security Thought Leader presents the following 12 laws:

• Skill — they can't easily fire you if you are the best
• Language — never speak to management in hex
• The edge — at any given time know what the best selling security book is and memorize it
• Delegation — if you help people learn what you know, they will help you get the work done
• Bet on people and bet large
• Options — be flexible; as long as you have oxygen, power, water and propellant you have options
• Make sure your paycheck is tied to revenue, somehow, someway
• Plan ahead, avoid unplanned requests for funding, SANS or other resources
• Be positive — people cannot stand whining, negative people so don't be one
• Teaming/Networking — no matter how smart you are, someone else knows things you do not
• Push back — if you are following the first ten laws, then don't let them get away with trying to push you around
• Take your shot — when opportunity knocks, be prepared to take advantage of the moment

Hard Problems in IT Security and Creative Solutions
- Panel Discussion
- Dr. Eric Cole, Moderator
- Monday, May 12, 2008 * 7:30 p.m.

The field of cyber security is constantly changing. This change leads to new problems and issues in which there are no apparent easy solutions. To fix many of these problems requires creative solutions and experience to see what works and what does not work. However too often we do not have the time to experiment to figure out these solutions which presents a dilemma - SANS to the rescue. SANS instructors have extensive experience dealing with a variety of problems and pride themselves with creating solutions that are unique, cost effective, work and in many cases pretty darn cool.

This evening panel will feature the SANS instructors talking about hard problems and possible ways to solve them. You will walk away with cost savings tips for being as productive as possible with network security.

Geekonomics: The Real Cost of Insecure Software
- David Rice
- Wednesday, May 14, 2008 * 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Software is becoming the foundation of civilization; yet few, if any industries composing national infrastructures enjoy such little oversight as software production. Despite general agreement on inadequate software development practices and the enormous cost born by individuals and organizations for protecting their systems from exploitation, the software industry enjoys remarkable insulation from liability and regulation. This is a dangerous proposition for national infrastructures. David Rice illuminates the economic impacts of poor quality software and compares regulatory standards among various industries as he challenges software purchasers to demand better quality software so that governments, faced with a popular uprising, will refuse to remain silent on the issue.