RSA 2022 - Back in [almost] full force

The RSA conference was back in person in San Francisco’s Moscone Center last week. Although it has had almost a 60% drop in attendance since its peak in 2019, it was clear from the energy level that people were excited to be back in person. Due to the disruption caused by the global pandemic, there has been an increase in the prevalence of cyberattacks. Consequently, cybersecurity has remained a hot space. As demonstrated by many conspicuous booths on display, M&A activity and venture funding in the cybersecurity industry have rapidly increased since 2020.

As a product marketer, it was helpful for me to speak directly with attendees about our product and their business needs. I met a variety of people, from those who are very familiar with cyber ranges and perhaps already employ one to people who were completely new to cyber ranges but wanted to learn more. It was also helpful to hear the assortment of topics that came up in our conversations. 

A popular topic at the conference was the “human firewall,” or how people contribute to defending their organizations from cyber attacks. One of the tracks offered by RSAC was the “human element,” which was also the conference's theme back in 2020. Cybersecurity training takes many shapes, including security awareness and training for general employees, specialized training for the cybersecurity team, for example, practicing defending their network against real-world attacks, and teaching developers to write secure code while creating digital products. I spoke with representatives from vendors who were doing exciting things in each of those areas.

As Digital Security Threat Analyst Martijn Grooten cleverly noted, humans are a feature, not a bug. Organizations must prioritize training their employees, cybersecurity teams, and developers to defend their business effectively, not as an afterthought. I am glad cybersecurity as a responsibility across every business function is now recognized in the industry.

For more information on how SimSpace can help train your cybersecurity team and build confidence in your organization's ability to defend against advanced cyber attacks, schedule a live demo here.