Check out this years conference offerings.  Click Here.

Your security skills are more critical to your organization with every passing day - you need cost-effective methods to acquire and retain the cutting edge knowledge so key to your success!

Article by Ray Kaplan - CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, NSA IAM and IEM, ISO 27001, IRCA

As you know, gathering the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits needed to keep your certifications current, taking training classes, and gathering knowledge can be a very expensive and time consuming business. I know this all to well since nearly all of that fruit salad of certifications after my name require CPEs. I attend many training classes. And, I'm just like you - my quest for knowledge is never-ending.

Spring is just around the corner, and each passing week brings us closer to the Secure360°™ conference! This month, we're highlighting some important conference updates, taking a look at the role convergence plays in the security community, and introducing an exciting new course brought to you by our partners at Advance IT Minnesota!

Merriam-Webster defines convergence as “the merging of distinct technologies, industries or devices into a unified whole”.  Security Convergence, in its broadest sense, represents movement towards more holistic management of the commonly disparate security and operational risk domains within an organization.  Yet despite its popularity and support for nearly a decade, convergence continues to be a struggle for organizations and can still create strong debate, as evidenced by a recent

The Twin Cities Privacy Retreat is fast approaching! The full-day session costs $179, and you can register at www.twincitiesprivacy.com.  Don't miss the best chance all year to connect with the top privacy people in town. Below are some key updates from the conference leadership:

In the wake of the recent Google attack, many news and blog sites have been awash in discussions on APT threats.  But just what is 'APT'? Is it new? Why does it concern us?

APT, or Advanced Persistent Threat, is a term most often used to refer to a particular breed of well-funded, knowledgeable threat agents.  APT's seek to gain stealthy access to their targets for specific objectives not involving notoriety or immediate financial gain.  Several key items set them aside from other threats:

The Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA) is proud to announce the first annual Secure360 Conference Pass Scholarship Competition.  Open to all unemployed IT professionals in the Upper Midwest, the goal of this competition is to recognize those individuals whose career has been impacted by the annual Secure360 conference.

The Center for Strategic IT & Security announces it is now Advance IT Minnesota, a name chosen for its dynamic verbal representation of the mission and work the Center of Excellence performs. The official switch to the new identity will begin 8 December 2009 with the launch of its newly designed web site, AdvanceITmn.org (formerly strategicIT.org).

Security is becoming more important everyday, so UMSA in conjuction with our member organizations is expanding our offerings with a specialty focused pre-conference line-up.

Note:  Registration for the full conference is required for most pre-conference events.

Pre-Conference Events

There are several exciting half-day and full-day preconference educational sessions, as well as an (ISC)² exam, being offered on Monday, May 10, 2010, at the St. Paul River Center.

The Secure 360°^TMConference could not happen without the continued support of our member and affiliate organizations. This month, we would like to highlight one of our affiliate organizations.

UMSA's mission is to 'enhance the knowledge, skills and professional network of the security community in the Upper Midwest'.  This mission grows directly out of the combined missions of the professional associations making up the UMSA community: BCPA, CSITS, ISACA, ISSA, InfraGard, and OWASP.