#FIRST2011 – Round-up

Well the 23rd Annual FIRST conference has come and gone. Despite the lateness of this blog post (it’s been a tough month), it was a great conference, and as usual the attendees where what made it special. I’ve come to realise that the networking and contacts you gain from conferences like FIRST are more important than the presentations 90% of the time, and I really tried to use that opportunity this time around.

#FIRST2011 Blog posts .:

• #FIRST2011 – Remediating compromised environments
• #FIRST2011 – Security Challenges For Future Systems
• #FIRST2011 – Funny Pharma: Inside the Web’s leading Rogue Pharmacies

Alongside networking and seeing the odd presentation (see blog posts above) I also had the chance to work with a friend of mine and somebody I respect greatly in this industry, Martin McKeay from the netsec podcast. We actually met for the first time back at the FIRST conference in 2009 (Kyoto, Japan) and have been friends ever since. I started my journey into security listening to his podcast (amongst others) and have him to thank at least in part for my foray into podcasting in the last year. So, it was with great pleasure (and a little bit of panic) that I agreed to help out with this years FIRST podcast. I’ve learnt a lot along the way, and even started to do face-to-face audio interviews, thanks to Martin’s coaching. So I hope you’ve enjoyed them (or will enjoy them soon).

If you’ve not already heard the podcasts, please check them out and let us know what you think! Feedback is always welcomed.

#FIRST2011 Podcasts (to date) .:

• 2011.1: Steve Adegbite, Chair of FIRST.Org
• 2011.2: Kurt Sauer, Conference Liaison, FIRST.Org
• 2011.3: Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer, F-Secure
• 2011.4: Iftach ‘Ian’ Amit, VP, Business Development at Security-Art
• 2011.5: Ken van Wyk, FIRST Vice Chair & President of KRvW
• 2011.6: Frank Breedijk & Ian Southam of Schuberg Philis
• 2011.7: Melissa Hathaway, President of Hathaway Global Strategies

The interviews are still being released (Weekly releases are planned for each Wednesday) and will continue over the coming months, so make sure to keep an eye on the FIRST podcast page to keep up to date

Hope to see you next year at FIRST in Malta!