Seminar on Information Security and Risk Management

In May, the chapter and IDC Portugal organized a seminar on Information Security and Risk Management at the Joint Defense Institute (IESM) in Lisbon. The main objective of this seminar was to address information security strategies and current relevant issues on that subject. The seminar was an open forum where experts in information security, industry professionals and users shared ideas, experiences, opinions and concerns on topics such as: virtualization and cloud computing; access and identity management; risks and threats associated with mobility; data loss prevention; risk management, business continuity and disaster recovery. The event attracted more than 220 attendees, including members of the armed and security forces, government organizations, academia and research centers, and industry. At the opening speech, Antero Luis, secretary-general of the Internal Security System, presented the national and international framework, stressing the importance of activities to protect information. Manuel Honorato, director of the Management Center for Government Computer Network, delivered the keynote address, showing the status in the development of the National Cyber Security Center in Portugal. Soon afterwards, the CIOs and the main responsible for information security of several government departments presented the perspective of their organizations. Rear Adm. Mario Durao, PON, assistant secretary-general of the Portuguese Ministry of Defence, showed the main concerns at the ministry and the strategies to solve them. Carlos Goncalves, deputy director-general of DGIE/MAI, presented the vision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Manuel Barros, director of communications security of the Portuguese National Communications Authority (ANACOM), talked about risk management and the regulation of communications. Timoteo Figueirý, from IDC presented the trends in information security in the world. The event emphasized the importance of a joint action between government authorities and private agents to face the current challenges, and pointed out that the different government bodies at European level, and in the national territory, have been developing a concerted strategy for mitigating the risks to the world economy. The seminar also showed how the IT industry has been developing solutions that enable private organizations and public authorities to deal with this problem, with the expected result of increase in spending on information security, both nationally and worldwide.

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