Technical Level: Non-Technical.

Speakers: Bernedette Schell, Michelle Warren, Harry Benz
This month’s TASK meeting will focus on beginning a new career in Information Security, or enhancing your technical and social skills to improve your success in your present career. Our invited speakers will cover the current IT and IS environments in Canada, the changing role of women, technical and soft skills, and the process of preparing for, and successfully applying for, positions in security. Speakers will include:

• Robert Beggs (DigitalDefence) and Brian Bourne (CMS Consulting), who will provide an overview of the challenges that individuals and companies face
• Bernedette Schell, Dean of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, who will be speaking on women in information security, educational resources, and the UOIT MSc program in information security
• Michelle Warren, of Evans Research, will talk about the importance of soft skills, and provide some tips on improving your communication skills.
• Harry Benz, NuTech Staffing, will focus on how education and soft skills come together, with technical training and experience, to provide a well-rounded candidate for the security Industry. He will also be able to provide practical insight into the Information Security employment process.

Following our regular pizza break, TASK will convene its first discussion panel, bringing together the invited speakers along with Bruce Cowper (Microsoft) and Brian Bourne (CMS Consulting) to discuss some of the challenges the both newcomers and experienced security people face.