No Holiday Season Break for CES Tech Show Preparations

By James Lint
Faculty Member, School of Business, American Military University
Senior Editor for InCyberDefense and Contributor, In Homeland Security

CES, the gathering convention for people thriving in the consumer technology business, begins in 30 days’ time in Las Vegas.

This annual trade show has been the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years. CES introduces next-generation innovations to the marketplace. Hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES collects the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers.

This year’s show starts on January 9, 2018, and runs for a full week. Last year, CES attracted 184,000 attendees from all over the world, including global technology industry leaders from 150 countries.

In 2017, CES drew a wide variety of attendees, including:

• Fortune 500 company executives
• Manufacturers
• Retailers
• Venture capitalists
• Engineers
• Government officials
• Advertising and marketing executives
• Media sources

Size of CES Requires Ample Preparation

You do not get 184,000 attendees into one convention center without a lot of preparation and planning. Tech firm exhibitors and event planners begin preparations long before the show opens because the logistics involved are extensive.

To assist participants get ready for the show, CES provides a checklist for exhibitors that includes pages of requirements that need to be met starting in October.

The Reach and Breadth of CES

CES is a platform for innovators to build their brands. Almost every major technology company participates in CES in some way — by exhibiting, speaking, sponsoring, attending or holding co-located events and business meetings.

Show Content Spotlights Diversity of Technology

At CES, content and learning opportunities are available regarding diverse elements of technology, including 3D printing, digital imaging/photography, robotics and drones. Attendees can also pick up new information on sensors, augmented and virtual reality, electronic gaming, smart homes, audio, fitness and sports.

There are booths and displays for startup companies, as well as for major manufacturers whose names have become household words. Visitors will see innovations in:

• Communications infrastructure
• Health and biotech
• Vehicle technology
• Computer hardware/software/services
• Internet
• Video
• Content creation and distribution
• Cybersecurity
• Wireless and other devices

Cybersecurity Industry Expected to Provide More Employment Opportunities

As CES has grown, so too has the cyber defense industry. So today’s cyber defenders in government and industry must continue to learn. Some of the products at CES are newly created, first versions.

Cyber defenders are the ones looking for the problems that may occur. They must look at, assess and determine if there are vulnerabilities that will affect other systems. Frequently a program or app is created that has no security problems. But when it is combined with other systems unforeseen vulnerabilities might appear.

Talks and demonstrations at CES allow professionals to see new cyber devices. CES also is the global stage where startups can get funded, new partnerships formed, and new acquisitions mergers and acquisitions take place.

In the future, we will need more and smarter cyber defenders who can keep up with the rapid evolution of technology. A formal college education and a continuing situational awareness of changes and vulnerabilities in technology are standard requirements for most cyber defender positions today.

What is new this year will likely be redundant in the not-too distant future. Events like CES offer an opportunity to glimpse the future of our ever-changing world of technology and its needs.

About the Author

James R. Lint recently retired as the (GG-15) civilian director for intelligence and security, G2, U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command. He is an adjunct professor at AMU. James has been involved in cyberespionage events from just after the turn of the century in Korea supporting 1st Signal Brigade to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis as the first government cyber intelligence analyst. He has 38 years of experience in military intelligence with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, government contracting and civil service.

Additionally, James started the Lint Center for National Security Studies, a nonprofit charity that recently awarded its 49th scholarship for national security students and professionals. James was also elected as the 2015 national vice president for the Military Intelligence Corps Association. He has also served in the Department of Energy’s S&S Security Office after his active military career in the Marine Corps for seven years and 14 years in the Army. His military assignments include South Korea, Germany and Cuba, in addition to numerous CONUS locations. In 2017, he was appointed to the position of Adjutant for The American Legion, China Post 1. James has authored a book published in 2013, “Leadership and Management Lessons Learned,” a book published in 2016 “8 Eyes on Korea, A Travel Perspective of Seoul, Korea,” and a new book in 2017 “Secrets to Getting a Federal Government Job.”