Cyber Security at the Annual Conference

Poster Session Adds New Dynamic to ChemITC Annual Conference

People always say “change is good” and when it comes to presenting an abundance of information in a simple, effective and flexible way to the chemical industry’s senior-most IT leaders, they are right on. One of the new sessions added to this year’s Annual Conference agenda received rave reviews from CIOs and cyber security attendees alike, proving that a little change can go a long way.

Earlier this year, ChemITC member CIOs expressed interest in receiving updates from ChemITC’s four programs regarding their progress and areas of focus in 2008. The CIOs provided each program a one-hour window to conduct their updates at the ChemITC Annual Conference. This presented a unique challenge for the robust Cyber Security Program, which had information from six work teams and the steering team to share.

The Cyber Security Program decided to deliver its updates using a Poster Session format, offering a new dynamic of networking and learning for conference attendees. Eight posters were created to provide a glimpse of the excellent work being completed in each Cyber Security work team. The topics for each of the posters were as follows:

Chemical Sector Cyber Security Program

• Chemical Sector Cyber Security Crisis Information Sharing Process
• Comparison of Cyber Security Program Guidance with the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) Risk-Based Performance Standard (RBPS) #8
• Cyber Security in Emerging Geographies
• Data Privacy in the European Union
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) in Industrial Automation and Control Systems
• Network Separation Technical Survey Results
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cyber Security Program

The cyber security experts who led the activities in each of these areas were available for one hour to share key learnings and findings with the CIOs and cyber security attendees. Participants were encouraged to spend as much or as little time at each poster hearing from the experts and asking questions as they wished. The CIOs were also provided with an executive summary corresponding with each poster, so they could easily provide detailed information about the session to their resident experts back at the office. The posters were available for all to view throughout the duration of the conference, including the General Networking Reception and Technology Showcase.

Everyone who participated in the Cyber Security Program Poster Session found it to be a valuable addition to the conference. The cyber security experts who staffed each poster were pleased to discuss their findings with the CIOs and meeting attendees, and the CIOs enjoyed the time spent focusing on the topics that interested them most. Due to the success of the Poster Session, the Cyber Security Program plans to use the concept at future conferences, perhaps as soon as the Cyber Security Program Spring General Meeting.

All of the posters and executive summaries are currently available on the Cyber Security SharePoint Web site. If you are a member but do not have access to SharePoint, please contact Panel Manager Bridgette Bourge to request your copy of any of these meeting materials.