Having been back with the security team at IBM for just over a year, this is my first real experience seeing all the planning that goes into a large conference like IBM InterConnect 2015. The Security Intelligence tracks have a lot of great content for attendees, and I’m particularly excited about what we’re showcasing in the “Infrastructure Protection for the Threats of Today and Tomorrow,” for which I am track captain. Although this title did not come with a jaunty cap, it did come with advanced screenings of the presentations in all session types, from breakout sessions to client roundtables. For those of you who can’t make it to Las Vegas at the end of February, there are some ways for you to take advantage of this content remotely.

InterConnect and the Shifting Threat Landscape

IBM X-Force will present a number of topics on the latest in security research, including a joint panel with its Managed Security Services colleagues titled “2014: The Year the Internet Fell Apart” at 2 p.m. on Monday. The panel of experts will discuss everything from the quaint days of Heartbleed, Shellshock and X-Force’s Microsoft Internet Explorer “Unicorn” discovery through the big breaches of 2014 and some implications going forward. Researcher Dana Tamir will also present a follow-up on the Citadel malware being adapted for advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks in “How Cybercriminals Leverage Massively Distributed Malware in APT-Style Attacks” at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

If you’re interested in learning more about the threat landscape and won’t be in Las Vegas, check out the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Quarterly, which looks at a wide range of topics from the Internet of Things to the top country hosts for malicious IPs.

Protecting Against Advanced Threats

The IBM Threat Protection System was announced last year as a way to help enterprises combat APTs. IBM will highlight client success stories in the Infrastructure Protection track and go into more detail on how its products work together to prevent, detect and respond to advanced threats.

If you’re attending InterConnect, don’t miss “How to Fight APTs in the Financial World: Isracard’s Perspective” at 3:30 p.m. on Monday and “Preparing the Enterprise for Security Threats: Guidance from Sysco’s CSO” at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. If you’d like to learn more about how IBM Security products work together in the Threat Protection System, check out “Better Protection Through Integrated Security Solutions” at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

If you only have 20 minutes at the conference and want a quick overview of IBM’s behavior-based protection at the heart of the “prevent” aspect of the Threat Protection System, check out the Engagement Center, which is adjacent to the Security Intelligence zone on the main floor, at 6 p.m. Monday or 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Getting Security Right From the Start

For a more detailed look at setting up a security operation in your company, IBM has a number of sessions from its Managed Security Services team that will provide insights from customers. Start with “What Is the Most Effective Security Operations Model for Your Organization?” at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, then operationalize what you learned with “Building an Intelligent Next-Generation Security Operations Center With the Royal Bank of Canada” at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

If you want to take advantage of the expertise from IBM’s Managed Security Services group from afar, check out its recent threat research papers on everything from industry-specific threats to the latest malware.

The InterConnect agenda is jam-packed with everything from product demos and Aerosmith to several announcements about new products and new ways to engage with IBM Security. IBM will stream some of the general sessions in real time, hit the highlights on Twitter and post highlights on SecurityIntelligence.com, so stay tuned!