Tuesday, October 21, 2014

As the US Department of Homeland Security states on its website homepage, “Our daily life, economic vitality, and national security depend on a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace.”  From hacker intrusions at the individual, corporate, and government levels, to the potential for devastating cyberwarfare waged by countries or international terror organizations, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical issue for us all.  To provide an overview of the problem and how it is being tackled, we are pleased to host a panel discussion with presentations by expert International Technology consultant Mary G. Siero and Brent Watkins, Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Mary G. Siero has over 30 years of experience in engineering and technology across a whole range of industries, and is the author of Safeguarding Your Organization’s Data: A Call to Action (2013).  She routinely presents at national conferences on information technology topics and holds several professional IT security certifications.  She has provided testimony to the State of Nevada Information Technology Board on “The Current and Future Cyber Threat.”

Brent Watkins has served over 33 years with the United States government, including 16 years as a military officer and 17 years with the FBI.  He has diverse experience within the FBI to include the investigation of foreign counter intelligence, white collar crime, and cyber crime. Additionally, SA Watkins has also served as a Special Agent Bomb Technician.  He’s currently assigned to the Las Vegas Field Office of the FBI where he investigates computer intrusions and provides outreach and cyber threat information to the private sector.