Q&A with RSA Conference 2019 Keynote: Rohit Ghai

1. How many times have you attended RSAC? 

2019 is my third conference. 

2. What is the topic of your keynote?

This year’s keynote is about the Trust Landscape. Every organization undergoes a digital transformation. These transformations introduce new, disruptive technologies into the organization’s ecosystem. In turn, this brings along new risks, which must be addressed. 

Identifying and mitigating risk enables technology, which enables human progress. Cybersecurity creates trust in the future. This trust-enabled world democratizes innovation, enables new business models and increases the velocity of business. The keynote discusses the relationship between risk and trust to further human progress. 

3. How do you decide what your topic will be?

It’s no mean feat to come up with a compelling topic for the RSA Conference keynote stage. The topic must be fresh and interesting; it must challenge the audience to think in new ways to protect our digital world. It must also be engaging enough that the audience remembers it during – and after – the conference, when they are inundated with information. To try and achieve this I work with a small team to brainstorm ideas. These ideas are considered for their relevance to today’s industry, what RSA is doing, and where we want to take the conversation next. From there, we work for several months on topic creation, story arc and the imagery that ties it all together. 

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4. How do you go about preparing for your keynote address?

Preparation for the keynote takes several months. From idea, to creation, to getting on stage the team works for several months to get it right. Because of this lead time, I am very comfortable with the talk by the time we get to the conference. There’s no additional preparation for me immediately prior to walking on stage. 

5. What do you most value out of attending RSAC?

As with most attendees, I would say the wide variety of networking opportunities the Conference offers. The conference sessions are very informative, but my schedule has me more focused on the conference ancillary events that bring groups of industry experts together throughout the week. 

6. When you want to see innovation live at RSAC, what program(s) do you check out?

There are so many great programs focused on innovation. Unfortunately, my schedule during conference precludes me from attending many of them. I do try to spend some time at the RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest, though.