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Elephants and Irony at #RSAC

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 14:43:14 GMT

I was amazed when I saw the Beijing Zhongguancun Overseas Science Park (Elephant #1) in the North expo hall.

Some folks come out and say it and some use euphemisms but when people talk about APT actors, that boogeyman is commonly regarded as China. At least until Snowden, which brings us to NSA's large booth in the South expo Hall - Elephant #2.

Back to Elephant #1 for a second. "Who knew there were security software companies in China?" - was my question. But attendees are asking "Who would install a highly trusted piece of security software written in China?". Ironic. Being an honest IT security firm in China can't be fun. One gentlemen we breakfasted with confirmed it's an uphill battle.

If that's ironic, then a German colleague's comment is irony2. "Who really wants to buy IT security software from a US vendor after all the Snowden revelations?" Wow, Chinese and American security companies in the same boat? I begin to see the logic behind Germany sponsoring a large pavilion in the north hall spotlighting their country's security firms.

The irony continues when you think about the Chinese-made chips and US-written software running on security appliances on display.

I wonder where all of this will lead or if it will eventually blow over.

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