Third Annual Vancouver Cybersecurity Conference: Protecting the Cloud

Students, scientists, and engineers traveled from across the world to attend the third annual Cybersecurity Conference at NYIT-Vancouver from October 26 to 28. The conference was held in collaboration with Ryerson University, University of Delhi, and the University of Victoria.

For three days, industry experts discussed the design, analysis, and implementation of dependable and secure infrastructures, systems, algorithms, and protocols as they relate to network computing, mobile and cloud systems, and the Internet of Things.

The conference opened with a keynote address by Lloyd Jura, director of Information Security at Vivonet, a cloud-based solutions company. He stressed that companies need stay up-to-date on cybersecurity threats and solutions, including by routinely checking for updates. Ian Patterson, chief executive officer of Plurilock Security Solutions spoke on the topic “Disrupting the Paradigm of Authentication: Leveraging continuous authentication to replace point-in-time solutions.” In his address, Patterson explained that companies need to continuously authenticate users and processes in order to protect their systems.

Keeping companies safe wasn’t the only topic on the agenda. Leopold de Sousa, adjunct faculty in NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences and director of Enterprise Technology for the City of Vancouver, spoke about how to protect smart cities from cyber threats. “Data is the commodity of our new digital world. It’s important to think about how to protect it,” he said. De Sousa spoke about the importance of collaboration between cities and communities including municipalities, regional governments, and Indigenous communities. He explained that by providing connectivity to support infrastructure (like public transportation and power systems), it will encourage other companies to invest in smart technology that will enable them to stay connected.

Attendees Ali Tekeoglu and Alex Opperman traveled from New York and Berlin, Germany, respectively, to present their research. Tekeoglu came to the conference because of the timely topic and because it was closely related to his work in Internet of Things security. “I believe it’s important to be aware of the serious cybersecurity problems currently affecting technology,” he said.

Opperman explained that he had been looking for a conference that was compatible with his work in security computing. Not only did he think the event was the right fit for him, but he also was able to present his work and learn from others.

And the event was about more than presentations. At the end of the first day of the conference, attendees made their way to the Yew restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel for an evening of networking and deeper conversations about the importance of protecting cloud-based information.

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