Learnings from the Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2024
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Learnings from the Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2024
Dimitrios Sylligardakis
15th April, 2024
Dimitrios Sylligardakis
15th April, 2024
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Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2024: First impressions
What was I looking to learn?
My mindset before attending the expo
The impact of AI on the InfoSec and Compliance space
What one session or keynote really resonated?
3 key takeaways from the Cloud & Cyber Security Expo
Validation for what we're working on around InfoSec and Compliance
What does the future of the InfoSec space look like?
Read the recap of this year's Cloud & Cyber Security Expo in London from our Senior Product Marketing Manager, Dimitrios Sylligardakis, to learn what trends you need to be paying attention to in 2024.
Staying on top of the industry’s latest trends and developments is an important part of my role as a Senior Product Marketing Manager for our InfoSec and Compliance apps at Upscale.
A key part of this is attending relevant industry events to see what new trends our customers would benefit from us paying attention to.
In March, I attended the Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2024 event in London to see what topics and trends the industry’s best are focusing on. Here’s what I learned.
Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2024: First impressions
The field of cybersecurity moves at immense speed, so it was no surprise that this year’s Cloud & Cyber Security Expo was a whirlwind of new technologies and ideas.
AI was the buzzword on everyone's lips, but equally important was the focus on automation and streamlining processes.
What was I looking to learn?
I’m focused on the intersection of InfoSec, compliance, and the Atlassian ecosystem. That’s a broad area, so I went to the expo with a focus on two main areas.
First, I was curious about how AI is changing the software landscape, and bundled into this, I wanted to see how apps for platforms like Jira and Confluence can become smarter with AI.
Second, I wanted to learn how automation takes the burden off security and compliance teams. There's so much repetitive manual work that could be streamlined, and this feels like an area where we can make big progress.
My mindset before attending the expo
The security landscape is in a constant state of change. Keeping up with this fast moving landscape, understanding the new regulations, and staying on top of the latest best practices is a full-time job in itself.
Here's where my head was at before the expo:
- The AI conundrum: I knew AI would be a major theme in cybersecurity at the expo, but how can it translate practically into the tools we work with in Upscale and Atlassian? I was hoping to get past the buzzwords and find real-world examples that could fit our needs and shape our strategies.
- Seeking smarter workflows: Security and compliance involve a lot of tedious, repetitive tasks. I wanted to see how intelligent automation could not only reduce manual effort but actively improve detection and response times. Can Atlassian become the hub for this kind of automation?
- Data everywhere, worries everywhere: Data protection and compliance were another big focus for me. With cloud-based Atlassian environments growing in popularity, it's vital to understand evolving regional regulations and how to enforce proper data governance. I was looking for insights, and better yet, app ideas, that could address these growing concerns.
From attending speaker sessions to chatting with other attendees, I knew this expo would be the perfect place to add more real-world context to my existing knowledge of these topics.
Did the expo bring clarity to what the role of AI in the InfoSec and Compliance space will look like?
It definitely cleared a few things up. There's a lot of hype around AI, but at the expo it got practical.
A key theme across the event was making AI accessible to everyone—bringing those advanced solutions into user-friendly interfaces that the average team can benefit from. That translates directly to how we could develop Atlassian apps.
What one session or keynote really resonated with me?
There was a session on the topic of 'AI-Driven Threat Hunting' that really stuck with me. The big takeaway was that AI has the potential to dramatically lower the technical barrier for proactive threat detection, which could unlock improved efficiency and more effective security practices.
There was also a scary statistic that hit home: over 70% of data breaches now involve insider threats or are down to human error in how things are configured.
It reinforces our mission and reasoning behind building Atlassian apps that help you manage compliance, control user permissions, and enforce a good security setup.
My 3 key takeaways from the Cloud & Cyber Security Expo
I took in a lot of information over the course of the expo. But, I wanted to focus on the takeaways I felt were most relevant for the future of our apps and relevant to the Atlassian ecosystem.
- AI = potential (and dare I say, necessary): Think automated vulnerability scanning, intelligent workflows for handling incidents, even apps predicting which compliance regulations you need to worry about next.
- Automation saves the day: Apps that automate everyday tasks like access reviews, patch updates, and report generation could change the whole game for overworked teams. This is something close to our heart here at Upscale, so keep your eyes open for more great news on that front.
- Data sovereignty matters: Controlling who has access to your Atlassian data, encrypting sensitive info, and staying on top of regional regulations—that's where apps can fill a huge need.
It also validated the importance of events like these in our industry.
Hearing directly from industry leaders, as well as learning from the companies operating across cloud and security provides incredible insight into where the industry is going.
Plus, seeing the solutions other companies are developing to push the industry forward at such a rapid pace helps inspire our product roadmap for the future.
Validation for what we're working on around InfoSec and Compliance
It was refreshing to get validation that we’re on the right track in terms of apps and roadmap strategy within Upscale.
Our mission is to simplify security and compliance for Atlassian users, and the expo affirmed this is more important than ever. It fuelled our ideas about apps that can leverage AI and automation not just to meet today's needs, but to help teams stay ahead of the curve in the future.
What does the future of the InfoSec space look like?
The future of InfoSec isn't about isolated gadgets and tools that do everything. It's about smart integration—harnessing AI and automation within the platforms like Atlassian that businesses use every day.
If you share this vision, let's connect!
Want to hear more from Dimitrios?
Want to chat about InfoSec and Compliance, share learnings, or chat about any of Upscale's apps?
Written by
Dimitrios Sylligardakis
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Based in London with a few cats and a small passion for Python automation, gardening, history, and econometrics (don’t ask). I’ve worked in marketing across multiple industries, with a constant focus on providing customers with the tools they need to solve their everyday problems.
InfoSec & Compliance