Working to Build Better Defenses

SEBASTOPOL, CA--(Marketwired - August 25, 2016) - The inaugural O'Reilly Security Conference concentrates on building better defenses Oct. 31-Nov. 2 in New York City. Not intended as another hackerfest, this new conference brings defenders with a common purpose together, providing a forum for sharing concrete solutions. Security Conference invites in-the-trenches practitioners from a wide range of industries and companies of every size to join real conversations about their work as protectors.

Chairs Allison Miller and Courtney Nash have created a program focused on the people working on the front lines to build better defenses for business and government security. Featured speakers include:

• Heather Adkins (Google), a founding member of the Google Security Team
• Rebecca "Becky" Bace (CFITS), Chief Strategist for the Center for Forensics, Information Technology, and Security at the University of South Alabama
• Cory Doctorow (EFF), science fiction novelist, blogger, and technology activist
• Michael Walker (DARPA), program manager and researcher interested in machine reasoning about software in situ and the automation of application security lifecycles
• Suzanne "Zan" Vautrinot (Major General U.S. Air Force, Retired), Cybersecurity expert, motivational leader, speaker, and change agent
• James Arlen (Securosis), Director of Risk Advisory Services at Leviathan
• Macy Cronkite (Splunk), Enterprise Systems Architect
• Jessy Irwin (AgileBits), privacy and security education advocate
• Jay Jacobs (BitSight Technologies), Senior Data Scientist, author

Security Conference also introduces the first Annual O'Reilly Defender Awards to recognize and honor protectors for their exceptional leadership, creativity, and collaboration. The community is invited to nominate those who have made a difference in defensive security, with nominations open until September 25, 2016. The honorees will receive their awards at the event.

Advance registration prices apply until September 22, and a limited number of media passes remain available. For more information or to request an interview, contact maureen@oreilly.com and follow #OReillySecurity for more news and ideas.

The O'Reilly Security Conference in Europe also debuts in Amsterdam November 9-11, with a program designed to arm infosec practitioners with pragmatic tools, techniques, and know-how for building better defenses. Best prices for registration remain available until August 26, 2016.