The speaker researches the history of one large, government-funded infrastructure and compares it to another. Specifically, the Eisenhower Interstate System and the Internet. "Connections: Eisenhower and the Internet" explores what the logistical challenges of moving vehicles across the Country can teach us about cybersecurity. Although these two topics seem unrelated, the speaker will take the audience on a journey that begins with early 20th century road-building projects, travels through ARPANET and the commercialization of the Internet, and arrives at current-day cyberspace. These two massive infrastructures have changed the world, and there are important lessons that the former can teach about the latter. The presentation concludes with predictions about the future of the the Information Superhighway and how information security professionals can prepare.
Damon Small began his career studying music at Louisiana State University and took advantage of computer skills learned in the LSU recording studio to become a systems administrator in the mid 1990s. Following the dotcom bust in the early 2000s, he began focusing on cyber security. This has remained his passion, and over the past 16 years as a security professional he has supported infosec initiatives in the healthcare, defense, and oil and gas industries. In addition to his Bachelor of Arts in Music, he completed the Master of Science in Information Assurance degree from Norwich University in 2005.