FBI, Top Corporate Leaders Praise NCTA's Five Pillars Conference.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) was commended for their leadership in corporate security on Thursday as more than 200 top tier executives, global security experts and distinguished government officials assembled in Charlotte for the Five Pillars of Executive Leadership in a Non-Secure World conference.

The panel discussions focused on the areas of contingency planning, cyber security, intellectual property protection, physical security and protecting people. H. Keith Melton, international spy expert and best-selling author, explained that this has the potential to be a model program for the entire country.

"America is being besieged as never before," said Melton, author of The Ultimate Spy and one of several keynote presenters at the conference. "NCTA is at the forefront of recognizing these important issues, and the entire country needs to catch up with NCTA."

Associate Executive Director of the National Security Branch of the FBI Philip Mudd contributed his expert knowledge and experience in counterterrorism, counterintelligence and national security and agreed that we live in a new world with new dangers.

"There is no way we can defeat the new threats we face unless government leaders share what they know and industry leaders share what they see," said Mudd. "NCTA is a mechanism to do that."

NCTA has been collaborating with the FBI for the last seven years to address security and intellectual property protection at all levels of business and the technology industry. FBI Section Chief Thomas Mahlik, of the Counterintelligence Strategy and Domain Section at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., explained that this conference is exactly what the corporate world needs now and in the future.

"We have a mutual interest to converge and accelerate our discussions in this area, and NCTA is acting as that converging agent," said Mahlik. "This meeting today is a perfect example of the partnership that can and should occur between the FBI and business."

This is an ongoing, determined effort by NCTA to raise awareness of the dangers currently facing corporate America and designed to give executives a briefing on new essentials while branching out from traditional business issues. NCTA will continue these discussions on June 7 in Research Triangle Park.

"Technology presents dangers and benefits. It connects us and exposes us," said Joan Myers, President and CEO of NCTA, and a 2004-2005 Eisenhower Fellow, studying cyber security and cyber terrorism. "Today, we feel unequivocally, that NCTA has made a difference in the sharing of information that affects the corporate bottom line and our national security."

NCTA would like to thank the sponsors of this event: Bank of America, Compellent Technologies, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Hosted Solutions, EMC Corporation, Duke Energy, Alston & Bird LLP, Cisco Systems, Time Warner Cable Business Class, AT&T, Business Wire, Business Vitals, Calyptix Security Solutions, Cii Associates, CommScope, IBM Internet Security Systems, ISS Agency, Manpower Professional, Mercury Data Systems, Peak 10, Reflex Security, Defense and Security Technology Accelerator (DSTA), Strategic Technologies and Sun Microsystems.

NCTA's second Five Pillars of Executive Leadership in a Non-Secure World conference will be on June 7 in Research Triangle Park. Please visit www.nc-tech.org for more information and details on how you can get involved with this must-attend program.

About NCTA: The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) is a not-for-profit, membership-driven trade association and the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina. NCTA is the intersection of leadership and technology, fueling the growth of North Carolina through Executive Engagement, Public Affairs, and a Knowledge Workforce. For more information, visit our website at www.nc-tech.org.