More than 250 civic and industry leaders, government representatives, university faculty and students are expected to meet this week in downtown Tacoma for the 13th annual South Sound Technology Conference.

Michael Hamilton, Chief Information Officer for the City of Seattle, will discuss the Public Regional Information Security Event Management (PRISEM) project. The system is designed to offer an online early warning about everything from botnet incursions on compromised desktops to possible full-fledged cyber-attacks from terrorists.

Sharon Wong, Director of Business Development, Emerging Technology Group Cisco Systems, will give the attendees a glimpse into where Internet giant Cisco Systems is serving up Big Data solutions and research.

Additional breakout sessions and panels will cover topics ranging from technology in healthcare, the building of a big data research center, securing big data, and hiring for a future cybersecurity-educated workforce. The morning featured panel, led by Ankur Teredasai, the director of the Center for Web and Data Science at the Institute of Technology, will put specific focus on Big Data.

The South Sound Technology Conference, which will be held on Fri., March 8, between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in William W. Phillip Hall on the University of Washington Tacoma campus, provides a forum that aims to increase the awareness of technology’s impact on our personal and professional lives, and the role it can play in the development of our South Sound economy through technology.

The yearly event is made possible by the work of many volunteers and corporate and community sponsorship from the Economic Development Board of Pierce County, Workforce Central, Optic Fusion, Internet Identity, Pierce County IT, the City of Tacoma, the UW Tacoma Institute of Technology, and the support of honorary co-chairs Congressmen Adam Smith and Derek Kilmer.

More information is available online at southsoundtechconference.com.