TechBiz Connection To Tackle Personal and Business Security Issues, Defense Against Cyber Threats

IRVINE, Calif. - June 12, 2014 - PRLog -- TechBiz Connection will host an expert panel of cyber warriors and leading fraud and security authorities who will discuss the current state of cyber security and provide the weaponry required to defend personal, family and business computers and other devices against these threats on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the law offices of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear in Irvine.

According to Jack Bicer, TechBiz Connection president, everyone has been the victim of cybercrime at one time or another. McAfee estimates cybercrime and cyber espionage cost the U.S. economy $100 billion per year, and the global impact is nearly $300 billion annually.

“We face an unprecedented array of cyber breaches and attacks into our personal, social, business and national perimeters,” Bicer noted. “State-sponsored IP theft, malware and Trojan horses are now so common as to be considered part of life.”

The panel moderator is Joe Morris of TechMediaTel, a technology, media and telecommunication solutions expert. His background includes multiple startup leadership roles - most notably with Verizon Wireless and Konami Digital Entertainment. He has had a 34 year blended active / reserve Marine Corps career. Currently Morris serves as a colonel, in a joint role as a director of the U.S. Pacific Command's (PACOM) Joint Operations Command Center (JOC). Morris maintains a top secret security clearance, and continues to actively work national security issues in partnership with the U.S. State Department, Defense, USAID, other national security agencies, allied militaries, and non-governmental agencies. He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Panelist Thumbnail Bios

·         Mike Swett, CEO of Intelligence Research Group, has 25+ years of law enforcement experience - the majority spent in an investigative capacity, focused on organized crime. He is a recognized authority in the areas of retail fraud, identity theft, cybercrime, and organized crime. Swett has received multiple awards from the law enforcement community, to include California's highly regarded "Investigator of the Year" award. He has investigated over 190 organized retail crime cases with an 82% conviction rate and has been highlighted on both World News Tonight and Nightline with Diane Sawyer.

·         Chris Blankenship, from the Microsoft CyberSecurity Services Team, has been involved with the cyber threat since joining Microsoft 15 years ago. He has supported various Department of Defense (DoD) customers during his tenure with Microsoft. As the lead for the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) Identity Management group, Blankenship was the architect and subject matter expert involved in the deployment of enterprise application services forest which supports enterprise email services for four million DoD users.

·         Michael Spohner is a managing principal consultant with FireEye's Incident Response (IR) and Digital Forensic Services group. He manages the FireEye Emergency IR Team which provides emergency services to clients when an elevated security breach occurs. He also helps clients create IR management programs, analyze and test existing IR plans, conduct forensic investigations, and provide IR and forensic training. Spohner has more than 15 years of law enforcement experience including more than 23,000 hours of investigative experience. He has deep expertise in incident response, forensic investigations, software development methodologies, and large scale database implementations.

·          Mike R. Jackson, the owner of Security Research Group, has 35 years of security experience - from the DoD to the municipality level. Among his more interesting roles was as the security manager for satellite manufacturing corporations while launching from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and in China, from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center (TSLC). The Security Research Group specializes in luxury hotels/resorts, industrial facilities and retail operations security. He has been interviewed for and/or published in multiple magazines and assorted media. Currently, Jackson is writing a book on Workplace Violence Intervention.

The TBC Forum’s discussion and subsequent question-and-answer session is sponsored by Daly-Swartz Public Relations (http://www.dsprel.com); Haynes and Boone LLP (http://www.haynesboone.com); Septium Corp.(http://www.septium.com); Smith Micro (http://www.smithmicro.com); and Knobbe Martens, Olson & Bear (http://www.kmob.com).

Admission to the TechBiz Connection event is $20 prepaid and $40 at the door. For further information and RSVP, visit http://www.techbizconnection.org or e-mail president@techbizconnection.org.

TechBiz Connection (http://www.techbizconnection.org) was created to support Southern California business and technology professionals, companies and entrepreneurs by providing timely education and networking opportunities. The organization focuses on where technology and business intersect; everything a successful high-tech company would want to do.