The Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced the agenda and speaker lineup for the 2020 SIA GovSummit, its annual public policy and government security technology conference, taking place June 1-4. Due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, SIA GovSummit will be held as a virtual event in 2020, and for the first time ever, the conference will be entirely free to all attendees from industry and government.  

“SIA GovSummit 2020 will explore how security technologies can be leveraged to drive success in government missions,” said Jake Parker, senior director of government relations at SIA. “With this virtual format, we look forward to delivering the programming to more interested attendees and presenting even more in-depth content on the topics that matter to government security practitioners at the federal, state and local levels. As part of the 2020 virtual SIA GovSummit, we will be offering additional sessions and training on emerging technologies relevant to government and homeland security applications.”

SIA GovSummit brings together government security leaders with private industry technologists for information sharing and education on security topics affecting federal, state and local agencies. The 2020 virtual conference will be held in four three-hour segments from Monday, June 1, through Thursday, June 4.

On day one, discussions will focus on policies and legislation impacting security technology. Attendees will enjoy a keynote presentation from Brian Harrell, assistant director of infrastructure security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with sessions on COVID-19 response and recovery, trends in federal procurement of security products and services, emerging applications and policy developments regarding facial recognition, the evolving landscape of data privacy policy and new federal guidance for counter-drone technology and what it means for site security.

Day two of SIA GovSummit — with a focus on securing government facilities — will begin with a keynote presentation from Daryle Hernandez, chief of the Interagency Security Committee within DHS CISA. Additional sessions will address the changing needs of the mission-critical federal market, modernizing physical access control systems protecting government facilities, applying cyber security practices and standards to government facilities’ video surveillance systems, protecting commercial data centers sued by government systems and protecting government facilities with autonomous drone systems.

On day three, attendees will explore emerging technologies for the public sector. During a special keynote session, “The Women in Biometrics Awards Presents the Future of Biometrics in Government Security Applications,” a panel of Women in Biometrics Awards recipients will look at how cutting-edge biometric applications are supporting homeland security missions. Additional session topics will include leveraging fever detection and camera technology in COVID-19 recovery efforts, building today’s security operations centers for tomorrow, the future of audio surveillance technology in law enforcement and security systems, emerging safety and security technology for government buildings and how passive weapons detection technology can enhance security operations.

Day four — focused on developing best practices for securing public spaces, facilities and venues — will begin with keynote remarks from Kathleen McGuiness, auditor of accounts for the state of Delaware. Additional sessions will highlight digital strategy, security, safety and privacy in the age of digital transformation; the integration of safety and security into public-private partnerships; the latest trends and guidelines for deploying security barriers; and using drones and robotics technology in security operations.

Learn more about this premier virtual conference and register to attend for free here.