SACRAMENTO, CA - Welcome Back fellow (ISC)2 -ers. With July being a vacation month, we decided to pick up in August where we left off. On the greens. In June, everyone was able to show off their short game at TipsyPutt, but not August. August was an opportunity for the big girls and big boys to show off their long game at TopGolf.

Before the fun and shenanigans began, the (ISC)2 Sacramento Chapter introduced and officially welcomed new treasurer Matt DiVisconte. Matt is newer to the world of Cyber, however, he boasts an extremely impressive background in his experience and education. We encourage you to get to know Matt. You will not be disappointed.

When welcomes and pleasantries were coming to an end, we were treated to a great presentation titled, “Don’t Let Complexity Open Doors for the Bad Guys” given by our sponsors, Firemon and Fortinet. Speakers: Tim Woods, VP of Technology Alliances -Firemon and Troy Yeske, Enterprise Systems Engineer – Fortinet took turns giving us examples and sharing knowledge they have gained in supporting many organizations. One example Tim gave us is that it is not uncommon for Firemon to engage a new client and find that 40 – 50% of firewall policies are unused. This nugget of information supports a Gartner prediction that “Through 2023, ‘99% of firewall breaches will be caused by misconfigurations, not firewalls.”. One of the suggestions Firemon has for us is to utilize automation. Tim told us there are hundreds of areas that can be automated and provided examples. For all the inside scoop, you must attend these meetings or reach out to Firemon directly. Troy showed us why Fortinet is a leader in their space. Their investment in threat intelligence as well as organic R&D is unmatched.

As the presentation was coming to an end, Troy gave us a quiz for which the highest score received a bundle of swag. Many of the attendees scored in the 20% range, which tells us we have a lot to learn. With the presentation coming to a close and everyone charged up by all the great food provided, the party started to move outside where 8 bays were reserved for our group. Taking a visual survey of the group, we observed those seasoned golfers who regularly hit the back fence as well as beginning golfers who hit absolutely nothing at all, including a certain Chapter Secretary who shall remain nameless, because we honor privacy here at (ISC)2. The bays were reserved for 2 hours, which was plenty of golf. Some, however, were not ready to go home and the social portion moved back indoors thanks to Firemon and Fortinet. There have been unconfirmed reports that some attendees may still be at Top Golf as of the publishing date of this report.

Chalk up another successful event for (ISC)2 Sacramento Chapter thanks to our sponsors, Firemon and Fortinet, and of course all our attendees without whom the chapter would not exist. Keep an eye out for an announcement of our next event coming to you October 4, 2023