For the sixth consecutive year, Maryland's vibrant cybersecurity community will be showcased during RSA 2017, the nation's premier information security conference and expo. Held annually in San Francisco, the conference draws more than 40,000 attendees to the Moscone Center. Led by the Maryland Department of Commerce, the CyberMaryland delegation includes representatives from cybersecurity companies, federal agencies, and educational institutions, as well as county partners.

"At RSA, our team will share the good news of the innovations and technologies – created, developed, and produced in Maryland – that are protecting data and networks across the globe," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. "Maryland's booming cyber sector is proof positive that the state is theplace to be for cyber."

This year's signature event is a breakfast with General Keith Alexander, USA (Ret.), CEO of IronNet Cybersecurity in Fulton, Md. General Alexander formerly headed the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command. More than 100 guests – representing U.S. and international cyber companies, investors, RSA speakers, government officials, and academia – are expected to attend the breakfast on Tuesday, February 14, at the W Hotel San Francisco. The event is sold out.

"RSA provides an opportunity to highlight Maryland's unparalleled cybersecurity assets to national and international audiences," said Col. Ken McCreedy, USA (Ret.), Maryland Commerce's director of cyber development. "Whether making connections that expand a company's customer base, attracting new cyber companies to Maryland, or experiencing new technologies, the conference is a valuable tool for companies and commerce alike."

Throughout RSA 2017, Maryland cyber experts will share their insight and expertise during conference sessions. The roster includes:

• Steven Adair, CEO, Volexity
• General Keith Alexander, USA (Ret.), CEO, IronNet Cybersecurity
• Matthew Barrett, Cybersecurity Framework, NIST
• Joseph Brule, Security Engineer, National Security Agency
• Dr. Michael Collins, Chief Scientist, Redjack
• April Doss, Partner, Saul Ewing
• Jamil Jaffer, VP, Strategy & Business Development, IronNet Cybersecurity
• Naomi Lefkovitz, Senior Privacy Policy Advisor, NIST
• David Nathans, Director of Security, SOCSoter Inc.
• Matthew Olsen, President, Business Development, IronNet Cybersecurity
• Debora Plunkett, Principal, Plunkett Associates LLC
• Anthony Talamantes and Todd Kight, Defensive Cyber Operations, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Ira Winkler, President, Secure Mentem
• Steven Witt, Partner, DataTribe

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, located in Rockville, Md., will host live project demonstrations in the booth #2815 in Moscone Center's South Hall. The schedule includes:

• DNS-Based Email Security: Wednesday, February 15, 12:00 noon to 12:30 p.m.
• Data Integrity: Wednesday, February 15, 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Multifactor Authentication for e-Commerce: Thursday, February 16, 12:00 noon to 12:30 p.m.

More than 40 Maryland companies – including Bricata, ClearShark Labs, CloudSploit, Koolspan, Mindgrub, Optio Labs, Patriot Technologies, RedOwl, Technuf, Tenable Network Security, and ZeroFOX – will participate in the conference, hosting events and meetings, and exhibiting their technology throughout the conference. The CyberMaryland delegation will have an exhibit booth, #2518, in the South Hall. Complimentary expo passes are available by registering at https://www.rsaconference.com/events/us17/register and using expo pass code XE7CYBMD.

Launched by the state in January 2010, the CyberMaryland initiative positioned Maryland as the nation's epicenter for cybersecurity. The initiative was the first comprehensive state strategy for cybersecurity and the first state effort to align and leverage cybersecurity resources.