Countdown to RSAC 2020: Q&A with Aaron Turner


Posted on by RSAC Editorial Team

For our next RSAC Ambassador Q&A, we chatted with Aaron Turner, RSAC Program Committee member and President & CSO at HighSide, Inc.:
  

What sessions are interesting to you? 

Beyond those in the track that I am helping to curate in Mobile and IoT, I am always interested in the sessions in Hackers and Threats and Identity and Access. In the Mobile and IoT track, the sessions I'm most excited about are the ones dealing with AndroidTM Supply Chain Security (on a really big scale) and on the IoT front sessions facilitated by experts from well-respected organizations like Underwriters Laboratories and Consumer Reports.

 

Why do you attend RSA Conference? 

My participation in RSAC spans two decades, from the very first time I attended as part of Microsoft's first RSAC engagement when I worked there to RSAC 2020. The social aspect is awesome, being able to connect with friends and former colleagues in ways I never could anywhere else. I love the opportunity to network with real influencers, from folks in the venture capital realm (like my friend Peter Kuper at ClearSky) to the policy community (Randy Sabett at Cooley) to all of the technology innovators who are in senior positions at big companies and small startups. RSAC is always the most efficient event for me when it comes to getting business done, connecting with people who help me improve technically and making connections with real business prospects.

 

What are you excited to do in San Francisco?

I love all of the great ethnic foods that can be found in close proximity to the Moscone Center. There are award-winning Asian restaurants within walking distance, fresh, new fusion food trucks scattered all over, even the food courts at the malls close by have great food. Sharing good meals with old friends and new will be among the highlights for me.

 

What was a highlight from RSAC 2019 for you?

We're lucky on the Program Committee to get to meet some of the celebrities and leaders who come and speak at the event. Last year, it was a privilege to share the stage with Helen Mirren during an opening musical number. It will be tough to top that, but I'm sure there will be plenty of excitement this next year.

 

Where do you go to network? 

I will admit, sort of sheepishly, that I am a networking tagalong. I'll find interesting people during an RSAC speaking session and ask them where they're heading. I'll head to interesting vendor booths on the expo floor and try to strike up interesting technical conversations with the vendor staff, and then see if we can get folks interested in similar topics together for an impromptu brainstorming session to talk about tough problems and how they can be solved. I love how tablet computers have made it possible for us to essentially have virtual whiteboards with us the whole time. I have come up with some of my most-important security system designs and solutions in those impromptu sessions at RSAC.

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RSAC Editorial Team

Editorial, RSA Conference

RSAC Insights

mobile security Internet of Things identity management & governance access control hackers & threats

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