Nominations Open for Tenth Annual RSA(R) Conference Awards.

Awards to Honor World's Top Innovators and Practitioners of Information Security and Cryptography

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- RSA([R]) Conference 2007 today announced that the call for nominations for its tenth annual awards program is now open. The RSA Conference Awards recognize influential contributors to information security. The categories being judged are Mathematics, Public Policy and Security Practices. Winners will be announced at the Conference, which takes place at The Moscone Center in San Francisco on Feb. 5 - 9, 2007.

"The RSA Conference Awards recognize those that drive the information security industry by achieving excellence in the fields that are most important to its continuous evolution," said Sandra Toms LaPedis, area vice president and general manager of RSA Conferences. "We expect the Awards to be very competitive considering the stellar industry contributions we've witnessed in the past year within the fields of mathematics, public policy and overall security practices."

The RSA Conference Awards call for nominations is now open and will close on Dec. 15, 2006. Award category details are as follows:

Co Excellence in the Field of Mathematics - designed to recognize innovation and ongoing contributions to the field of cryptography. The judging committee, coordinated by RSA([R]) Laboratories, seeks to acknowledge nominees who are pioneers in their field, and whose work has applied lasting value. Nominees should be affiliated with universities or research labs.

Last year's winner was Oded Goldreich, professor of computer science at Weizmann Institute of Science. Mr. Goldreich was recognized for his outstanding research in the interplay of randomness and computation, and the foundations of cryptography.

Co Excellence in the Field of Public Policy - designed to recognize significant contributions and leadership in the field of cyber security public policy. The judging committee seeks to reward nominees who hold elected or appointed office, are associated with public interest organizations or are associated with an organization that has significantly contributed to the development or application of current information security and/or privacy policy. The award for Public Policy is co-sponsored by a joint committee of individuals from multiple public interest organizations that strive to advocate and create public policy to support the advancements of information security in business and government.

Ari Schwartz, deputy director at the Center for Democracy & Technology, won this category in 2006 for leading public policy efforts surrounding spyware. He founded the AntiSpyware coalition on behalf of the Center for Democracy & Technology (www.cdt.org).

Co Excellence in the Field of Security Practices - designed to recognize outstanding contributions in commercial applications of cryptography - particularly those which provide clear value to the end-user - or outstanding achievement in the practice of security within an organization. The judging committee seeks to acknowledge those nominees who have demonstrated ongoing innovation in their technologies/products. The award for Security Practices is co-sponsored by the Executive Security Action Forum (ESAF), an association of chief information security officers and other senior executives responsible for protecting information for Global 1000 companies and government agencies.

Jack Jones was acknowledged for his instrumental efforts last year in creating an information security group of nearly 100 professionals as the chief information security officer at Nationwide Insurance.

The judging committee will comprise of members of the industry, academic community and public sector. Additional information and online entry forms are available at http://www.rsaconference.com/2007/us/preconf/conferenceawards/.

About the RSA Conference

RSA Conference is helping drive the security agenda worldwide with annual events in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Throughout its 16 year history, RSA Conference has consistently attracted the world's best and brightest in the field, creating opportunities for conference attendees to learn about IT security's most important issues through first-hand interactions with peers, luminaries and emerging and established companies. As the IT security field continues to grow in importance and influence, RSA Conference plays an integral role in keeping security professionals across the globe connected and educated. For more information and conference dates, visit www.rsaconference.com.

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