Cyber security conference in safe hands

Hard work in Hamilton has quietly carved the city a reputation in the computer science and cyber security circuit, and this New Zealand knowledge centre is now receiving international attention. Dr Ryan Ko, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Waikato University, has been on the committee of the IEEE International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (IEEE TrustCom) in recent years. “They tapped me on the shoulder and mentioned they were exploring New Zealand and wondered if we would be interested in hosting the event. Our Computer Science Department is becoming internationally renowned. We have a very strong research group working in networking, data mining, and digital libraries. We are home to the first Cyber Security Lab in New Zealand and the country’s first postgraduate programme in Cyber Security.”

Ko was keen, and called for support: “I got to know about Tourism New Zealand’s bid support and Conference Assistance Programme through one of their roadshows. They helped me with bid advice and we created a really attractive bid document which made the case that hosting the event in New Zealand will be a win-win for everyone - a ‘no-brainer’ solution. I presented it to the steering committee at last year’s TrustCom in Helsinki, and they agreed!” Ko says. “And they were so excited that they get to come to a conference in one of the most beautiful countries in the world!”

Meeting ambitions to be the best

Hosting IEEE TrustCom-19 at The University of Waikato in 2019 will provide a huge boost to New Zealand’s burgeoning IT industry. The conference is expected to attract between 200 and 300 experts in cyber security, privacy and trust from around the world.

“Having an internationally ranked conference here will raise the visibility of New Zealand in this discipline,” Ko explains. “It will ensure top-class research submissions from renowned scientists around the world. It will lead to a great cross-pollination of ideas from a lot of forward-thinking people. One of the key challenges in the IT industry is the transfer of research into the industry. This will help the New Zealand IT industry be exposed to the ideas of the top IT security researchers from around the world.

“Cyber security is a boundary-less, transnational problem, so this event opens up huge opportunities for collaboration,” he notes. “I’ve benefited personally from these interactions at conferences in the past, meeting like-minded people who want to get things done. For New Zealanders, they don't have to spend a lot of money to travel here, it will cut costs and allow major opportunities.”

The international attention will no doubt boost the profile of the host venue in the sector, too: “The Cyber Security Lab at the University of Waikato aims to be one of the top cyber security research programmes in the Asia Pacific region by 2018,” Ko says. “It's a goal - let’s try to be the best.”

But the wider benefits will extend beyond academia. Some of the more prominent speakers are expected to take part in public engagements, talking about a topic that is of increasing importance to all New Zealanders, from business protection to the online security of their personal details.

Ko also notes that the meeting aligns with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment goals. MBIE has awarded a $12.2m research grant to STRATUS (Security Technologies Returning Accountability, Transparency and User-centric Services in the Cloud), a project which aims to create a suite of security tools, techniques and capabilities which return control of data to Cloud computing users. “This event will be a international platform for our Kiwi STRATUS companies,” Ko adds. “It is a niche area to address a larger market concern, so this is not just about knowledge, but economic benefits as well.”

Recognising the benefits

Ko is quick to thank Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team for recognising the importance of winning the bid. “Tourism New Zealand definitely understood the potential. They were able to bring out the best of Hamilton in the bid document. We are in proximity to some of the hot tourist destinations in New Zealand - Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Raglan, and Hobbiton in Matamata. They also helped with information about access and accommodation - Hamilton is not the best-known city, but the facts and figures strongly justified this is a great destination. Add to that the core knowledge centre in this sector at Waikato University, and we proved it's an apt location."

“I have had fantastic support,” Ko says. “Tourism New Zealand shared the joy of a successful bid, knowing it will help our country.”

Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme will now provide further financial and strategic marketing support to help Ko promote the 2019 conference at upcoming IEEE TrustCom events. “In 2018 I will present at a conference banquet for 300 delegates and will use the impressive videos and resources from Tourism New Zealand to help them get excited about 2019,” Ko concludes. “I look forward to showcasing New Zealand as a conference destination.”