• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Tech

These Charts Show How Security Pros Are Rising in the Corporate Ranks

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 8, 2018, 7:49 AM ET

The annual RSA Conference in San Francisco is the biggest schmoozfest in the computer security industry and a barometer of key trends.

In past years, Fortune has analyzed the titles of scheduled sessions at the event to determine what’s hot and what’s not. Between 2012 and 2015, for example, “cyber” and “cloud” rose to prominence, signaling the growing acceptance of a buzzy self-descriptor and a new kind of IT landscape, while “crypto” and “commerce,” which were top of mind at earlier iterations of the event, fell out of favor.

This year, the latest analysis uncovered another trend: An increased focus on more senior executives.

Since 2009, the number of “senior management” mentions in the abstracts of proposed conference sessions—including related terms, like chief information security officers, board members, and executives—have soared. The preponderance seems to parallel the rising importance of information security pros, whose roles have taken on greater significance after a seemingly endless series of corporate hacks, breaches, and security snafus in corporate America.

You can view this trajectory in the charts below. (Note that the data for 2018 were gathered before the final submissions deadline, which means that it was incomplete.)

These charts demonstrate, in broad strokes, an increasing interest among security pros to present talks that either discuss or are aimed at higher-level executives. (Cue Drake’s “Started From The Bottom.”)

“Security has higher visibility” in companies, says Wade Baker, cofounder of Cyentia Institute, a Virginia-based cybersecurity research group, who analyzed the above data and shared it with Fortune. Baker applied natural language processing techniques to 15,000 “call for paper” submissions over the past decade to arrive at the findings.

“Boards are actively asking questions and making demands” related to cybersecurity, says Baker, who previously served as a chief technology officer at Verizon (VZ), where he helped author the company’s annual, highly-cited data breach investigations report. “We’re seeing the heat pick up on security leaders,” he adds, mentioning recent Senate hearings related to last year’s massive hack of the credit bureau Equifax.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Another interesting finding: GDPR, the toughened data regulatory regime soon slated to roll out across the European Union, already appears to be attracting unprecedented buzz at this year’s RSA conference. The term’s increased use is among the most spectacular rises.

“In the last couple of years [GDPR] has gone from nothing to one of the more common themes out there,” Baker says. In contrast, he notes that mentions of other regulations, like PCI-DSS, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, have steadily fallen by the wayside.

In a new report that covers more data analysis related to RSA conference session proposals, Baker sums up the biggest trends of the past few years. “We’ll cut this short and just award 2016 to IoT [Internet of Things], 2017 to ransomware, and 2018 to GDPR.”

You can download that report here.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

View of SpaceX building
AICFO Daily
For SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen, the challenge starts after the $75 billion IPO 
By Sheryl EstradaJune 12, 2026
3 hours ago
SpaceX headquarters outside
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
SpaceX’s first employee, Tom Mueller, thinks the historic IPO is just the beginning
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 12, 2026
5 hours ago
Elon Musk
InvestingMarkets
When SpaceX starts trading, some ‘shareholders’ will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
5 hours ago
Mo Jomaa of CapitalG, Nizar Tarhuni of PitchBook, and Hans Tung of Notable Capital at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
The SpaceX IPO is not the market savior it seems
By Andrew NuscaJune 12, 2026
5 hours ago
Notion takes a quiet approach to designing AI features: ‘You can’t have every new tool screaming at you’
AsiaAI agents
Notion takes a quiet approach to designing AI features: ‘You can’t have every new tool screaming at you’
By Angelica AngJune 12, 2026
6 hours ago
Your AI is already setting prices. The real question is who sets the rules
AIAutomation
Your AI is already setting prices. The real question is who sets the rules
By François Candelon, Paul-Louis Andres and Augustin ManchonJune 12, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
3 days ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
5 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
Innovation
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
By Amanda GerutJune 9, 2026
3 days ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.