Known as Music City USA, Nashville attracts artists from nearly every genre of music and from all corners of the globe. The community boasts approximately 200 recording studios as well as the supporting spinoff industries such as booking agencies, publishing companies, trade publications and more.

 With more than 200 security leaders in attendance, the first Security 500 Conference held in Washington, DC, brought high levels of thought-leadership and discussions to the fore. Verizon CSO Michael Mason started off the day with his keynote on challenging the technological imperative by asking “what problem will this solve? How will this support our mission?” before investing in new technology.  

 At some point during your working life, you will find yourself looking for a new job. There are a wide range of circumstances that may bring you to that point, ranging from retiring from public or military service; corporate reorganizations and/or leadership changes; you’re terminated; you resign; the location at which you work is destroyed; your company collapses financially; or you just want to advance your career in a new environment. While each of these circumstances may influence how you will position yourself during the job search, there are a number of common factors that place immense stress on an already difficult process.  

Vermont topped the list of highest risk states for embezzlement in 2013, followed by DC, WV, MT & SD, according to the Marquet Embezzlement Report. 

 The Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of the 2015 Secretary's Honors Program Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative for current two- and four-year college students.

The NJ/NY Port Authority's executive who oversees all security operations will retire in January.

 Afew years ago we published an article on security related certifications that were being marketed as a means to advance your career. At that time there were a relatively small number of certifications that we were seeing listed on resumes. Today, we are still routinely asked which certifications are needed for career advancement or which ones are being requested by hiring managers. Frankly, unless the role has a specific requirement that connects to one of the more technical certifications, for the most part, the hiring authorities are not demanding them.  

Somewhere in the planning of the Security 500 Conference, I realized it would not be possible to turn the long list of security’s responsibilities from this year’s benchmark study into a readable slide. Nor was it prudent to punish our attendees with multiple lists of unmemorable threats and vulnerabilities. With more than 50 unique items in play; from managing investigations (97 percent) to overseeing insurance (15 percent); the business executives that manage risk and security for their enterprises all expressed this common theme:

 Chief Hector Rodriguez believes so much in the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) and the safety of the children who attend SAUSD schools that he sends his own children to school there.