Today, I’m excited to introduce a different kind of security event, one that will shake up the conventional (and let’s face it: sometimes boring) approach of industry conferences. Versus isn’t about pitching products or preaching to the choir. And, it’s not a litany of staid, hour-long presentations and panels.
Instead, Versus challenges this together old formula, combining some of the world’s brightest minds in cybersecurity, cryptography, policy, and technology leadership into an immersive event that will not only challenge their own thinking, but challenge the status quo.
This is the magic of Versus.
Not your average security conference, Versus is a one-day event focused on challenging what you think you know about cybersecurity, technology, and doing business in today’s highly collaborative and digital world. The format is short, powerful 15-minute quick-fire presentations (we’re inspired by the amazing TED Talks) and fierce debates on 2016’s hottest topics in security, including encryption backdoors, security vs. collaboration, hackers vs. insider threats, and much more. Taking place November 17th at the Terra Gallery in San Francisco, attendees and speakers will also be entertained with live music, comedic, and artistic guests to keep the day both interesting and fun.
Let’s talk speakers.
I can’t share the full line up just yet, but I’m excited to unveil a few of our headlining speakers who will be flipping old conversations through compelling arguments and unconventional perspectives for a more secure future. Bringing together voices from all industries in a variety of thought-provoking discussions, here are a few headlining speakers that will shake things up on stage.
Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cindy Cohn, & Dan Rosenthal of Kroll Institute – Discussing one of 2016’s most controversial debates, Apple vs. FBI encryption, former Intelligence Agency employee, Dan Rosenthal will share the stage with Cindy Cohn, Executive Director of the EFF debating Encryption: Tool of Terror vs. Tool of Liberation?
Chief Trust Officer at Dropbox, Patrick Heim – Versus will be welcoming Patrick Heim to the stage as he discusses the ongoing debate of Security vs Collaboration: Do you have to choose?
CEO and founder of Hearsay Social, Clara Shih – A true social media pioneer, Clara will captivate speakers and attendees in her session, Security, Privacy, and Confidentiality in the Social Media Age
General Manager of Cybersecurity at GE Healthcare, Richard Seiersen – In this standalone session, Richard will discuss Risky Business: Can we really measure cyber risk?
Yousuf Khan, VP of IT at Pure Storage – With deep expertise scaling systems and processes, Yousuf brings a unique perspective to his talk, Nothing is Sacred in IT: Challenge Everything You Know
With more speakers to join our lineup over the next few weeks, stay tuned as we announce who else will be speaking at Versus.
Are you ready to challenge what you know?
Registration is open today, which means the countdown to Versus has officially begun! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing updates on speakers, session topics, and experiences you can look forward to at this year’s conference. Get important updates and announcements by following VERA on Twitter (@VeraSecurity) using the hashtag #Versus16.
If you’re ready to make unexpected connections, take part in powerful and thought-provoking conversations, then register for Versus today. We can’t wait for you to join us in San Francisco!