Opinion: How to have a FUD-free RSA Conference
If you've ever been to the RSA Conference, the world's biggest聽cybersecurity gathering that begins in San Francisco next week, you're聽all too familiar with the chaos that is the showroom floor.
Maybe you're even an RSA veteran and you're well versed in getting聽around the roughly 45,000 attendees. You can avoid the armies of sales聽people who want to "scan your badge" to put you on their email lists聽(you don't want the spam!). Maybe you're able to tune out the聽thump-thump techno blasting from the aisles. And you're adept at聽snagging vendors' tchotchkes without sitting through the dreaded sales聽pitch.
But are you able to pick out the quality products amid the hundreds of聽vendors that transform the Moscone Center expo halls into a virtual聽FUD-istan during RSA week?
While it's challenging, it is possible to avoid the companies that trade聽in fear, uncertainty, and doubt and discover some of the more innovative聽cybersecurity products out there. Here's how.
First, steer clear of booths draped in yellow, orange, red, and black.聽It's the first indication to proceed with caution. There's a reason why聽warning and danger signs use these colors 鈥� they are meant to scare you.
Turn around if you see stereotypical hacker images: guys in ski masks,聽people wearing gloves while typing, or anyone in dark hoodies. Anything聽that looks ominous is a pure sign of FUD.
Avoid anything in camouflage or sales people wearing fake military聽uniforms. It's just wrong. Yes, the militarization of information聽security has accelerated in recent years and there's a lot of talk聽recently of cyberwar and cyberweapons. But it's RSA, not a military聽trade show.
And while it might seem cool to quote "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, it's聽really just a sign that the marketing department can't come up with聽something more original to say. Skip those booths.
Always remember that one cybersecurity product cannot do it all. There's聽no silver bullet. If anyone says their product is a do-it-all solution,聽keep walking.
Be wary of people who speak in buzzword and聽string together jargon without really understanding what those terms mean. Move on if you see multiple terms such as "data-driven," "next-gen," "cyber protection," "anomaly detection," or "heuristic analytics" jumbled together. In short, avoid the lingo, gimmicks, tricks, and anyone who says their product is a panacea.
Instead, look for the booths that stand out because the sales people聽aren't trying to scare you and aren't playing up the FUD aspects of聽digital security. Seek out the vendors who can talk intelligently about聽their offerings. And spend time with the companies who understand your聽needs.
It can be difficult to discover the products that are right for your聽business at RSA. It's daunting to look past the FUD, but it's not聽impossible.
