Know Before You Go: Getting the Most out of AWS re:Inforce 2022

Last updated on February 4th, 2023 at 3:29pm

In 2018, AWS announced the launch of its first conference specifically dedicated to cloud security, AWS re:Inforce. This conference was created after the highly regarded AWS re:Invent conference, which covers everything under the cloud umbrella, from geospatial data and advanced machine learning to developer best practices.

The 2019 (largely exploratory) inaugural re:Inforce brought a more specific focus to security, compliance, identity and privacy—big topics that could never be adequately covered at re:Invent. With a little less hype and a lot more depth, re:Inforce became a space for more technical attendees and conversations, as opposed to re:Invent’s marketing focus. But due to COVID-19, all plans for re:Inforce were put on the back burner—until now.

After two long years and a global pandemic, re:Inforce is making its highly anticipated in-person return to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this month. Because of the conference’s extended hiatus, this year’s showing is guaranteed to be one for the books. Here are a few things to expect, as well as some tried-and-true best practices, so you can make the most of your time in “Beantown.”

Come prepared

First and foremost, figure out where to get your coffee. You’re definitely going to need some caffeine before you take on the trade show floor—I highly recommend Gracenote. Also keep in mind that you’re going to be on your feet quite a bit, especially if you want to maximize your time with meetings and interviews, so definitely pack a pair of comfortable shoes. On a more personal note, I have certainly missed making in-person connections and networking and am looking forward to their return at re:Inforce.

Make sure you are open to any and all conversations. This is a conference in which you can truly feel that you are part of something bigger than yourself. It's important to keep in mind that we all have one goal: making the cloud safer and easier to adopt and scale. So with that being said, there will definitely be technical conversations surrounding familiar trends, like remote work, DevSecOps, back-to-basics security and more, but you should study up on these hot topics before you hop on your flight:

• Leveraging AWS Machine Learning and AI services for security
• Automating the basics - IAM, compliance, development integration
  
• Newly-compliant services for government and healthcare
• Talking about the Security Pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework

You can also expect to see more talk about hybrid-cloud, multi-cloud, and container security from all the vendors - I wouldn't be surprised to see new offerings from AWS in that space announced at re:Inforce.

Make the most of your time

Yes, the keynotes and breakout sessions can be invigorating, but the most beneficial conversations will happen in small groups. These opportunities often present themselves between sessions or when walking the trade show floor (or waiting in line to get coffee), so take advantage of the time outside of your usually-scheduled content. Personally, I would encourage you to engage in a topic you know little to nothing about. Finding the time to fill in those gaps may just inspire your next great idea.

The Monday Bootcamp is an awesome place to learn and network, but if you weren’t lucky enough to book a spot, you can swing-by the Spotlight Labs and Leadership sessions for some insights from awesome AWS practitioners on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This year will redefine AWS re:Inforce

I'm not sure AWS is treating this year as a "reset," as many of the scheduled events, along with the conference’s branding, are similar to other AWS events and last year’s remote re:Inforce. But the culture of re:Inforce—who attends, why they attend, what they want out of it and how they engage with others—all of that is up in the air. It's an opportunity for everyone to explore what re:Inforce means for their company, for them as an individual and collectively as the community of security practitioners on AWS.

That may seem lofty—it's just a conference, right? But there's truly no other space that focuses on AWS security so specifically. We have broader security events, like RSA, vendor-specific events, like re:Invent and industry-specific events, like HIMSS. AWS re:Inforce is unique. Its meaning and place in the future depends on what we all make of it now.

Finally, please consider stopping by the Kion booth; if you'd like to book some dedicated time with our team, click the link below.

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