Come one, come all …

Hear ye, hear ye! We’re only two weeks away from the can’t-miss event of the year in the security industry – Security Systems News’ virtual SecurityNext conference taking place Feb. 24-25.

While we wish we could all be together in person to network, to learn, to discover the newest and exciting technology in the marketplace, and honor the best and brightest in the security industry, this year’s virtual event will still offer the opportunity to do all of the above over the course of two days.  

This year’s conference is all about “Staying Connected and Informed” during these challenging times, and with the speakers and sessions lined up for you, there is plenty of opportunity to do just that, stay connected and informed as the war against COVID-19 wages on.

Kicking things off on the first day, Feb. 24, is Jumbi Edulbehram, Director, Business Development, IVA/AI-City, NVIDIA Corp., who will deliver the opening keynote address on “Breaking Down the Barriers to Adoption of AI.” During this session, Edulbehram will examine the best ways to knock down the fundamental barriers to greater adoption of AI for creating smarter, safer spaces.

The first of four panel sessions takes place that afternoon, titled “Building a Cyber-Physical Business Model for Security,” featuring U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Simpson, Cyber Operations and Planning Superintendent (40 under 40 winner); Antoinette King, Key Account Manager – End User, Axis Communications; and Min Kyriannis, Managing Director, EMD/JMK, moderated by Andrew Lanning, Co-Founder, Integrated Security Technologies. As cybersecurity and physical security converge, creating both challenges and opportunities within security, the panel will look at the implications of IT taking such a prominent role within security, and what it means from the integrator, consultant, manufacturer and end-user perspective.

Also taking place that afternoon is a remote workforce roundtable on “How to Survive and Thrive During Unpredictable Times,” moderated by Security Systems News Editor Paul Ragusa and joined by panelists Steve Jones, Chairman and CEO, Allied Universal; April Chastain, Director of Operations, Owen Security Solutions (40 under 40 winner); Morgan Wright, Chief Security Advisor, SentinelOne; and Anne Ferguson, Vice President of Marketing, Alarm.com. With COVID-19 disrupting many companies’ plans, the security industry has shown resilience and innovation in the face of these challenging and unpredictable times. The panelists will provide their unique perspective on how to apply what they have learned to your business practices moving forward.

Wrapping up opening day will be the event we’re very proud to host – the Security Systems News “40 under 40” and Security Legends Award Reception. On this festive evening, we will honor and celebrate the 2020 40 under 40 award winners, made up of prominent young security leaders from the integrator, consultant and end-user classes, as well as present Jim Coleman with the Security Legend Award. Not only will you get a chance to see the faces of other attendees, but also have the opportunity to toast some of the security industry’s best and brightest!

DAY TWO

On the conference’s second day, Antoinette King, Key Account Manager, Axis Communications, will deliver the keynote address on “Making Sense of the Cyber-Physical Convergence.” As physical security continues to run in networked environments, the legacy notion of operating in a vacuum is no longer acceptable, as security professionals need to take a holistic approach to protect assets that include both physical and cybersecurity measures. King will demonstrate how physical and cybersecurity converge and ultimately encompass one overarching security program.

We are bringing back one of the most popular sessions from last year’s SecurityNext with the 40 under 40 All-Star edition of “What End Users Want.” This end user “mega panel” features 40 under 40 winners and is moderated by Class of 2020 40 under 40 Winner Kathryn Bartunek, Senior Program Manager, AECOM, who works hand-in-hand with end users on multi-million-dollar projects daily. Hear firsthand what end users want, and their forecast for technology and business moving forward. Panelists for this must-see session are Dan Schmelzer, Director, Physical Security Technology, Global Security, CardinalHealth (40 under 40 2020); Billy Langenstein, Director, Security Services and Investigation, NFL (40 under 40 2016); Travis May, Director of Learning Technology & Innovation (40 under 40 2019); and Greg Thompson, Director, Physical Security, Vantage Data Centers (40 under 40 2020).

A technology panel on “The Power of AI in Security” rounds out the SecurityNext slate. The panel features Kasia Hanson, Global Director, Edge AI Sales – Safety & Security, Safe Cities and Venues, Internet of Things Group, Intel Corp.; Matthew Rosenquist, Chief Information Security Officer, Eclipz; and Carter Maslan, Founder and CEO, Camio, with Pierre Bourgeix, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, ESI Convergent, LLC, moderating the discussion. Who better to separate fact from fiction on this hot, but often misunderstood technology than this highly knowledgeable panel of industry experts who share decades of experience in this area? Don’t miss this high-level conversation and have your questions ready!

We look forward to virtually seeing all of you on Feb. 24-25.