GSE UK Enterprise Security Working Group Information

Description

The Enterprise Security working group is an active group that meets 4 times a year, with three regional meetings and the annual GSE conference, to discuss the latest developments in zSeries centric security related products, covering RACF, ACF2, Top Secret, CICS, DB2, MQ & Websphere.

A typical meeting will consist of:

IBM, Vendor and GSE-member presentations on

Major security developments
Administration or auditing techniques and policies
Exploitation of new features
New and upgraded software releases
Outstanding problems

Latest news and announcements from IBM
Exchange of information on problems, hints and tips
Raising of, and voting on requirements

The primary audience is Security Administrators and Auditors, however, Systems Programmers with an interest in security will find the content very useful.

Information

Number of members/installations: 75+ Number of meetings each year: 4

Average number of participants per meeting: 20-30

Chairman: Dave McRoberts

Company: Norwich Union (an Aviva company)
Security and Business Continuity Manager - Managed Infrastructures, Norwich Union Central Services, PO Box 457, Surrey Street, Norwich, NR1 3EA
+44 (0)1603 686607 mobile: +44 (0)7800 698340
mcrobed@norwich-union.co.uk

General Objectives

To encourage information networking between group members, IBM and other vendors and provide a network of security professionals that a member can call on.
To encourage active participation (and self-reliance) by group members
To act as a focal point for announcements from IBM (and other vendors) of security-related products, issues, problems and solutions
To act as a focal point for group requirements to both IBM and other vendors
To focus group concerns and interests with IBM and other vendors
To act as a central repository of software "own-code" and information, developed by and freely available to working group members
Provide a variety of technical presentations of value to the membership
Encourage the flow of ideas and information both during the meeting and through Contact Sessions

Specific Objectives for 2005

To continue to increase value to the membership
To hold 4 meetings in locations spread across the UK.
To produce a members CD-ROM containing both code and useful documentation (including minutes of meetings and presentations).
Identify the topics which the group feel important and arrange for speaker presentations
Encourage newer security professionals by including ‘Starter Guide’ topics on the agendas
To review the Enterprise Security WG member database to encourage participation by GSE members that do not normally attend the Working Group

Meetings for 2005/2006

The proposed meetings for 2005/2006 are:

20th April @ CSF, London. Presentation material now available.
6th July @ Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham kindly hosted by CA. Presentation material now available
4-5 October Annual GSE Autumn Conference @ Stratford upon Avon's Moat House Hotel
Theme - Securing On-demand Computing
20th April 2006 @ IBM Bedfont Lakes, near Heathrow Airport, London. POSTPONED!
July 2006@ Edinburgh

The proposed format of each meeting is to have a specific theme. The meeting in January 2005 was entitled "Auditing the Mainframe", and covered the following topics:

Top Ten Tips for Auditing a mainframe (Rob van Hoboken, Consul)
Auditing CICS configurations (Tim Casey, Norwich Union)
What is SMF and Data Mining SMF(Mark Wilson, CSF)
RACF Basics for Websphere MQ (Phil Emrich, Vanguard)
The need for audits, a corporate governance perspective (David McRoberts, Norwich Union)

The theme for the April meeting in London is "Middleware", and will cover the following topics:

Websphere Security (Paul Gover, IBM)
CICS Transaction Gateway (Mark Wilson, CSF)
Digital Certificates(Nigel Pentland, National Australia Group)
Securing Web Services (Adam Heywood, Computer Associates)
MQ Security Presentation (Hazel Fix, IBM)

The theme for the meeting to be held on 6th July 2005 at Altrincham will be Provisioning

Steering Committee Members

Chairman: Dave McRoberts (contact details as above)

Secretary: Nigel Pentland
nigel@nigelpentland.net

Technical Coordinator: Mark Wilson

Tel: +44 (0) 7768 617006
markw@pobox.com

Treasurer: TBC
Requirements Co-ordinator: Sue Parsons sue_parsons@bristol-city.gov.uk

IBM Representative: Keith George
IBM eServer Business, Croydon

Back to GSE UK Home Page

Last Update: 19 April, 2006