The Central Ohio ISSA, the Central Ohio ISACA, and the Central Ohio InfraGard chapters have joined together to promote the first annual Central Ohio InfoSec Summit in Columbus on May 13. 

The goal of this event is to educate information security professionals and support collaboration by bringing leading speakers in the information security field together to educate the community on the latest industry trends and issues.

Here are some highlights:

* Howard Schmidt, president of ISSA International and president and CEO of R&H Security Consulting will be giving a keynote speech based on his years of experience in law enforcement and government service.
* Herbert H. Thompson, chief security strategist at People Security, has been at the forefront of efforts to test and improve the security of electronic voting machines. In 2006 he was named one of the top five influential security thinkers.
* Mark D. Rasch, managing director of technology at FTI Consulting, includes a decade of service as the head of the U.S. Department of Justice computer crime unit.

A panel discussion on the future of the information security professional will include:

* Moderator Kevin Flanagan, president of the Central Ohio ISSA.
* Bob West of Echelon One, winner of industry awards for innovation in information assurance.
* John Rockwood of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.
* Jack Jones of Risk Management Insight, award-winning creator of the Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR). 

Breakout sessions in the afternoon include:

* PCI Currents (Darik Cupps of SecureState).
* Addressing Information Security Impact Before Project Implementation (Clarke Cummings, Information Control Corp.).
* Sustainable PCI Compliance, or “There and Back Again” (Jerod Brennen, security analyst).
* Information Assurance in an Open Network Environment (Mich Kabay, Norwich University).

This Information Security Conference will provide information security professionals with the most up-to-date information, tools, trends, legislative information, products, services, and strategies for addressing information security issues. The conference will focus on key topics related to information security with presentations provided by recognized experts and exhibits by some of the nation's leading organizations.

M. E. Kabay, PhD, CISSP-ISSMP, specializes in security and operations management consulting services. CV online.