Microsoft kicks off BlueHat cyber security event in Tel Aviv
Like the Washington-based conferences, BlueHat IL calls on cyber security professionals to “come together to tackle the present and peek into the future.”
By SHARON UDASINUpdated: JANUARY 24, 2017 07:06Microsoft Israel setting up for BlueHat IL event taking place this week.(photo credit: MICROSOFT ISRAEL)
Microsoft is bringing together some of the world’s top researchers in cyber security computing at a professional program in Israel this week – the first of its kind to occur outside the United States.The BlueHat IL conference, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Tel Aviv, aims to educate both Microsoft Israel’s employees and invite-only participants, by exploring the latest cyber security research breakthroughs.Microsoft has previously held 16 such BlueHat events at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.Security industry professionals from around the globe will be speaking at the event, including world-famous hacker “The Grugq,” Microsoft Azure chief technology officer Mark Russinovich and Costin Raiu, director of the Russian multinational Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research & Analysis Team.According to past event programs, BlueHat conferences typically focus on educating Microsoft engineers and executives on current and emerging security threats, enabling them to address security issues in Microsoft products.Like the Washington-based conferences, BlueHat IL calls on cyber security professionals to “come together to tackle the present and peek into the future.”Unlike the Washington events, however, BlueHat IL is expanding its scope to include the larger local community beyond Microsoft employees.“We thought, we want to do it here but we want to do it differently,” Merav Bahat, chief marketing officer and business strategy director at the Microsoft Israel R&D Center, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. “We work very closely with the ecosystem here.”Due to its Tel Aviv location, which is surrounded by so many hi-tech ventures, Microsoft Israel has many partnerships with members of the academic community, start-ups, venture capital firms and the industry’s big players, Bahat explained.Advertisement“We are part of the ecosystem and also want to let them join and have fun and learn and be open and inclusive,” she said.Alongside the conference, BlueHat IL will be hosting an “Arena,” powered by Microsoft Garage Israel, a creativity hub located in the Israel R&D Center, “where people can make their own stuff,” according to Bahat.At the Arena, participants will be able to participate in activities like drone races, Sumobot fights and other “geeky” attractions, she added.BlueHat IL will be about not only educating Microsoft employees and hi-tech community members, but also about letting them enjoy themselves, Bahat said.
