Cybersecurity Risks Draw 350 IT Executives to Inaugural St. Louis Symposium

ST. LOUIS - Nov. 22, 2016 - PRLog -- Growing concerns about security issues related to digital communications and the internet economy drew 350 Information Technology (IT) executives from more than 150 organizations to the inaugural Gateway to Cybercity Emerging Trends Symposium November 17 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.

http://gateway2cybercity.com/

The one-day conference was organized by the Security Advisor Alliance, the Society for Information Management (St. Louis Chapter), the St. Louis CIO Board and the St. Louis Regional Chamber. Gateway to Cybercity featured three keynote speakers and 14 break-out sessions tackling a wide variety of aspects related to cybersecurity threats and best practices.

"The idea behind the conference is to provide insight IT leaders can put into practice right away in the constant battle to protect their organizations against cyber threats," said Eric Gorham, Chief Information Officer at REJIS and Gateway to CyberCity Executive Committee representative. "It is clearly an important topic, which is made quite evident by the many organizations that participated in the conference."

One conference highlight was the keynote address by Dr. Charlie Miller, Senior Security Engineer at Uber Advanced Technologies Center. The St. Louis native has made waves in automotive cyber security by exposing weaknesses in current automotive designs and by discussing improvements to existing systems. Other keynotes were delivered by Peter Vogel (Internet, eCommerce and Technology Partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP) and Benjamin Akande (Westminster College President and former Dean at Webster University's George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology).

Conference proceeds will be returned to IT outreach programs in the St. Louis area. Gateway to CyberCity follows the tradition set by the annual Gateway to Innovation conference, the regional conference for IT professionals held each spring in St. Louis which has provided more than $1 million in community giveback for technology education and organizations with IT related needs over its first 10 years.

For more information, please contact:

·         Eric Gorham (REJIS - CIO, egorham@rejis.org, 314-633-0252)

·         Len Reynolds (St. Louis Regional Chamber - Director, Financial and Information Services, lreynolds@stlregionalchamber.com, 314-444-1137)

Ryan Frillman (Spire- Director of Information Security & Compliance, rfrillman@securityadvisoralliance.org, 314-342-0875)