RiskUKDecember2017

News Special: IFSEC International 2018
UBM announces 2018 “transformation” of
IFSEC into “integrated security event”
Security has arguably never been a more
critical subject of discussion than it is
today. 2017 has been a year wherein
organisations and Governments have become
increasingly aware of the fact that the
substance of the threat which they’re working
to prevent has changed irrevocably.
Europe fell victim to a string of unpredictable
attacks, Yahoo saw its share value fall by $350
billion over 48 hours after the largest security
breach in history was revealed, the NHS found
its physical assets left vulnerable after a
ransomware attack disrupted the ambulance
service, the FBI and Apple “went to war” on
encryption and Airbnb properties were left in
chaos when a smartlock update went wrong.
These occurrences (and other) represented a
pivotal theme: the need for all those
influencing security to adapt to reflect a more
complex world and the ever-closer interweaving
of physical and cyber security.
The time is now for the security profession to
unite its knowledge and technologies in order
to protect people, property and profits.
According to UBM, organiser of the annual
IFSEC International exhibition, to do this we
must transform our expertise. Indeed, UBM has
commented: “We must be able to access the
solutions we need. We must commit to making
the world a safer place.”
IFSEC has a vision, and that’s to transform
alongside the security industry. IFSEC and
FIREX International brand director Gerry
Dunphy informed Risk UK: “As of 2018, it’s
IFSEC International’s commitment to become
this place for the profession to create a safer
world. IFSEC International must actively foster
the global security conversation, be the vessel
that sets and carries the agenda and be the
antenna for broadcasting the safety and
security dialogue. 2018 will be the inauguration
year of a transformation of IFSEC International’s
40-year heritage as a physical security show
into a high-level Security Summit and
integrated security event.”
Reflecting on the past
When IFSEC was first conceived, the threats
facing us all were merely physical. Society has
adapted since then, and UBM feels that 2018 is
the year in which IFSEC must do the same.
The security profession simply must evolve to
meet modern needs, and IFSEC International is
In the wake of a period which has seen the threat landscape
deliver huge blows to organisations including Yahoo and the
NHS, UBM has unveiled plans to reflect that reality with
IFSEC International adopting a new industry role designed to
address critical challenges such as these. Brian Sims reports
determining to become the arena for the big
discussions, however difficult they may be.
“The security profession must discover
solutions that are a driving force for protecting
businesses, people and data,” continued
Dunphy. “IFSEC International will afford the
security industry the necessary platform to
display and discover products and services
designed to help national, corporate and home
security adapt to the changing tides of
tomorrow’s challenges.”
According to Dunphy, it’s the security
profession itself that absolutely must drive the
agenda going forward. “IFSEC International will
exist for the world’s leading security experts as
a platform for provocative debate on global
security and propel intercommunication
forward between installers, integrators, end
users and vendors,” urged Dunphy.
Existing as a conduit
IFSEC International will exist to be the conduit
between the security profession and the
solutions needed to achieve global safety. In
order to pilot this conversation in 2018, IFSEC
International will:
• Drive an emphasis on major Keynote
addresses from strategic global security
leaders in a dedicated Security Summit
• Host a multitude of high-level panel debates
involving Government and industry influencers,
all of them congregated in the striking new
Amphitheatre at London’s ExCeL
• Provide the opportunity to hear from those
leading the way in identifying, installing and
maintaining “transformational” security
practices between physical and IT, in turn
introducing an Integrated Security Theatre
• Establish the impartial voice of security
equipment by holding technology up to scrutiny
in real-life testing across attack scenarios,
surveillance situations and more
• Propel intercommunication forward between
the installer, integrator, the end user and the
vendor by way of hosted and collaborative
round table discussions
Gerry Dunphy: Brand Director
for IFSEC International at UBM
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