New records for it-sa 2016 underscore the popularity of Europe's biggest IT security trade fair

contents

europe

The eighth round of it-sa closed with three new records, when 489 exhibitors (428 in 2015) came together with 10,181 trade visitors (9,015 in 2015) at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. For the organisers, this represented an increase in exhibitors of no less than 14 percent as well as 13 percent more visitors over the previous year. A third record was the 15 percent increase in display area for Europe's biggest IT security trade fair, which occupied all of Hall 12. Around 230 presentations in three open forums, special display areas and an expanded Congress@it-sa programme with 15 lecture series provided wide-ranging information on IT security. One of the highlights of the event was the special keynote speech by Austrian lawyer and data privacy activist Maximilian Schrems. In 2017 it-sa will move to Halls 9 and 10 to allow room for further growth.

"Once again, it-sa has impressively underscored the leading role it plays. With visitor numbers well in excess of 10,000 for the first time, and 489 exhibitors from Europe, America and Asia, there can be no doubt as to the growing importance of the event. The results are impressive proof that it-sa has become established as the biggest trade fair for IT security in Europe and a recurring fixture in the calendar of the internationally aligned IT security industry, " concludes Frank Venjakob, Executive Director it-sa at NürnbergMesse, about the three days of in-depth professional dialogue.

Comprehensive market overview with international participation
From staff training through risk analysis to SIEM systems, the extensive range of products and services showcased at it-sa covered all areas of IT security. Intelligent, self-learning software, incident response, protection from DDos attacks and IT security for critical infrastructures were just some of the hot topics discussed. Separate areas for Identity and Access Management and for new companies, as well as a topic route for data centre security, provided thematic clusters for easy navigation of the exhibition. "Registrations from countries other than Germany accounted for particularly strong growth in display area, '' notes Executive Director it-sa Frank Venjakob. Exhibitors from 19 countries and two new pavilions gave the venue at Nuremberg an international flair. Our neighbour France and start-up nation Israel had their own heavily frequented pavilions that put the spotlight on companies from the two countries. There was also a strong international presence among visitors to it-sa 2016, with IT security experts converging on Nuremberg from Germany and the rest of Europe, primarily from Austria, Switzerland, the UK, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, but also from Asia and the American continent.

High level of satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors
Exhibitors and trade visitors alike awarded top marks to it-sa 2016, as shown by the results of polls conducted by independent market research institute Gelzsus. Ninety percent of exhibitors rated the overall success of their trade fair participation as positive, while 94 percent reached their most important target groups. Nine out of ten participating companies used it-sa to present innovations or product refinements and 98 percent of visitors polled were satisfied with the range of products and solutions on display. Every fourth visitor is responsible for their company's procurement decisions, while almost two-thirds of those polled are involved in the decision-making or provide advice on purchases. Exhibitors rated the economic situation of the IT security sector as highly positive, with 84 percent assuming strong growth will continue and just 1 percent expecting a downturn.

Impressive supporting programme covering topical issues
IT security exports explored challenges and trends in three open forums at the heart of the trade fair action. In brief product presentations and panel discussions, a total of 230 contributions by experts provided an overview of current challenges like ransomware, standards and certification or IT security for critical infrastructures. In addition, there was expert input to the topical discussion about IT security in hospitals and the health sector. In this context the organisers really hit the mark, because there were 50 percent more trade visitors from the health sector at it-sa 2016 than in the previous year. The opening speakers were Arne Schönbohm, President of the German Federal Agency for IT Security, Winfried Holz, Member of the Board of Bitkom (Germany's Digital Association) and Peter Batt, Head of the IT Department at the Ministry of the Interior. Günther Oettinger presented a video message on behalf of the European Commission, while CEO Peter Ottmann represented the organiser NürnbergMesse. On the first evening of the fair, the Executive Dinner hosted by the honorary sponsor Digital Association of Germany brought board members and managing directors of Bitkom member companies together with exhibitors.

Maximilian Schrems held special keynote on EU data protection regulation
"More data privacy through secure IT structures?" The EU General Data Protection Regulation requires companies and institutions to take organisational and technical measures to protect the personal data that they process and store. In his special keynote address, Maximilian Schrems provided an overview of the new regulation, which will come into force in May 2018 and supersede national data protection laws. "Sanctions are taking on a completely new dimension, " said the renowned lawyer and data privacy activist with reference to the maximum penalties of up to four percent of global sales and entitlement to compensation for non-pecuniary damage. It was crucial, said Schrems, for protective measures to correspond to the state-of-the-art, although exactly what form this would ultimately take remained to be seen. According to Schrems, the regulation nevertheless offered industry associations the possibility of helping to shape the definition in the interest of self-regulation.

Biggest Congress@it-sa yet with 1,150 delegates
With a total of 15 lecture series and 1,150 participants, Congress@it-sa was also bigger than in previous years. It offered sessions on legal aspects such as the EU Data Protection Regulation as well as strategic advice and information on Cloud or Privileged Account Security. The EICAR Conference, which took place semi-concurrently with it-sa, also had an international focus. This year the expert discussions put the spotlight on the trustworthiness of IT security solutions. At national level, this was the fourth time that it-sa had provided a suitable venue for the annual convention of IT security managers from regional and local municipalities. The German Federal Agency for IT Security also chose it-sa as the venue for its IT baseline protection meeting that looked at upgrades for IT baseline protection.

From 2017, it-sa will occupy two halls to accommodate further growth
In future it-sa will take place in two exhibition halls. The next round from 10 to 12 October 2017 will therefore be the starting point for the further expansion of the event. "This is a logical step to meet the undiminished demand and to continue to develop it-sa in collaboration with the Advisory Board and industry representatives, " says Frank Venjakob about the rationale behind the move to Halls 9 and 10. In future, Congress@it-sa will also take place in NCC West immediately adjacent to the trade fair.

The next it-sa will take place at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 10 to 12 October 2017.

write your comments about the article :: © 2016 Exhibition News :: home page