Breakthrough Security Conference Slated to Return for Second Year.

IDG Executive Forums to Produce The Security Standard in Chicago, September 10 and 11, 2007

The Security Standard Delivers Real World Business Solutions to the Latest Security Threats and Risk Management Challenges Cisco Systems Inc. Returns as Principal Sponsor

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- IDG Executive Forums announced today initial plans for its second annual The Security Standard conference, which will be held September 10-11, 2007 in Chicago at the Fairmont Hotel. Introduced in September 2006, the highly successful The Security Standard event is the one forum that presents a wide variety of technology and business perspectives focused on the business of security and the security of business. Cisco Systems will repeat its roles as Principal Sponsor of the 2007 event, offering guidance on content and showcasing its latest security defenses at the conference.

"The purpose of The Security Standard is to send attendees back to work with an arsenal of powerful strategies for combating threats from inside and outside their organizations," said John Gallant, president and editorial director of Network World. "We're able to do this by bringing together industry visionaries who assess the state of today's threat network, project the risks of tomorrow, and provide concrete strategies for diffusing dangerous activity."

Gallant and Bob Bragdon, publisher of CSO magazine, will return as co-executive producers of the 2007 conference, driving the content and discussion on stage for an audience of CEOs, CIOs, CISOs, and technology directors responsible for their organizations' security strategies. The presentation topics at the conference will include risk management, identity management, multi-factor authentication, industry regulations, law enforcement, and the changing threat landscape.

"Our 2006 event was an unqualified success," said Bragdon. "Distinguished security professionals from high-profile companies including AT&T, BT Global, Cisco, Fidelity Investments, Genzyme, Liberty Mutual, Microsoft and Wal-Mart Stores delivered their security solutions to an audience of over 600 senior business and technology professionals. Our 2007 event will be even better, with more case studies, special keynotes and insightful dialog between business and technology decision makers challenged to develop practical security strategies that make sense for the organization overall."

The Security Standard is an IDG Executive Forums event produced with the support and editorial expertise of the IDG brands CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. Together, these brands provide direct access to an extensive audience of over five million business and technology decision makers.

Attendance at The Security Standard is limited to qualified senior security professionals. Designed for top business and technology executives from a wide range of industries, The Security Standard will cultivate dialogue amongst key security decision makers that will strengthen policies and protocols against malicious activity. To request more information on attending or sponsoring The Security Standard conference, visit http://www.thesecuritystandard.net/. Companies interested in sponsoring The Security Standard may also contact Andrea D'Amato at [e-mail].

Raves for the 2006 Conference

The Security Standard 2006 event wrapped up in early September in Boston to rave reviews. Attendees were delighted about the number and quality of new contacts, insights and strategies they were able to garner from the two-day event that will help them tackle the latest business, political, technical and cultural challenges they face in building an effective, business-wide security strategy within their organizations. Attendees of the event reported:

"It is hard to conceive of a two-day event that better informs, educates, and prepares senior security and risk managers for 'long-term' challengesO than The Security Standard," said Leland Beachy, Risk Management Group, Laconia Savings Bank.

"An outstanding confluence of security thought leaders and users, working together to first understand the true scope of the issues at hand... I highly encourage proactive commitment to such events and initiatives, starting with The Security Standard," said Rob Marano, CTO, Falkin Systems LLC; former director of emerging software technologies at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC.

"I found the event very informative and a real chance to hear from and network with my peers in Security Management!" said Daniel Reynolds, CISSP, CISM, Director, Technology Controls and Security, OmnicomMediaGroup

About The Security Standard

The Security Standard takes a fresh approach to the critical enterprise-wide topic of security, bringing together an intimate and exclusive audience of senior decision makers -- from both corporate and IT management -- to drill down into the most pressing business challenges surrounding information security. With high-profile keynotes, unique industry perspectives and an open dialogue running throughout the event between the decision makers in the audience and the visionaries on stage, The Security Standard will provide the audience with a strategic foundation on which to build current and future action plans for business security. The Security Standard will run as a single-track educational conference with an intimate 30sponsor pavilion. Produced by IDG Executive Forums, the conference draws on the strengths of IDG's top U.S. business brands: CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld and Network World. For more information, visit http://www.thesecuritystandard.net.

About the Co-Chairs

Bob Bragdon, Publisher of CSO magazine, and John Gallant, President and Editorial Director of Network World, are the co-executive producers of The Security Standard and responsible for leading the event's steering committee and determining the conference agenda. Both leaders bring a wealth of security knowledge and experience to their respective roles. As publisher of CSO (chief security officer) magazine, the world's leading information resources for security executives, Bragdon works closely with industry vendors, enterprise security executives, government officials and law enforcement agencies in identifying and addressing the challenges of today's complex security and risk management environments. Bragdon is a member of the ASIS International (American Society for Industrial Security).

Under Gallant's executive direction, Network World has been a leader in covering the emergence of networking in corporate America and has become the newspaper of record in the network industry. Gallant has positioned Network World as a true service publication for network IS professionals, providing technology and business news along with a wealth of insight, opinion and analysis designed to help readers manage not only their networks and network-based applications, but their growing budgets and staff.

About IDG

International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, events, and research company. IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 countries including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC World. IDG's online network includes more than 400 Web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment, and gaming worldwide. IDG is a leading producer of more than 170 technology-related events including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Macworld Conference & Expo, DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events. Over 850 IDC analysts in 50 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends. Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at http://www.idg.com.

All product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.