Security Field Day 2024

In my current role in the IT industry, I think about disaster recovery (DR), continuous data protection (CDP), and overall ransomware recovery almost all the time. Overseeing an IT organization requires you to think about and plan for any contingency that can impact the business’s ability to function in broad brush strokes, as well as the business’s intellectual property and data in more specificity. These days, all strategies and projects are seen through the lens of security.

Note that I did not say ransomware prevention when talking about security. Robert Mueller, former head of the FBI, once said, “There are two kinds of companies, those who have been hacked, and those who will be.” While trying to guard against ransomware (and other) attacks on your data and infrastructure is a laudable goal and one we all strive for, it is also highly unrealistic in most cases. The better bet is to plan your infrastructure and protections for when an attack occurs—how quickly can you recover, and by using what mechanisms?

Like many people in my position, I attend many tech and security conferences and seminars and occasionally participate in round tables and panel discussions. In that spirit, I was recently afforded the opportunity to participate in a Security Field Day event¹, put on under the auspices of the Tech Field Day organization, which the Futurum Group recently acquired.

Tech Field Day is an organization I’m proud to associate with and one I have had a relationship with since close to its inception. They bring together industry experts to listen to presentations by various companies, ask questions, and generally further the discussion around specific topics. Security was the topic in this most recent iteration. It was a great event, with several companies presenting and a lot of great discussion amongst the delegates and panelists in attendance.

Over the next few weeks, I will share my thoughts on topics each presenting company addressed. Those thoughts may be positive or may be neutral. Generally speaking, I try not to look at things through a negative lens, but I’ll honestly call out weaknesses or gaps in the products where I see them.

As you might expect, all the presenting companies approached security from a data protection angle, though all approached the problem differently. The problem statements from each tended to center around DR and Ransomware recovery or protection and what they had to offer in that space. It was very topical and on point from where I sat, and I thoroughly enjoyed what each company had to say.

One final note: while I was flown down to the event in Santa Clara and all expenses covered, I have no editorial restrictions on what I do or do not say about any of the presentations. In the past, I have eviscerated companies for completely missing the mark. Though that is exceedingly rare, the fact remains that I write what I want without any editorial oversight. Agree with me or not, what I write are my own opinions and—obligatory disclaimer here—not the views of my employer.

So, stay tuned for coverage of the event. In the meantime, if you cannot wait to dive in and missed the presentations live, they can all be found in a curated playlist on the Tech Field Day YouTube channel². Please take a look. They are well worth your time.