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Local Businesses Learn How to Protect Against Hackers
Rochester, N.Y. — It’s a question you probably leave to the so-called experts: how safe is your computer at work? How about at home? There are specific steps that everyone, and every company, should be taking to protect themselves.
At the 11th annual Hackerfest conference held Thursday in Rochester, local business owners learned how to protect their computers.
There is a room full of computer hackers, but the real expert is security consultant Chris Nickerson. He flew in from Denver to warn Rochester businesses about what criminals can do.
Nickerson told us he has worked with thousands of companies, and not one has prevented him from breaking into their system.
“Their security program crumbles and you can show them how an attacker can steal and take just about everything they have,” Nickerson said.
Here are three simple things he advises you to do to protect your computer at work.
1. Ask an expert to try to break into your system, they can expose where you’re vulnerable.
2. Make sure you have basic spyware protections.
3. When an icon comes up on your screen to re-boot and update your protections, do it immediately.
“Take two minutes out of your day and do it. Don’t’ make the excuse and say, ‘well, I lost my business because I was busy surfing on Facebook,” Nickerson said.
The hundreds of people who attended Hackerfest received the kind of help their companies can’t afford to hire.
But it doesn’t have to be complicated computer security. Nickerson says even in 2009, many employers don’t have basic protections. He says people should ask bosses what kind of security is protecting our email, documents, and networks.
11th Annual Hackerfest Conference Held in Rochester
Last Update: 10/08 3:17 pm
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Rochester, N.Y. – One of the largest information technology conferences in the Northeast took place in Rochester Thursday.
The 11th annual Hackerfest featured exclusive information on security, business continuity, and the latest technologies from vendors like IBM, HP, and Microsoft.
"The advantage of Hackerfest is that attendees don’t have to compete with large crowds to meet face-to-face with key vendors," said Ken Michael, Vice President of Dox Electronics.
Michael also said that over the last 11 years, Hackerfest has grown to encompass new IT technology issues, rather than just security.
About 400 business leaders from the Northeast attended this year’s event at the Hyatt Regency.
HACKERFEST Draws IT Professionals to Rochester from Across Northeast
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
The most unique attribute of Dox Electronics` HACKERFEST - which takes place in
Rochester on October 8th - isn`t that the event is one of the largest IT
conferences in the Northeast.
It isn`t that HACKERFEST features exclusive information on security, business
continuity, and E-Discovery topics and new technologies from vendors like IBM,
HP and Microsoft.
It also isn`t that HACKERFEST attracts hundreds of business leaders, upper
management and senior Information Technology personnel from businesses large and
small.
Finally, the uniqueness of HACKERFEST isn`t that it plays host to world leaders
in IT- including Chris Nickerson, a world-renowned security expert and this
year`s keynote speaker.
What`s unique about the 11th annual Dox Electronics HACKERFEST Conference
(www.hackerfest.com), staged at the downtown Hyatt Regency Rochester, is that it
is free to invitees.
"I come here each year to see what's new in information technology and security,
stuff that I haven't seen yet," said Jack Lockard, IT manager for Erdman
Anthony, a civil engineering firm with offices in six cities in New York,
Pennsylvania and Florida.
"Typical IT solutions usually require more than one technology resource -
networking & security, disaster recovery, data storage, and thin clients," said
Louis DeCarolis, Director of IT, of DeCarolis Truck Rental. "HACKERFEST brings
many of the resources together, so you can build your solution going table to
table. Each year I leave HACKERFEST with at least one IT issue solved."
Ken Michael, Vice President of Dox Electronics, sponsors of HACKERFEST, says the
conference offers IT decision makers a chance to get mission critical
information on the IT industry in a quaint, pressure-free, interpersonal
environment.
"The advantage of HACKERFEST is that attendees don`t have to compete with large
crowds to meet face-to-face with key vendors," Mr. Michael said. "The event is
within easy driving distance of most Northeastern cities, so companies can save
significant costs on time and travel for their staff to attend," he said.
Dox Electronics has sponsored the event for the last 11 years, over which time
Mr. Michael says it now encompasses all new IT technology issues rather than a
strict focus on security. Mr. Michael says hosting the conference is his way of
giving back to the IT community.
"With HACKERFEST, no one needs to go to New York City, Boston or Chicago to
learn about industry trends," Mr. Michael said. "At HACKERFEST you can surround
yourself with 400 of your peers from Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo."
Further Information:
Ken Michael
1-888 NEED DOX (888-6333-369) Press option 0
585-473-7766 Press option 0
Copyright Business Wire 2009
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
![['Hackerfest' Focuses on Computer Security]](images/RNews_HACKERFEST92508.jpg) |
| Conference hosted by Dox Electronics |
'Hackerfest' Focuses on Computer Security
by Dan Smith
photo by Todd Krupa
Published Sep 25, 2008 |
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It seems that you can't protect yourself enough when it comes to staying on top of computer fraud; "Hackerfest 2008" gives us some of the latest technology to keep ahead of the game.
The network and Internet technology conference hosted by Rochester's Dox Electronics draws IT professionals from across the northeast and Canada.
Now in its 10th year, Hackerfest has evolved from focusing mainly on computer security to cover all aspects of information technology.
"Since it is a comprehensive show, it's not just regarding security. But storage, IP telephony. You can talk to various vendors that offer various solutions that may impact your business," said Ken Michael, Hackerfest founder. "How to do more with less. How to become more efficient. More competitive by using these types of technology."
This year's Hackerfest featured presentations from industry giants like Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM as well as a keynote address from global information security expert Paul Henry.
ajl
Hackerfest
Hackerfest Teaches About Protection
by Dan Smith
Photo by Scott Barstow
Published Sep 20, 2007 |
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An information technology trade show and conference doesn't really live up to its name. Hackerfest isn't for computer criminals. It features ways to stop them from hacking into your system.
Dox Electronics invited vendors from across the country and speakers to share ways to stay proactive. They say hackers are the ones who usually get the head start.
"You have to stay up on technology," said Ken Michael of Dox. "You can't bury your head in the sand and hope that problems are going to go away. How we did things 10 years ago is not how you should do them now."
A number of vendors here agree that the first line of defense is right at your fingertips.
"We're looking at spam all the time, looking at viruses," said Stephen Gee of Barracuda Networks. "I think the important thing for users is to know that just don't go and click something from someone you don't know."
More than 500 IT professionals and 26 vendors attended the ninth annual Hackerfest at Henrietta's Doubletree Inn.
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Dox Electronics
Hackerfest
September 21, 2007
Hackerfest '07 attacks IT crowd
People using their computers just want the things to work. But the potential pitfalls and problems are legion, from hackers and viruses to power outages.
Scores of western New Yorkers whose job it is to make sure the computers at businesses, schools and government agencies stay up and running were in Henrietta on Thursday for Hackerfest 2007.
The annual event, put on by Rochester tech firm Dox Electronics Inc., saw vendors pitching everything from spam filters to backup generators and potential customers looking for the best and newest finds for their employers' information technology systems.
For Rick Coliccia, the annual event is a chance to window shop.
"I come here each year to see what's the new security technology that maybe I haven't seen yet," said the network manager for State University College at Geneseo.
The annual computer security summit and trade show also is a time to network with colleagues in IT departments at other schools and compare notes, he said. "Our problems don't really fit the problems of industry or the business office."
The trade show in the Doubletree Hotel had 29 vendors, from blue chip companies such as IBM and Microsoft to R.L. Kistler Inc., which makes backup generators.
While the event began with a technology focus, it has since grown to include broader technology issues, said Ken Michael, Dox founder and vice president.
The event started nine years ago as a way of bringing the latest technology to the Rochester area instead of local businesses having to go to far-flung cities for trade shows there, Michael said.
MDANEMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com
Hackerfest Draws IT Pros from across WNY
Rachel Ward
HENRIETTA, NY
(2007-09-20)
A conference that attracted IT professionals from across Western and Central New York has a lot of the same things that big conferences on the West Coast have, like seminars about the lastest technologies and vendors from IBM, HP and Microsoft. One thing it doesn't have is a thousand dollar price tag. The Hackerfest Conference, staged at the Doubletree Hotel in Henrietta today is free.
Ken Michael is the founder of Dox Electronics in Rochester, which organizes the event. He says the conference offers local IT decisionmakers a chance to get an annual update on the industry. And the decisionmakers come - he says he sees chief information officers, purchasing agents, and directors from as far as New York City and Canada. Public sector entities send representatives too. This year the event attracted attendees from local municipalities, Monroe and Ontario counties, the city of Rochester and local hospitals.
Michael says the advantage of his show is that large vendors send representatives, but the conference isn't so crowded that attendees have to compete for their time. And because it's free and local, it offers public agencies a significant cost savings on travel costs.
Dox has been putting on the event has been hosted for the past 9 years, over which Michael says it's evolved from just focusing on security to encompassing all new technology issues. Michael says for him, hosting the conference is an act of giving back to the community, in a way that few others are able to do.
But despite Hackerfest's success, Michael says he won't take it on the road. He says conferences that have emulated his model elsewhere haven't been successful, and that since it takes him 8 months to prepare the event, he simply doesn't have the time.
© Copyright 2007, WXXI
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