Wow! Now that is how you kick off keynotes at a conference: John Lithgow, star of screen and stage, surprised our attendees with a rousing monologue. From there, a veritable who’s who of security took the stage for keynote presentations including Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan, Chief Technology Officer, RSA; Brad Smith, President, Microsoft; Christopher D. Young, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Intel Security; and The Cryptographers’ Panel moderated by Paul Kocher, President and Chief Scientist, Cryptography Research division of Rambus. 

Keynote presentations bring private & public sectors together

Representing the U.S. government on our keynote stage this year was The Honorable Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Congressman McCaul presented on how Washington must accept a sobering reality: We are losing on the cyber-battlefield and face a bleak threat landscape. However, there is hope – attendees got to hear Congressman McCaul’s thoughts on how the new administration has an opportunity to turn the tide by working with Congress, the private sector and foreign allies to defend our networks and prevail against attackers. 

Innovation & Brews: CyBEER Ops

Cheers, McLaren’s Pub, Moe’s Tavern…and the Marriot Marquis? I hope you were able to pull up a stool and meet the bartenders of RSA Conference. This year marked our third annual craft beer tasting event for a hands-on interactive experience to research and uncover new flavors and tastes in California craft brewers. Featuring: 21st Amendment – El Sully, Anchor - California Lager, Anderson Valley - Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout, Ballast Point - Grunion - Pale Ale, Drake’s - 1500 Pale Ale, and Heretic - Evil Twin - Red Ale. Which was your favorite?

Looking ahead to Wednesday

• RSAC Security Scholar Poster Board Session: We invite all attendees to join us in The Viewing Point on Wednesday, February 15th from 2:45 – 3:30 PM. Scholars will hold a Poster Exhibition where they will discuss and demo their innovative approaches to cybersecurity.
• ESE & The Sandbox open up: CyBEER Ops closes and our new Early Stage Expo area opens alongside The 2017 Sandbox. Come and take a glance at exciting new startups and meet and greet the Sandbox Leads to learn more about IoT or Network vulnerabilities, hacks and demos. Sandbox and Early Stage Expo will be open Wednesday and Thursday. 
• Keynotes Continue to roll on: Mark McLaughlin CEO and Chairman, Palo Alto Networks; David Ulevitch Vice President, Cisco Security Business Group; Dr. Hugh Thompson, Chief Technology Officer, Symantec, and more will hit the stage
• Last call for Pub Crawl: Participate in our one-hour Pub Crawl taking place tomorrow in North and South Expo! Visit sponsoring companies, get your badge scanned and learn about their latest products, services and innovations. You'll have a choice of beer or wine at bars located at their booths (soda and water will also be offered). 

Heard in the Press Room

• TechCrunch: Microsoft calls for establishment of a digital Geneva Convention
• InfoSecurity: #RSAC: Opening Keynote: RSA CTO & Michael Dell Declare Technical Chaos an Opportunity
• Dark Reading: Darkness & Hope On Display At RSA Conference Keynotes
• Help Net Security: Researchers demonstrate ransomware for industrial control systems