Infosecurity Europe is nearly upon us, running June 7–9 at the Olympia in London. It is considered to be the biggest and most well-attended security event of the year in Europe. Last year, there were just over 12,000 visitors from 80 countries, and 315 vendors were exhibiting their wares.

Now in its 21st year, it has long been seen as the European equivalent of the RSA flagship conference in the U.S. Infosecurity Europe’s organizers claim that orders worth £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) were placed with vendors last year.

Aside from the exhibition, Infosecurity Europe is also a full-fledged conference, offering presentations and sessions ranging from keynotes to technology deep-dives.

Keynotes Focusing on Connectivity and Cyber Resilience

This year, the keynote sessions, which run throughout the conference, are focused on four key themes:

• Securing the connected human, and exploring the best tactics and strategies to mitigate the risks that humans face;
• Building cyber resilience in the connected enterprise by looking at new and emerging approaches for more effectively detecting and responding to security incidents;
• Privacy and security in a connected world, including identifying the best tools, techniques and procedures for ensuring data privacy and security are effectively balanced; and
• Securing the Internet of Things (IoT), which will explore new technology paradigms being seen and look at the implications for information security.

Among the keynotes, three sessions stand out. The opening keynote, titled “Perceptions of Risk, Resilience and Operational Security,” will be given by Levison Wood, an explorer, photographer and writer. Wood is famous, among other things, for having trekked both the length of the River Nile and the length of the Himalayas — both of which were experiences made into TV documentaries and detailed in books by Wood.

Starting the second day, Lord William Hague, former leader of the U.K. Conservative party and foreign secretary, will present a keynote titled “Privacy vs. Security: Reducing the Tension Between National Security, Privacy and Information Security.” Also noteworthy is a keynote by security luminary Bruce Schneier scheduled for later in the day titled “Privacy, Trust and the Internet of Things.”

Opportunities Abound at Infosecurity Europe

Alongside the conference presentations, Infosecurity Europe is well-known for its extensive training and educational opportunities. There are a number of short-form talks on technical approaches to security and gaining strategic insight for optimizing security postures, as well as technical showcases by the show’s exhibitors and cyber innovation showcases, which highlight emerging approaches to security.

For those looking for more of a deep dive, the information security exchange program features a number of in-depth presentations and panel discussions that bring together the end user and vendor communities. These are aimed at providing information regarding the latest technology developments, methodologies and practices. They focus on challenges in information security and the implications that these have for end users.

Attendees who want more practical education are in luck: There are a range of two-hour security workshops focused on practical techniques and strategies for implementing effective information security. Running parallel to the event, there is a day-long training course on Thursday centered around cloud security. This course is being run by the Cloud Security Alliance.

Infosecurity Europe packs a lot into three days, and there is something on offer for anyone interested in the latest developments in information security. There are also numerous networking events and parties where you can connect with other professionals. The Olympia area offers a wide variety of bars and restaurants for off hours as well.

One word of warning: The Olympia conference and exhibition center has a huge glass roof and can feel like a greenhouse in June. Be prepared and keep hydrated.