Continent 8 Technologies’ Regional Sales Directors, Jerad Swimmer and Jamie Garcia, and Principal Solutions Architect, Anthony Engel, recently attended the TribalNet 2024 Conference and Tradeshow.
At the booth, they were showcasing Continent 8’s multi-layered cybersecurity solutions designed to support tribal casinos and their cybersecurity programs.
Jamie Garcia and Jerad Swimmer at TribalNet 2024
Here, Jerad, Jamie and Tony share their key takeaways from the show.
What were your impressions of TribalNet 2024?
Jamie Garcia (JG): Following the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) 2024 event, we experienced yet another exceptionally organized and well-attended conference. It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with familiar faces, industry experts and organizational leaders, while also exploring opportunities on how we can shape, power and protect the industry together.
Jerad Swimmer (JS): Absolutely, Jamie! TribalNet was indeed a remarkable event. As one of our primary tribal-focused conferences, and a show I’ve proudly attended for many years, it provides an excellent platform for us to engage directly with new and existing customers and decision-makers who are dedicated to protecting their tribal casinos, enterprises, corporations and government organizations.
Continent 8 had a booth at the show. What were the most common trends or themes from the event?
JG: Cybersecurity was a central theme at OIGA 2024, and it was front and center in most of our discussions at TribalNet as well. Artificial intelligence (AI) was a particularly prominent topic, with many attendees eager to learn about the latest trends and best practices in AI and machine learning (ML) technologies, especially in their roles for both cyber protection and cyber threats.
Tony Engel (TE): Jamie raises an excellent point about the dual nature of AI as both a tool and a threat. Cybersecurity firms are using AI to help identify risky behaviors, automate mitigation steps and assist analysts in efficient data queries. Conversely, cybercriminals are also exploiting AI and ML capabilities to launch cyber attacks – and at scale! Building robust cybersecurity programs to counter AI-driven threats can be challenging but partnering with managed security service providers (MSSPs) equipped with 24x7x365 Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and up-to-date AI, ML and threat intelligence tools and platforms is an effective strategy to combat these sophisticated threats.
JS: In addition to AI, another key focus at the event was Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing (VAPT), with numerous TribalNet attendees inquiring about VAPT approaches and solutions for their organizations.
For VAPT, we advise choosing a service that can identify vulnerabilities across your entire organization, including infrastructure, networks, applications and cloud environments. A comprehensive end-to-end assessment allows you to isolate and prioritize security investments for maximum risk reduction. We also suggest regularly scheduled VAPTs to ensure a proactive and continuous evaluation and enhancement of your cyber attack surface area.
Anthony Engel and Jerad Swimmer at TribalNet 2024.
What are some things that we should keep an eye on in the future? Do you have any final thoughts?
JS: As cyber threats evolve, so must our cybersecurity strategies. AI and ML will remain pivotal in cybersecurity platforms, enabling the most innovative solutions to keep the most sophisticated AI-driven threats at bay.
We also foresee the tribal gaming community continuing to expand and enhance their cybersecurity measures. We are committed to strengthening our relationships with key tribal decision makers to ensure we provide the necessary safeguards for their cyber ecosystems.
And finally, we wanted to thank all the TribalNet attendees who visited the Continent 8 booth to share their cybersecurity insights, experiences and perspectives. For those interested in continuing the discussion in person, we invite you to visit us at the Global Gaming Expo 2024 in Booth 4235 to learn more about how we can support your cybersecurity initiatives. I’m really looking forward to the event.
Book a meeting at G2E 2024: https://lp.continent8.com/g2e-vegas-2024
Cybersecurity solutions for a safer tomorrow
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your tribal organization’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
Also, be sure to watch the latest episode in our Tribal Talks: Cybersecurity Unlocked podcast series. In this episode, Jerad Swimmer talks with Anthony Engel about cybersecurity challenges in the age of modern AI as cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated.
