Why we talk openly about security—and why it matters

When my colleagues invited me to write a blog post about the upcoming EAB Security Summit, I jumped at the opportunity. As we head into our third annual summit, it’s a good moment to revisit why this event exists and what we hope to achieve this year.

Why the EAB Security Summit?

Security is about trust, and relationships are built on trust. We want our partners to trust EAB, and to maintain that trust we invest in security. Speaking about security openly—without fear of “saying too much”—matters to us, and it matters to our partners.

When I led the security team at George Washington University, I often struggled to get non-security vendors on the phone or to answer our questions. That was frustrating: my employer was a multi-billion-dollar institution and one of the most prestigious private universities in the country, if not the world. If we couldn’t get the time of day, how could smaller schools hope to? When I joined EAB in 2019, I asked how we could set a standard for the edtech community in talking about security in public.

This summit is one way we’re trying to lead, and to show that open conversations about security benefit everyone.

That’s the why—now the how. How we host the summit is just as important as why we do it.

What you can expect

My favorite part of working in higher education has always been the community. Peers at other institutions are accessible, welcoming, and willing to talk about anything. We don’t worry about trade secrets or oversharing. With the EAB Security Summit, we set out to create a space where people can come together and talk candidly about their challenges, solutions, and what’s on their mind about security. If the first two years are any indication, I feel good about the space we’ve created and about what you can expect from the upcoming summit.

What’s on the agenda

That brings me to this year’s agenda. We’ve invited some of the sharpest minds in security to discuss application security, AI, and incident response. If you’ve ever wondered how ransomware negotiators approach their work, what risks AI-enhanced applications pose to your institution, or what CMMC means for your research enterprise, we’ll cover it.

Among our attendees, you’ll find a diverse mix of technology backgrounds, experiences, and disciplines. We intentionally invite people we know will enrich the conversation. You’re sure to meet someone new and, hopefully, be inspired by what you hear.

On behalf of EAB and the information security team, I hope to see you at the summit!