Thursday, September 17, 2009

DigitaIDWorld 2009 - Looking out at the Crowd

By Ed Higgins


I just returned home from the Digital ID World 2009 #DIDW conference in Las Vegas where I presented a couple of breakout sessions focused on Identity Management and was a panelist in the conference grand finale discussion.  What an honor and a treat!  This, just after returning from an emergency trip to Dubai, UAE and Pretoria, South Africa. 

The breakouts, written on the 27 hour plane rides, were aimed at providing guidance for integrating best practices into IDM initiatives, and presenting a perspective that employee awareness was among the most important keys to success and return on investment.  There were many great breakouts and keynotes that I would have loved to attend them, had I not been presenting myself. I mean, I wanted to be a student rather than the teacher. Some topics that greatly interested me involved the identity impact of cloud, legal implications, facebook as an identity tool, and several others sessions - all very interesting and compelling.

The finale of the conference was a panel discussion entitled "Conversational Crystal Ball Look into the Future of Identity Management". I was most humbled and privileged to have been invited as member of this panel along side noted celebrity security gurus like Jeff Jonas and Doc Searls, and moderated by Bob Bragdon, Editor of CSO Magazine.  I was immensely flattering to have been asked participate with such a prestigious group of gentlemen in the finale panel, a much anticipated and talked about event during the conference.    I owe my gratitude to dear friend and professional colleague Lafe Low, without who's generous invitation and introduction this would not have been possible.

With R.E.M's Radio Free Europe blaring as the intro song, and hundreds of attendees filing into the hall, anyone in my fortunate shoes mightn't help but to feel a bit of a "celebrity moment", especially following the aforementioned three exceptionally bright gentlemen onto the stage...

I had a blast, and I think we visualized the future of Identity and Identity Management Pretty well.

Anyway, enough for now...

Until next time, "Watch Out For Yourself".

~e