Groundhog Day at ISC West: Same, same, but different

Despite my best efforts to leave Vegas and never return… I found myself returning to Sin City for ISC West at the end of March. 

I have long, and mostly affectionately, referred to ISC West as Groundhog Day. If you’ve ever been you can probably see why. 

Same venue (albeit, a gorgeous one at the Venetian), 

same schedule (hectic and sleep deprived), 

same egregious cost of food and bevs, 

same go-to coffee shops, 

and largely the same people (the best part). 

I had said my farewells to ISC West last year and thought I was Homer Simpsoning into the bushes from the show and the security industry. Alas, groundhog day continues - a Bill Murray-esque predicament that I inadvertently honoured by hosting an event in a room dedicated to the man himself (see below). I can’t seem to keep away from all the familiar faces, industry discussions, important strategic conversations…and some tangents. 

The latter of which I was able to contribute to this year, as I co-hosted a roundtable discussion on Activism & Security Risks in the Energy & Utility Sector with another member of the Foresight Board of Directors, Brian Harrell, following his keynote Lunch & Learn session with SIA. 

As with many best-laid plans at any conference, the roundtable didn’t go exactly as planned; instead of focusing exclusively on the utility sector actually turned into an active discussion on private-public security collaboration in non-traditional industries. It was a topic I couldn’t have planned for, but one that everyone in the room benefited from.

And I could not resist the opportunity to host this roundtable at Trustworthy Brewing Co, for obvious reasons…including Mr. Murray, of course.

My favourite part of any industry event or roundtable, (spoiler alert, it’s not just the cold beer) is bringing together practitioners and industry leaders and disruptors that may have otherwise not had an opportunity to meet or to dig deep into how important, and sometimes controversial, topics are impacting their roles or their organizations. And for me, while everyone gains a great deal from the discussion itself, it’s the connections and subsequent ideas created from these events that are the magic. 

Hard to say whether or not the groundhog will rear its little head for next year’s ISC West but I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been inspired by good company and some kooky collaboration ideas to bring more people together this year. Same, same, but different.

As most of you already know,  I have a few ringers and excellent taste in beer ;)