Harin to inaugurate Cyber Security Summit tomorrow

• Top line-up of international and local experts to share key insights to private and public sector institutions and individuals

Harin Fernando

Newly appointed Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando will inaugurate the popular third annual Cyber Security Summit, organised by the Daily FT and CICRA Consultancies Ltd., tomorrow at 9.00 a.m. at the Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo.

The main objective of the summit is to create awareness over the importance of cyber security and to provide top officers in the private and public sectors and IT professionals with best practices in acquiring, implementing, managing and measuring information security postures of their organisations as well as equipping them with countermeasures.

The summit will also highlight the current flaws in information security that affect businesses. Discussions and presentations will revolve around some of the most malicious attacks and potential threats in the security field.

Fernando, who is the youngest Minister in the Cabinet, is expected to outline the new Government’s vision on digital infrastructure towards boosting socioeconomic growth in the country creating new streams of employment and income for people. 

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office Asia Pacific Senior Advisor Sameer Sharma will deliver the keynote address on ‘Building Security and Trust in Cyberspace’. 

Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and ICT Agency Managing Director/CEO Muhunthan Canagey are among other officials who will speak at the event. 

Sharma is currently a Senior Advisor responsible for sustainable development through ICTs by providing technical assistance and creating conducive policy and regulatory framework for South Asian countries covering India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and the Maldives.

He is also the focal point in the Asia Pacific region on cyber security and assisting countries in developing national cyber security strategies and establishing CIRT and Child Online Protection (COP), working with partners including UNICEF/UNESCO and industry stakeholders.

Sharma will join a team of high-profile foreign and local experts to share key insights on the latest developments and future trends in cyber security which has become a major issue for countries and corporates alike. 

Among the experts are high-profile international IT security experts including those who have worked with Interpol and Fortune 500 companies.

They include Principal Consultant, Cisco Security, India Srikanta Prasad, who will speak on ‘Threat Intelligence for Cyber Security’; Chief Security Officer and Advisor for Microsoft in Asia Pierre Noel

on ‘Cyber Security: Before it becomes an agenda’; Security Lead – Commercial, India & SAARC, CISCO Vivek Srivastava on ‘Adaptive Security Architecture’; Jayantha Fernando, Program Director and Legal Advisor, ICTA Sri Lanka on ‘Impact of Budapest Cybercrime convention on laws’;  Brian Kealy, Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives on ‘Mobility and Cyber Security’,  and Krishna Rajagopal, CEO, Akati Consulting, Malaysia on ‘Angels vs. Demons: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’.

The full-day summit will be followed by ‘Night Hack’ – an innovative and informative evening, showcasing the immediate and potential threats and dangers posed by cyber criminals today. 

Separately on Wednesday 30 September a CEOs Forum focusing on cyber security and business success will be held as well.

CISCO Microsoft is the summit’s strategic partner while ICTA is its national partner. The telecommunications partner is Sri Lanka Telecom, the Official Payment Gateway Partner is LankaPay, the official insurer is Continental Insurance, official printers are OfficeMax, LSP, the creative partner is Triad, the electronic media partners are LearnTV, TV Derana, FM Derana and Ada Derana while the hospitality partner is Cinnamon Lakeside.

More details on the summit, including those about the registration process, can be obtained at www.cybersecuritysummit.lk.