Eighty years ago, AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories together with the U.S. Army and British government, developed SIGSALY – a highly secure speech encryption system used to aid the allies during World War II. The system provided secure voice communication between top-level military and political leaders and ultimately laid the foundation for modern encryption methods.
And in the decades since, our technologists have continued to work together with industry experts to improve cybersecurity and protect our customers. Leaning into the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s technologies. This is what we’ll explore during this year’s cybersecurity conference, AT&T Secure Connections, happening in person and online on November 8. The hybrid conference brings together AT&T experts along with a diverse group of top thought leaders to discover how we can defend the connections that bind us together.
From inventing SIGSALY to being one of the originators of the packet-filtering firewall in 1988, security innovations are engrained in our DNA. Today, AT&T holds more than 1,000 security-related patents in areas including identity management and cloud automation.
With a background in national security including roles at the CIA and U.S. Navy, I was excited to continue to help protect critical infrastructure at AT&T – a role I accepted a few short months ago.
I believe we are again at an inflection point where new security technologies will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s innovation. And AT&T’s network has never been more important to what’s next.
Here are a few topics I’m particularly excited to explore during Secure Connections:
- Network-Embedded Security: We’ll highlight our belief in how AT&T can be part of the first line of defense for your business. Finding a bad actor or a potential cyber threat is like finding a needle in a haystack. Our goal is to make that haystack much smaller. As security threats continue to evolve, so does our defense technology. And the latest evolution is network-embedded security.
- Generative AI: Leaders from AT&T’s Chief Data Office will cover how AI is changing the way we work and the growing importance of security measures in the rapidly evolving world of generative AI. The panel will examine real-world use cases demonstrating the transformative potential of generative AI in enhancing security systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and combating cyber threats.
“AI and security go hand in hand these days when it comes to how we deploy and manage our network. From preventing fraud regardless of source – online retail, customer care, or in our stores – to blocking hacks and scams perpetrated by criminal gangs and other organizations worldwide, artificial intelligence, automation and pattern detection are key to safeguarding our customers and our company.
Additionally, new generative AI tools such as Ask AT&T and its set of applications are helping us identify and patch vulnerabilities in near real time, helping us stay ahead of new threats.”
– Andy Markus, Chief Data Officer, AT&T
- Talent Needs: A panel of experts will discuss the cyber talent gap, an evergreen topic in our industry and one that demands our attention as we look toward the next generation of cybersecurity leaders. This panel of cybersecurity experts will discuss methods and skills needed to kick-start and evolve a career in cybersecurity as well as novel approaches to train the workforce to ensure future cyber resilience.
- Quantum Computing: As we look to the future, AT&T’s Dan Solero and Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist, activist, futurist, and author, will close the day with a session about quantum computing and corresponding complex security risks. Quantum computers may still be further down our roadmap, but it’s crucial to start preparing for and understanding those risks today.
You can learn more about the conference and how to register at the website here: AT&T Secure Connections.
I hope you’ll join me at what will surely be an insightful and interesting day of thought-provoking conversations as we all work together to manage risks and build a plan for a more secure future.
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