How do carriers defend their networks? How does the industry secure corporate and customer information? How do we maintain operational continuity when faced with unexpected network events or intrusions?

We are sometimes troubled trying to distinguish between the heroes and villains in the saga of information security being played out in the news. Do we know whether to block a surge in traffic as an attack, or expand capacity to accommodate the increased consumer interest?

On the afternoon of June 1, The Canadian Telecom Summit will be hosting a panel titled “Cyber Security: perils, protection and the role of ICT” to explore the issues and technologies surrounding network and information security. We have assembled a distinguished panel with a broad range of perspectives.

This panel brings together global leaders to explore Cyber Defense from a broad range of perspectives:

• Carl Herberger (moderator), Vice President of Security Solutions at Radware, is responsible for developing, managing, and he serves as the primary corporate spokesperson in the Americas for security-related topics. As a frequent guest of Fox Business News, CNN and Bloomberg Broadcast News, along with numerous NYT, WSJ and Washington Post citations, Mr. Herberger is considered a leading expert on the problems and solutions surrounding Cyber Attacks.
• Kevvie Fowler is a partner in KPMG Canada’s forensic practice and is an information security and data analytics specialist. Kevvie also teaches database forensics to law enforcement agencies across North America and sits on the SANS GIAC Advisory Board where he guides the direction of emerging security and forensics research.
• Vivek Khindria, Head of Information Security, accumulated about 20 years’ experience in the Canadian Financial sector before joining Bell. He is directly involved with both public sector and private sector security strategy and implementation.
• Paul Obsitnik is Vice President of Service Provider Marketing for Juniper Networks, responsible for the marketing of Juniper’s portfolio of high performance routing, switching, security and data center fabric products to Service Providers globally.
• Daniel Thanos leads internal security consulting, architecture, and R&D teams in the areas of advanced cybersecurity and strategy at TELUS.

What are the range of implications of cyber warfare? What is being done to address the most notable recent cyber-attacks? How do we prepare systems and networks to handle extreme load conditions? How should carriers, vendors and the government address the information security landscape? In an “Internet of Everything”, how do we design and build networks and systems for security and privacy?

Have you registered yet for The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit?

How will net neutrality regulations impact the competitive telecommunications marketplace? Will net neutrality encourage innovation or entrench the position of current applications?

On the morning of June 1, The Canadian Telecom Summit will be hosting a panel titled “Competition in Telecom: Net Neutrality and Innovation” to explore these issues with some of North America’s top minds. With the support of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, we have assembled a distinguished panel with a broad range of perspectives.

Our panel brings together leaders from Canada and the United States:

• Dvai Ghose (moderator), Managing Director & Head of Research at Canaccord Genuity, has consistently been ranked as an all-star Canadian Telecom and Cable Services Analyst by Brendan Wood International. He has also been ranked the number one equity analyst for stock picking and EPS estimate accuracy in the Telecommunication sector in North America by Starmine and Forbes Magazine.
• Ariel Katz is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, where he holds the Innovation Chair in Electronic Commerce. His general area of research involves economic analysis of competition law and intellectual property law, with allied interests in electronic commerce, pharmaceutical regulation, the regulation of international trade, and particularly the intersection of these fields.
• John Lawford is Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a national non-profit organization that provides legal and research services on behalf of consumer interests, and, in particular, vulnerable consumer interests, concerning the provision of important public services.
• Len Waverman has been a professor of economics at the University of Toronto and the London Business School and Dean of the Haskayne School of Business as well as professor of strategy at the University of Calgary. He is currently Dean of the DeGroote School of Business.
• Christopher Yoo, Director, Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition at University of Pennsylvania Law School, has emerged as one of the leading authorities on law and technology. His research focuses on how the principles of network engineering and the economics of imperfect competition can provide insights into the regulation of electronic communications.

This session should be interesting and provoke considerable discussion.

Have you registered yet for The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit?

For three full days, June 1 – 3, The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit delivers thought provoking presentations from the prime movers of the industry.

The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit gives you the chance to hear from and talk with them in a structured atmosphere of frank discussion and high octane idea exchange and schmooze in a more relaxed social setting of genial conversation.

The leadership of the telecom, broadcast & IT industries will converge at the Toronto Congress Centre to discuss the key issues and trends that will impact this critical sector of the economy.

Join more than 500 of your peers, suppliers, policy makers, regulators, customers and competitors in attending telecom’s most important gathering.

The past few months have witnessed the release of a number of significant regulatory decisions that are certain to impact Canada’s telecommunications and broadcasting industries for years to come.

That is why we are so happy that our speakers at The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit will include CRTC Telecom Vice Chair Peter Menzies, and CRTC Commissioner Raj Shoan, among 70 other industry leaders, including the Chief Information Officer of the FCC, David Bray.

 

The Canadian Telecom Summit has become the place for Canada’s ICT leaders to meet, interact and do business, inspired by high-octane interaction, top-level keynote speakers and thought-provoking panel discussions.

These people and many more will all be at The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit. Why not plan on joining them from June 1 to 3?

You should be there too.

Register today!

How do you deal with big data? How do you manage, analyse & exploit the treasure trove of information while preserving customer privacy?

At The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit, we have pulled together a panel that can look at the issues from every angle. Big Data & Analytics: managing & exploiting a treasure trove of information will be one of our panels on Monday morning, June 1, 2015.

The Canadian Telecom Summit opens in just over 10 weeks: June 1-3 at The Toronto Congress Centre. This is where stakeholders in the communications and technology sectors get together to discuss issues in both a structured atmosphere of frank discussion and high-octane idea exchange, as well as schmooze in a more relaxed social setting of genial conversation. You should be there too.

To help with networking, at the conclusion of the first day, we hold our not-to-be-missed Cocktail Reception, sponsored this year by Nokia Networks. This is a chance to unwind, enjoy some delicious food & drink, catch up with colleagues and make new professional acquaintances.

Come meet with leaders from services and equipment suppliers, applications developers, policy makers, regulators and major customers.

Book your seat early. The Canadian Telecom Summit is the only event you need to attend.

Register now: www.telecomsummit.com. Prices increase May 1.

A couple months ago, I noticed that Canada Revenue Agency tweeted a reminder to folks to be wary of phishing scams that may come by email as we begin tax return season.

In the past few months, a number of scams have crossed my desk – by email and by phone.

For months now, I have been receiving multiple calls from an IVR, telling me that, as a result of my last flight on Westjet, I have been selected to receive a $999 credit on a vacation – press “1” for more information. I can’t even remember the last time I flew Westjet, but pressing “1”, I went to an agent who asked if I was over 30 years of age and had a credit card. The correct response took me to an agent for Santos Resorts in Mexico who tried to convince me to hear her pitch for coming to check out their time-shares.

Now, my wife doesn’t like me taking up the time of underpaid, commissioned labourers who regularly call to offer air-duct cleaning services. I asked the agent from Santos to confirm she was salaried, not commissioned, before letting her waste her time delivering her pitch on the speaker phone while I continued my work, giving periodic “uh, huh” sounds. When she paused in her pitch to ask if I had any questions, I asked if she had heard of Canada’s rules for telemarketing. That prompted a hang-up.

I continue to receive spam, mostly dealt with by my email and anti-virus client, but some inevitably trickle through. And I continue to receive annoying phone calls. But as I have said before, our laws went too far, and ended up punishing legitimate firms, not spammers and scammers, inhibiting e-commerce and adoption of digital communications.

Despite last week’s first penalty being levied against a spammer under CASL, I often think the easiest way to deal with with these problems is to take matters into your own hands: just hang up, or hit the delete button.