After listening to many of you, visiting with top enterprise security executives, hearing from respected researchers and authorities, there was nothing I wanted to do more this year than celebrate your business successes with you.

Uniquely crafted, this is the business event for security executives.

THE SECURITY 500 RESEARCH PROGRAM:

Identifies the 500 largest buyers of security products and services in the U.S.

• Spotlights top security executives leading their organizations’ security initiatives
  
• Measures security investments by the 500 and the return on those investments

THE SECURITY 500 CONFERENCE:

You are invited to our industry’s first conference focusing on the business mission of security to discuss the security strategies and management initiatives, network with your peers and share ideas with industry thought-leaders. During our research for the New Security Magazine as THE business magazine for security executives (which will debut in July), we heard many insightful comments during our work, including:

“Prior to 911, the role of security was all about cost containment. After 911 the role became preservation of life. It requires a different skill set today.”

“Security was always an obstacle. But today you need to make it an enabler. It is all about aligning security with business goals to help the organization achieve success.”

“More and more we are being asked to defend our security spending and show its impact for the company. If we don’t, we’ll be given an arbitrary bucket of money and told to do our best.”

“We want to be able to justify a security investment on strategy and planning, not just predict doom and gloom. We need to take the initiative and show value.”

“IT is an enabler for Security. Security is an Enabler for Business”

“My CEO expects my department to be aligned with the company vision and that vision includes making the company more profitable.”

“We are partnering with lines of business and using our IP video as a marketing tool to help them reduce travel cost and drive sales. And the business units are looking at security in a new, more positive light.”

“I want honesty from the integrator’s sales people and vendors. We are thirsty for new technology and solutions. But we find out the sales pitch was false. This industry needs standards, a Consumer Reports, if you will.”

Perhaps the greatest changes in your roles are:

• The expectation of security and prevention
  
• Aligning security with business goals as a business function
  
• Measuring security’s value and the ability to communicate those metrics

The inaugural Security 500 is presented by Security Magazine and researched by our partner, The Aberdeen Group of Boston, which will present in depth analysis of the 500 largest buying organizations of security products and services in the U.S. In addition to this insightful and powerful information, as a conference participant you will learn:

• How the largest spending organizations measure and report the value of security spending
  
• How security strategy will enable vs. obstruct business functions
  
• Management strategies from top security executives at Security 500 organizations
  
• Hear partnership success stories from Wall Street
  
• Learn of the changing role of the security executive and managing new expectations
  
• Gain successful strategies for aligning security with business goals
  
• From hackers, terrorists to spies: Learn how they target, attack your enterprise
  
• Find better ways to leverage new technologies and innovations
  
• How to better manage change: lessons learned 5 Years after 911

Please mark your calendar now and plan to join us at The Security 500, September 12-13 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. For registration and sponsorship information, visit www.securitymag.com/500conference or call 888-530-6714.

I look forward to welcoming you to our industry’s first and foremost business event designed specifically by and for your peers to address the business of security.