1. Is this event for me?
This event is for leaders in the manufacturing and bioscience/pharmaceutical industry who have oversight of the information security for your organisation.
The sorts of job titles most relevant would be
- CISO, CIO, CEO
- Chief Technical Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer
- IT Director, Director of Compliance, Director of Risk, Data and Privacy, Director of Information Security, Operations Director
- Head of IT, Head of Information Security, Head of Technology, Head of Systems and Networks
- Enterprise architect, security architect, network architect
The size of organisations most relevant would be organisations with more than 100 users or with their own IT/Information Security departments. The discussions will cover security topics relevant to the manufacturing and bioscience/pharmaceutical sectors. For information on specific topics, see question 3.
2. How technical will the discussions be?
The day will not primarily be about technical content, but it will feature technical experts. If you have a technical background or role, that will be an advantage in some cases where discussions cover more technical content, but this is not designed to be a deeply technical workshop. Discussions will be based on the topics that arise during the day, in particular, from a business and security perspective. You do not need technical knowledge to be able to participate.
3. What topics will you cover?
The exact nature of the conversations will depend on what topics get flagged and what questions get asked. The types of topics would include: internet of things (IoT) security, Operational Technology (OT) security, data protection and classification, intellectual property (IP) and data loss protection (DLP), supply chain security, secure storage and backups, Microsoft licensing for your sector, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, Microsoft Defender for Cloud apps, Microsoft Sentinel for on-premise and multi-cloud, data governance, external attack surface management (EASM) etc.
Additionally more general/board-level topics that could be covered include: risk management, information security trends, strategy, board-level concerns, total cost of ownership (TCO), future-proof approaches and consolidation, vendor management, insider risk, etc.
4. Who else will be attending?
There will be a mix of 10-15 participants including senior/executive-level leaders from the manufacturing sector. The hosts will include Chris Williams, a Microsoft executive with deep insight into Microsoft’s Modern Workplace and Security and Adriaan Bekker, who is an expert on compliance, risk, governance, data and Microsoft licensing and Security.
5. How may I benefit from attending?
You will benefit from a unique experience of:
- Peer-to-peer learning at senior executive level.
- Directly informing Microsoft’s leadership about security challenges you experience.
- Discovering more about the future of security for manufacturing firms from Microsoft Security experts.
- Learning how to future-proof your information security strategy.
- Understand critical industry trends.
- Exploring how a Microsoft First approach can positively impact security and cost including real-world examples.
6. Is there a cost for the day?
No, participation is free.
7. When will I know if my place is confirmed?
Places are limited due to the venue, and always fill up quickly. Your spot will be confirmed prior to the event. You will be notified by email and will be issued a guest pass for the day.
8. How do I get there/ what about parking?
The venue is 200 yards from the Cambridge Central Train Station/Park and Ride stop. There is no parking for guests at the Microsoft Research Lab itself but there is parking available at the adjacent public car park. For more information see www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/lab/microsoft-research-cambridge/visiting.