Schaumburg, IL, USA — Panels, presentations, workshops and summits focused on the technologies that are disrupting how enterprises do business – and how technology professionals can gain the skills needed to adapt along with a changing field – at ISACA’s North America CACS 2019 conference. The annual event for information systems audit, assurance, control, governance and security professionals took place 13-15 May 2019 in Anaheim, California, near where the now-global organization of more than 140,000 members began 50 years ago.
Sessions focused on artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, DevSecOps, cloud, robotic process automation (RPA), big data, and the security trends and threats of 2019 and the future. Attendees were also able to enhance their professional skills by attending sessions dedicated to delivering effective presentations, new approaches to the recruitment and retention of IT business professionals, and why emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills are critical for professional success.
Attendees of the IT Audit Leaders’ Summit, representing Fortune 500 global brands, discussed how having an RPA strategy is essential to its successful implementation at an enterprise, why organizations need to have a common language for what constitutes key assets and how to address risks at the board level. Similarly, attendees of the Security Leaders’ Summit, featuring cybersecurity professionals at prominent companies, discussed how a risk-based approach to cybersecurity policy and programs provides clear, actionable information for boards and CEOs.
Big-picture changes to the IT audit, governance, risk and security fields were discussed in “A Spectrum of Professions: The ISACA Global Community, Past, Present, Future,” a 50th anniversary-themed panel featuring a diverse group of high-profile industry professionals. A common theme was that foundational skills and challenges will remain constant even as technologies change. “There’s always going to be change, whether it’s a new topic, a new tool, a regulation, whatever it may be,” said Paul Regopoulos, senior manager, information security audit, with The Walt Disney Company. “The fundamentals are always going to be what are the risks associated with them, and how do we respond?”
ISACA Vice Chair Brennan P. Baybeck, vice president of security risk management for Global Customer Support Services at Oracle Corporation, encouraged attendees to face disruption during “Brick by Brick: Future-Proofing your Career,” his general session leadership brief. “Brick by brick, we need to understand and utilize the technology that is driving change and fueling our enterprises’ digital transformation activities, and we need to learn and train in areas in which we may not have realized we would need to understand when we entered the field,” he said.
A general session panel, “From Disruptive to Daily Dependence: ISACA Pros Look Back and Look Forward to the Future in Technology,” featuring speakers from SpaceX, Beyond, Delphix, Laserfische and Workday, explored the evolution of workplace and personal technology, focusing on future predictions and evolving concerns for ensuring the safe adoption of emerging technologies. Panelists discussed not only the need to secure AI, but what to do if the data is laden in bias. The panel also discussed retail disruption, blockchain, quantum computing, and enterprises’ need to shift to being data-centric.
This year’s event offered more than 100 sessions in tracks covering data analytics, cybersecurity, information security, governance, risk management, audit and assurance, and industry trends, and was headlined by keynote speeches by Guy Kawasaki and Sekou Andrews. Attendees also participated in pre- and post-conference hands-on workshops on topics such as COBIT 2019, blockchain security and audit, cybersecurity fundamentals and cybersecurity for auditors, IT audit analytics, risk management process development and implementation, and more.
ISACA celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019 and is featuring special programming related to the evolution of technology and the profession over the last five decades at its slate of global conferences.
About ISACA
Now in its 50th anniversary year, ISACA (everwoodsite.com) is a global association helping individuals and enterprises achieve the positive potential of technology. Today’s world is powered by information and technology, and ISACA equips practitioners with the knowledge, credentials, education and community to advance their careers and transform their organizations. ISACA leverages the expertise of its 460,000 engaged practitioners—including its 140,000 members—in information and cybersecurity, governance, assurance, risk and innovation, as well as its enterprise performance subsidiary, CMMI Institute, to help advance innovation through technology. ISACA has a presence in more than 188 countries, including more than 220 chapters worldwide and offices in both the United States and China.
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Kristine O’Sullivan, +1.847.660.5766, communications@everwoodsite.com
Kristen Kessinger, +1.847.660.5512, communications@everwoodsite.com
