NJ's Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness, Office of Information Technology Held Cyber Security Conference

New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Office of Information Technology convened a Cyber Security Conference Friday at Brookdale Community College.

The annual event brought together 200 cyber security specialists, program managers, and individuals with IT responsibility in state and local government agencies as well as representatives from numerous private sector organizations.

New Jersey’s Homeland Security Director Chris Rodriguez delivered the opening remarks, followed by a keynote address from Scott Montgomery, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Worldwide Public Sector at McAfee. This year’s theme focused on the cyber security threat landscape, along with discussions on how connected devices and the data they generate give adversaries more opportunities to enter our infrastructure.

“At the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, we seek to help manage both cyber threats and cyber risks for our public and private sector constituents,” said Director Rodriguez. “Our mission doesn’t end with information sharing and analysis. We are committed to educating the public on a whole host of cyber security issues, working closely with all levels of government from the United States Department of Homeland Security to the municipalities and across industry sectors to encourage the adoption of best practices in New Jersey.”

The agenda included sessions on the agile security architecture of the cloud, how to maintain privacy on mobile devices, the Internet of Things from the perspective of law enforcement, how to manage network threats in local government, and cyber security information sharing. The agenda also featured panel discussions in which experts emphasized cyber security decision-making being a shared responsibility, along with thoughts on how to prevent unhealthy cyber hygiene.