Learning and communication are at least as important to the cybersecurity profession as technology. That’s what makes events such as Infosecurity Europe so important: the opportunity to meet, collaborate with, and learn from the UK and global information security community. With the pandemic and its aftermath still affecting attendance at many live events, it was good to visit a show that drew a strong crowd for its 30th anniversary.
Roaming the hall over the show’s three days, it was wonderful—as always—to meet contacts new and old and to share notes on what we’ve learned over the past thirty years: from the evolving nature of cyber threats and defence, to the value of wearing comfortable shoes.
Sharing the CIISec Message
Our gallery space proved to be a perfect venue to entertain and educate the profession. Members shared experiences and advice at our networking lunch, and we saw strong interest in sessions designed to inform guests and members alike about our key initiatives.
Attendees at our Chartering and Professional Regulation session heard how to showcase their highest level of professional competence—straight from our assessors. Employees at CIISec’s Corporate Members learned about their exclusive access to our industry-leading Development Programmes. And for those at the very beginning of their cybersecurity journey, our “Join, Belong and Thrive” session demonstrated the power of professional membership for students.
Key Learnings
As ever at Infosecurity, the keynotes and panel discussions were full of insight. Our CEO, Amanda Finch, featured on the panel “Enabling Cyber Security Communities of Support for SMEs,” discussing research from CyCOS that ensures organisations of all sizes can embrace professionalism—and why fostering a strong community of professionals makes it easier for organisations to support one another. You can find a write-up of that session here.
Similarly, the ever-popular Women in Cyber panel offered valuable insight into increasing diversity within the profession. The panel served as a welcome reminder that attracting a diverse cohort isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a practical necessity. We need more professionals, and we need fresh perspectives to tackle the complex challenges we face.
People Power
As we said at the start, Infosecurity is still, at its heart, about people—and as a networking event, it certainly delivered. From long-standing members and seasoned professionals to newcomers entering the field, and those bringing new tools and skills to the table, it was fantastic to exchange so many experiences and ideas.
It was also a chance to connect with people we might not normally meet in our day-to-day roles. A highlight was speaking with the BBC’s Joe Tidy, who talked us through his fascinating—and in the wake of recent retail attacks, highly topical—new book, Ctrl+Alt+Chaos.
The Last Word
We know that events like Infosecurity Europe don’t happen on their own. There’s a dedicated team of organisers, sponsors, guests and staff who make it what it is and we’d like to offer our warmest thanks to all of them. Likewise, to our CIISec staff who arranged and staffed our stand, hosted sessions and offered advice and insight to anyone who needed it. Finally, to everyone who took the time to meet, talk, and share a little more about how we can keep growing as a profession – thank you.
This isn’t the end, of course. We have more events ahead—including CIISec LIVE in November—and we hope to see you there, and again in 2026, whether it’s to catch up or connect for the first time.
